Version: 4.4.x

MTE Relay Server On-Premise Deployment

Introduction

MTE Relay Server is an end-to-end encryption system that protects all network requests with next-generation application data security. It acts as a proxy server in front of your backend, communicating with an MTE Relay Client to encode and decode all network traffic. The server is highly customizable and supports integration with other services through custom adapters.

Below is a typical architecture where a client application communicates with an MTE Relay Server, which then proxies decoded traffic to backend services:

Example MTE Relay server diagram

info

MTE Relay Servers can only communicate with MTE Relay Clients. An MTE API Relay cannot communicate with an MTE Relay Server or an MTE Relay Client SDK. MTE Relay Servers are strictly for client-to-server communications.

Prerequisites

Technical Requirements

A web or mobile application project that communicates with a backend API over HTTP.
- Our demo app is available on GitHub: MTE Relay Demos.
Docker installed and running on your system.
AWS CLI installed.

Skills and Knowledge

Familiarity with Docker and/or Kubernetes.
Basic knowledge of configuring containerized services.

Credentials

An AWS Access Key ID and AWS Secret Access Key provided by Eclypses to access the private container repository.

Deployment Options

MTE Relay Server is provided as a Docker image and can be deployed on-premise using:

Docker Run
Docker Compose
Kubernetes
Other container runtimes (e.g., Podman, Docker Swarm, K3s)

1. Configure AWS CLI Access

You must configure a new AWS CLI profile using the credentials provided by Eclypses.

aws configure --profile eclypses-customer-on-prem

When prompted:

AWS Access Key ID: Enter the ID provided by Eclypses.
AWS Secret Access Key: Enter the secret key provided.
Default region name: us-east-1
Default output format: json

2. Pull the Docker Image

Authenticate Docker with the Eclypses ECR repository:

bash
PowerShell

aws ecr get-login-password \
--region us-east-1 \
--profile eclypses-customer-on-prem \
| docker login --username AWS \
--password-stdin 321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com

aws ecr get-login-password `
--region us-east-1 `
--profile eclypses-customer-on-prem `
| docker login --username AWS `
--password-stdin 321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com

Then pull the image:

docker pull 321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/customer/on-prem/mte-relay-server:4.5.0

Video Guide

Server Configuration

MTE Relay Server is configured using environment variables.

Environment Variables

Using these environment variables will result in the MTE Relay Server being configured to only handle a single domain.

Example:

UPSTREAM - Upstream API or service URL.
CLIENT_ID_SECRET - Secret for signing client IDs (minimum 32 characters).
CORS_ORIGINS - Comma-separated list of allowed origins.
CORS_METHODS - Comma-separated list of allowed methods. Default: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.
PASS_THROUGH_ROUTES - Comma-separated list of routes proxied without encoding/decoding.

UPSTREAM='https://api.my-company.com'
CLIENT_ID_SECRET='2DkV4DDabehO8cifDktdF9elKJL0CKrk'
CORS_ORIGINS='https://www.my-company.com,https://dashboard.my-company.com'
CORS_METHODS='GET, POST, PUT, DELETE'
PASS_THROUGH_ROUTES='/health,/version'

Additional Environment Variables

PORT - Default: 8080.
LOG_LEVEL - One of trace, debug, info, warning, error, panic, disabled. Default: info.
HEADERS - A JSON string of additional headers to add to upstream requests.

Deployment Steps

Option A: Docker Run

Using the docker run command, we can launch a single MTE Relay container locally for testing or local development purposes.

Copy the command below, modify the environment variable values, and run it in your terminal.

bash
PowerShell

docker run --rm -it \
  --name mte-relay \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -e UPSTREAM=__YOUR_UPSTREAM_URL__ \
  -e CLIENT_ID_SECRET=__YOUR_CLIENT_ID_SECRET__ \
  -e CORS_ORIGINS=__YOUR_CORS_ORIGINS__ \
  321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/customer/on-prem/mte-relay-server:4.5.0

docker run --rm -it `
  --name mte-relay `
  -p 8080:8080 `
  -e UPSTREAM=__YOUR_UPSTREAM_URL__ `
  -e CLIENT_ID_SECRET=__YOUR_CLIENT_ID_SECRET__ `
  -e CORS_ORIGINS=__YOUR_CORS_ORIGINS__ `
  321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/customer/on-prem/mte-relay-server:4.5.0

Command Explanation:

docker run
Runs a container from the specified image.
--rm
Automatically removes the container when it exits.
-it
Allocates an interactive terminal (-i for interactive input, -t for pseudo-TTY).
--name mte-relay
Assigns a custom name (mte-relay) to the container.
-p 8080:8080
Maps host port 8080 to container port 8080. You may change the host port if needed. Do not change the container port.
-e UPSTREAM=__YOUR_UPSTREAM_URL__
Sets the environment variable UPSTREAM to the provided URL.
-e CLIENT_ID_SECRET=__YOUR_CLIENT_ID_SECRET__
Sets the environment variable CLIENT_ID_SECRET.
-e CORS_ORIGINS=__YOUR_CORS_ORIGINS__
Sets the environment variable CORS_ORIGINS.
The last line is the image to run.

Video Guide

Option B: Docker Compose

Docker Compose provides a convenient way to define and manage multi-container applications by allowing you to describe all of your services in a single YAML file. Once defined, Docker Compose can automatically create and start the containers with a single command, ensuring consistency across environments.

