remote-config

• Externalized config server & client with built-in encryption for microservices architecture: https://microservices.io/patterns/externalized-configuration.html

General

• Architecture:

  • Storage engine: redis, mongodb, dynamodb or filesystem
  • remote-config-server: https://hub.docker.com/r/imageswjsc/remote-config-server
  • remote-config-client for nodejs: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@wjsc/remote-config-client
  • remote-config-client for Command line interface(CLI)

• The remote-config server stores remote-configs with this structure:

  • namespace
  • key
  • value

• Every remote-config stored has client side encryption with asymetric keys.

• value is encrypted with public key and it's only accesible by the remote-config owner

Getting started

1. Start redis as storage engine

docker run --name remote-config-db-redis -p6379:6379 -d redis

2. Generate private & public keys for a specific namespace for full TLS/SSL authentication

• You can ignore this step if no authentication is required

2.1. Install certstrap

wget https://github.com/square/certstrap/releases/download/v1.1.1/certstrap-v1.1.1-linux-amd64
mv certstrap-v1.1.1-linux-amd64 certstrap
chmod +x certstrap

2.2. Generating a root certificate authority

certstrap init --organization "ca" --common-name "ca"

2.3. Generating a server certificate & Sign server certificate

certstrap request-cert --common-name "server" --domain "localhost"
certstrap sign --CA ca "server"

2.4. Create client certificate & Sign client certificate

certstrap request-cert --common-name "client"
certstrap sign --CA ca "client"

2.5. Move files to folders

cp ./out/ca.crt ./server/certs
cp ./out/server* ./server/certs
cp ./out/ca.crt ./client/cli/certs
cp ./out/client* ./client/cli/certs

3. Run remote-config-server and connect to redis storage

• If no authentication is required, remove CA_CERT_PATH, KEY_PATH & CERT_PATH from command

docker run -p3000:3000 \
    -e STORAGE=redis \
    -e DATABASE_HOST=host.docker.internal \
    -e DATABASE_PORT=6379 \
    -e HOST=0.0.0.0 \
    -e PORT=3000 \
    -v $PWD/certs:/home/node/certs/ \
    -e CA_CERT_PATH=/home/node/certs/ca.crt \
    -e KEY_PATH=/home/node/certs/server.key \
    -e CERT_PATH=/home/node/certs/server.crt \
    --name remote-config-server-redis \
    -d imageswjsc/remote-config-server

4. Install CLI client dependencies

cd ./client/cli
npm i

5. Test saving & retrieving a remote-config with encryption

cd ./client/cli

node set_config.js -r certs/client.key -l certs/client.crt -a certs/ca.crt -n ns1 -k key1 -h localhost:3000
// The CLI will prompt for value
// output: { namespace: 'ns1', key: 'key1', value: 'value1' }

node get_config.js  -r certs/client.key -l certs/client.crt -a certs/ca.crt -n ns1 -k key1 -h localhost:3000
// output: { namespace: 'ns1', key: 'key1', value: 'value1' }

6. Test saving & retrieving a remote-config without encryption

cd ./client/cli

node set_config.js -r certs/client.key -l certs/client.crt -a certs/ca.crt -n ns2 -k key2 -h localhost:3000 -x
// The CLI will prompt for value
// output: { namespace: 'ns2', key: 'key2', value: 'value2' }

node get_config.js -r certs/client.key -l certs/client.crt -a certs/ca.crt -n ns2 -k key2 -h localhost:3000 -x
// output: { namespace: 'ns2', key: 'key2', value: 'value2' }

CLI Client help

1. Retrieve a remote config

node get_config.js --help
Usage: get_config [options]

Options:
  -x, --share                  Do not encrypt value
  -r, --private <path>         Client private key path
  -l, --clientcert <path>      Client Certificate path
  -a, --cacert <path>          CA Certificate path
  -n, --namespace <namespace>  Config namespace
  -k, --key <key>              Config key
  -h, --host <value>           Remote config server ip:port
  --help                       display help for command

2. Save a remote config

node set_config.js --help
Usage: set_config [options]

