From nginx to ngrok: Dogfooding our own website with Traffic Policy

Ngrok has undergone a significant transformation by dogfooding its own product, transitioning from using nginx configurations to utilizing ngrok's capabilities as a comprehensive API gateway. Initially relying on nginx for routing and hosting services like their Python-based website and Go REST API, ngrok faced the challenge of increasing complexity and the need to provide ingress to various applications. By leveraging new features such as Traffic Policy and Endpoints in ngrok, the company was able to replace nginx's functionalities, including TLS termination, logging, custom headers, and path-based redirects, simplifying the infrastructure and enhancing operational efficiency. This transition allowed ngrok to bypass AWS networks, utilize global load balancing, and enable self-service changes by other teams, thereby improving performance and empowering internal users. The process of dogfooding helped ngrok refine its product while maintaining a continual feedback loop, and the company plans to expand this approach by integrating additional features like custom responses, rate limiting, and IP intelligence to further enhance its service offerings.

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