Create a new file named docker-compose.yaml with the following content, and update the environment variable values as needed:

docker-compose.yaml
services:
  mte-relay-server:
    image: 321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/customer/on-prem/mte-relay-server:4.5.0
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - UPSTREAM=__YOUR_UPSTREAM_URL__              # Update this value!
      - CLIENT_ID_SECRET=__YOUR_CLIENT_ID_SECRET__  # Update this value!
      - CORS_ORIGINS=__YOUR_CORS_ORIGINS__          # Update this value!
      - REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
    depends_on:
      - redis

  redis:
    image: "redis:alpine"

Docker Compose Commands

To start the services defined in the docker-compose.yaml file, run:

docker compose up

Helpful CLI Flags:

-f - Specify an alternate compose file.
- Example: docker compose -f custom.yml up
-d - Run containers in the background.
- Example: docker compose up -d

Check running containers with:

docker compose ps

Stop the services with:

docker compose down

info

In production environments, it may be better to use a Docker Swarm cluster for improved scalability, isolation of services, rolling updates, and management.

Sources:
Docker Compose Documentation
Docker Compose CLI

Video Guide

Option C: Kubernetes

Kubernetes provides a powerful system for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. By defining resources in YAML files, it ensures reliability, scalability, and consistency across environments.

Create a file named mte-relay-deployment.yaml with the following content:

mte-relay-deployment.yaml
# MTE Relay container deployment
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: mte-relay-deployment
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: mte-relay
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: mte-relay
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: mte-relay-server
          image: 321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/customer/on-prem/mte-relay-server:4.5.0
          ports:
            - containerPort: 8080
          env:
            - name: UPSTREAM
              value: __YOUR_UPSTREAM_URL__              # Update this value!
            - name: CLIENT_ID_SECRET
              value: __YOUR_CLIENT_ID_SECRET__          # Update this value!
            - name: CORS_ORIGINS
              value: __YOUR_CORS_ORIGINS__              # Update this value!
            - name: REDIS_URL
              value: "redis://my-redis-service:6379"

Video Guide

MTE Relay Service to expose the deployment

apiVersion: v1 kind: Service metadata: name: mte-relay-service spec: type: LoadBalancer selector: app: mte-relay ports:

protocol: TCP port: 8080 # External port, you may change this if needed targetPort: 8080

Redis container deployment

apiVersion: apps/v1 kind: Deployment metadata: name: my-redis-deployment spec: replicas: 1 selector: matchLabels: app: my-redis template: metadata: labels: app: my-redis spec: containers:

name: redis image: redis:7.2 ports:
- containerPort: 6379

Redis Service to expose the deployment

apiVersion: v1 kind: Service metadata: name: my-redis-service spec: type: ClusterIP selector: app: my-redis ports:

protocol: TCP port: 6379 targetPort: 6379

The above configuration provides these resources:
- `mte-relay-deployment (Deployment)`: Runs 2 replicas of the mte-relay-server container, exposing port 8080 with environment variables for upstream service, client secret, CORS, and Redis connection.
- `mte-relay-service (Service - LoadBalancer)`: Exposes the mte-relay pods externally on port 80, forwarding traffic to container port 8080.
- `my-redis-deployment (Deployment)`: Runs a single Redis instance on port 6379.
- `my-redis-service (Service - ClusterIP)`: Provides internal cluster access to the Redis pod over port 6379.

#### Kubernetes Commands

To deploy the application to your kubernetes cluster, run:

```bash
kubectl apply -f mte-relay-deployment.yaml

You can check the status of your deployment with:

kubectl get deployments
kubectl get pods
kubectl get services

To check the logs of a running pod, use the command

kubectl logs <POD_NAME>

To scale up the number of replicas, use the command

kubectl scale deployment mte-relay-deployment --replicas=<NUMBER_OF_REPLICAS>

To delete the deployment and service, use the command

kubectl delete -f mte-relay-deployment.yaml

Source: Kubernetes Deployments

Testing & Health Checks

Monitor container logs for startup messages
Use the default or custom echo routes to test container responsiveness:
- Default: /api/mte-echo
- Custom Message: /api/mte-echo?msg=test

Expected response:

{
  "message": "test",
  "timestamp": "<timestamp>"
}

Troubleshooting

Invalid Configuration
- Check logs for missing/invalid environment variables.
Relay unreachable
- Verify firewall, networking, or Kubernetes service configuration.
Redis connection issues
- Ensure REDIS_URL is reachable in your environment.

Security

No sensitive data stored in the container.
No root privileges required.

Costs

Private infrastructure costs (VMs, storage, networking, Redis clusters) are customer-managed.

Maintenance

Routine Updates

Updated container images are distributed through Eclypses.

Fault Recovery

Relaunch the Relay container; clients will automatically re-pair.

Support

For assistance, contact Eclypses Support:
📧 customer_support@eclypses.com
🕒 Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM MST (excluding holidays)

Introduction​

Prerequisites​

Technical Requirements​

Skills and Knowledge​

Credentials​

Deployment Options​

1. Configure AWS CLI Access​

2. Pull the Docker Image​

Video Guide​

Server Configuration​

Environment Variables​

Additional Environment Variables​

Deployment Steps​

Option A: Docker Run​

Video Guide​

Option B: Docker Compose​

Docker Compose Commands​

Video Guide​

Option C: Kubernetes​

Video Guide​

MTE Relay Service to expose the deployment

Redis container deployment

Redis Service to expose the deployment

Testing & Health Checks​

Troubleshooting​

Security​

Costs​

Maintenance​

Routine Updates​

Fault Recovery​

Support​

Introduction

Prerequisites

Technical Requirements

Skills and Knowledge

Credentials

Deployment Options

1. Configure AWS CLI Access

2. Pull the Docker Image

Video Guide

Server Configuration

Environment Variables

Additional Environment Variables

Deployment Steps

Option A: Docker Run

Video Guide

Option B: Docker Compose

Docker Compose Commands

Video Guide

Option C: Kubernetes

Video Guide

Testing & Health Checks

Troubleshooting

Security

Costs

Maintenance

Routine Updates

Fault Recovery

Support