April 2023 Summaries

In the text, the author explores the process of developing a websocket-powered chat application using Rust, leveraging frameworks like Axum, Tokio, and others, while integrating authentication and deployment features with ngrok. Initially, the author reflects on using ngrok for quickly hosting local web applications online, noting its capabilities in handling TLS, identity management, and load balancing. Inspired by Shub Argha’s blog post about using ngrok for OAuth integration, the author decides to rewrite a chat app in Rust, utilizing the ngrok Rust Crate to streamline the online deployment process. The application architecture involves creating an AppState to manage chat history and using a websocket route to handle user connections, with OAuth for user authentication. The ngrok integration allows the application to bypass complex configurations like setting up reverse proxies and TLS, enabling a seamless transition from local development to a public, secure online service. The author appreciates this approach for its simplicity and effectiveness, expressing satisfaction in learning about Rust’s capabilities in websocket implementation and integrating a powerful web service with minimal effort.

ngrok has announced new tools for Go and Rust developers, namely ngrok-go and ngrok-rs, allowing for secure ingress to be embedded directly into applications using these languages, with seamless integration and minimal setup. The company has expanded its free plan to include OAuth and Webhook Verification features, enabling added security for web applications with support for multiple OAuth providers and numerous webhook verifiers. Additionally, ngrok has introduced a variety of product improvements, such as enhanced diagnostic commands and new, faster domains for paying customers, while also engaging with the developer community through events and blogs that focus on topics like combating phishing attacks and utilizing ngrok with IoT devices. The company is actively seeking feedback on new developments like the ngrok Kubernetes Ingress Controller and libraries for JavaScript and Rust, signaling ongoing innovation and community involvement.

Ngrok has introduced new domains for both free and paid users to enhance speed and user experience by routing traffic to the nearest available region on its Global Network. Free users will now receive subdomains on two new base domains, ngrok-free.app and ngrok-free.dev, while paid users already have access to ngrok.app and ngrok.dev. These domains, part of the HSTS preload list, enforce HTTPS connections, resulting in a 3200 error when attempting to connect via HTTP in browsers, although non-browser clients like curl can still use HTTP. Changes have also been made to the agent CLI and API, including the deprecation of the --subdomain and --hostname flags in favor of the --domain flag and alterations to the --region flag to ensure optimal latency. API changes include the deprecation of the region and name properties on the /reserved_domains endpoint, urging users to transition to using the domain property for custom domains to take advantage of the Global Network.