April 2022 Summaries

ngrok Cloud Edge is a distributed computing architecture that brings middleware functions to the cloud and closer to users, offering faster configuration, reduced infrastructure burden, and improved security and performance for applications and APIs. By using ngrok's command line or edge configurations, developers can add various middleware functionalities such as webhook security, network restrictions, circuit breakers, geographic data injection, SSO, HTTP compression, and more to their applications without running a separate middleware infrastructure. The Cloud Edge architecture allows isolating applications from bad traffic, reducing scale and security issues, and adding capabilities to non-HTTP apps like IoT devices and legacy applications.

Ngrok Secure Tunnels facilitates remote access to systems by allowing users to share applications and APIs without complex network configurations, using simple commands such as "ngrok http 80." Security is a key concern when using such powerful tools, and Ngrok addresses this by enabling OAuth 2.0 authentication, which can be activated with the "--oauth" command, supporting providers like Google, GitHub, and Microsoft, as well as other compatible solutions. Users can further restrict access to specific domains or individuals using the "--oauth-allow" option to ensure only authorized users can connect to their systems. Besides OAuth 2.0, Ngrok offers additional security measures such as webhook validations, basic authentication, IP restrictions, and Mutual TLS, allowing users to customize their security layers based on specific needs, such as in IoT scenarios or when managing webhooks. Future posts will delve deeper into configuring these security policies, but users can refer to the documentation for more detailed guidance on IP policies and Mutual TLS encryption.

Alan Shreve, Founder and CEO of ngrok, announced the launch of two new products, ngrok Cloud Edge and ngrok Secure Tunnels, marking the company's evolution into a comprehensive development platform. Cloud Edge allows developers to deploy robust functionalities at the network edge with minimal commands, offering features like automated TLS, authentication, and load balancing, while Secure Tunnels focuses on enhancing enterprise security by allowing teams to monitor and control connectivity with tools like role-based access control and audit logs. Both products are designed to be seamlessly integrated into existing workflows through a fully programmable HTTP API, CLI, and client libraries, with the option to listen for real-time events for security operations. Additionally, ngrok introduced the v3 agent, distributed via popular package managers, though it is not fully backward compatible with previous versions. The company has revamped its pricing structure to align with the new product capabilities, ensuring existing customers retain their current pricing plans, while emphasizing its ongoing commitment to security, trust, and developer empowerment.