Options:
  -x, --share                  Do not encrypt value
  -r, --private <path>         Client private key path
  -l, --clientcert <path>      Client Certificate path
  -a, --cacert <path>          CA Certificate path
  -n, --namespace <namespace>  Config namespace
  -k, --key <key>              Config key
  -h, --host <value>           Remote config server ip:port
  --help                       display help for command

Run remote-config-server and connect to filesystem as storage engine

docker run -p3000:3000 \
    -e STORAGE=filesystem \
    -v $PWD/data:/home/node/.storage \
    -e HOST=0.0.0.0 \
    -e PORT=3000 \
    --name remote-config-server-fs \
    -v $PWD/certs:/home/node/certs/ \
    -e CA_CERT_PATH=/home/node/certs/ca.crt \
    -e KEY_PATH=/home/node/certs/server.key \
    -e CERT_PATH=/home/node/certs/server.crt \
    -d imageswjsc/remote-config-server

Run remote-config-server and connect to mongodb as storage engine

docker run --name remote-config-db-mongodb -p27017:27017 -d mongo
docker run -p3000:3000 \
    -e STORAGE=mongodb \
    -e DATABASE_HOST=host.docker.internal \
    -e DATABASE_PORT=27017 \
    -e DATABASE_NAME=remote-config-storage \
    -e DATABASE_COLLECTION=remote-config-collection \
    -e HOST=0.0.0.0 \
    -e PORT=3000 \
    -v $PWD/certs:/home/node/certs/ \
    -e CA_CERT_PATH=/home/node/certs/ca.crt \
    -e KEY_PATH=/home/node/certs/server.key \
    -e CERT_PATH=/home/node/certs/server.crt \
    --name remote-config-server-mongodb \
    -d imageswjsc/remote-config-server

Run remote-config-server and connect to dynamodb as storage engine

docker run --name remote-config-db-dynamodb -p8000:8000 -d amazon/dynamodb-local
docker run -p3000:3000 \
    -e STORAGE=dynamodb \
    -e AWS_REGION=us-east-1 \
    -e DYNAMODB_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:8000 \
    -e DATABASE_TABLENAME=remote-config-storage \
    -e DYNAMODB_CAPACITY_READ=5 \
    -e DYNAMODB_CAPACITY_WRITE=5 \
    -e HOST=0.0.0.0 \
    -e PORT=3000 \
    -v $PWD/certs:/home/node/certs/ \
    -e CA_CERT_PATH=/home/node/certs/ca.crt \
    -e KEY_PATH=/home/node/certs/server.key \
    -e CERT_PATH=/home/node/certs/server.crt \
    --name remote-config-server-dynamodb \
    -d imageswjsc/remote-config-server

Environment variables supported

STORAGE: Storage engine. Redis OR mongodb OR filesystem
DATABASE_HOST: Database connection endpoint
DATABASE_PORT: Database connection port
DATABASE_NAME: Database name
DATABASE_COLLECTION: Optional. Only when using mongodb as storage engine.
HOST: Server binding IP
PORT: Server binding port
CA_CERT_PATH: Optional. Certificate authority certificate path for SSL/TLS authentication. This file must be mounted.
KEY_PATH: Optional. Server private key path for SSL/TLS authentication. This file must be mounted.
CERT_PATH: Optional. Server certificate path for SSL/TLS authentication. This file must be mounted.
IGNORE_CLIENT_CERT: Ignore client certificate, only authenticate server.
AWS_REGION: Optional. Region for dynamodb.
AWS_ENDPOINT: Optional. Endpoint for dynamodb service
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: Optional. Only for dynamodb. 
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: Optional. Only for dynamodb.
DATABASE_TABLENAME: Optional. Only for dynamodb.
DYNAMODB_CAPACITY_READ: Optional. Only for dynamodb.
DYNAMODB_CAPACITY_WRITE: Optional. Only for dynamodb.

/// If CA_CERT_PATH, KEY_PATH & CERT_PATH are not defined, the server can run in insecure mode