MTE API Relay On-Premise Deployment

Introduction

MTE API Relay is an end-to-end encryption system that protects HTTP traffic between server applications. It acts as a proxy server in front of your backend services, communicating with another API Relay instance to encode and decode all proxied traffic. This enables secure application-to-application communications using the Eclypses MTE encryption engine.

Below is a typical architecture where one server application communicates through an MTE API Relay container, which transmits proxied traffic to another API Relay that decodes and forwards the request to its target backend service:

Example MTE API Relay diagram

info

MTE API Relay instances are only compatible with each other. Neither an MTE Relay Server nor an MTE Client SDK can communicate with an MTE API Relay. MTE API Relays are strictly for server-to-server communications.

Prerequisites

Technical Requirements

An existing backend service that accepts HTTP calls.
- We provide a demo using a Postman Collection and https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com.
Docker installed and running on your system.
AWS CLI installed.

Skills and Knowledge

Familiarity with Docker and/or Kubernetes.
General knowledge of container deployment models.

Credentials

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

Deployment Options

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

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

1. Configure AWS CLI Access

Configure a new AWS CLI profile with the Eclypses-issued credentials:

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

Video Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft5mhREa64A

Authenticate Docker with the Eclypses ECR registry:

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-api-relay:4.4.9

Server Configuration

MTE API Relay is configured using environment variables.

Required Variables

UPSTREAM – Upstream API or service URL.
CLIENT_ID_SECRET – Secret for signing client IDs (minimum 32 characters).
OUTBOUND_TOKEN – Token appended to requests to denote the intended outbound recipient.
REDIS_URL (recommended for production) – Redis cluster for maintaining session pairs across load-balanced containers.

Optional Variables

PORT – Default: 8080.
DEBUG – Set to true to enable verbose logs (default: false).
HEADERS – Object of custom headers.
CORS_ORIGINS – Comma-separated list of allowed origins.
CORS_METHODS – Default: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.

Minimal Example

UPSTREAM='https://api.my-company.com'
CLIENT_ID_SECRET='2DkV4DDabehO8cifDktdF9elKJL0CKrk'
OUTBOUND_TOKEN='abcdefg1234567'

Full Example

UPSTREAM='https://api.my-company.com'
CLIENT_ID_SECRET='2DkV4DDabehO8cifDktdF9elKJL0CKrk'
OUTBOUND_TOKEN='abcdefg1234567'
REDIS_URL='redis://10.0.1.230:6379'
PORT=3000
LOG_LEVEL='debug'
HEADERS='{"x-service-name":"mte-api-relay"}'
CORS_ORIGINS='https://www.my-company.com,https://dashboard.my-company.com'
CORS_METHODS='GET,POST,DELETE'

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-api-relay \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -e UPSTREAM=__YOUR_UPSTREAM_URL__ \
  -e CLIENT_ID_SECRET=__YOUR_CLIENT_ID_SECRET__ \
  -e OUTBOUND_TOKEN=__YOUR_SECURE_OUTBOUND_ACCESS_TOKEN__ \
  321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/customer/on-prem/mte-api-relay:4.4.9

docker run --rm -it `
  --name mte-api-relay `
  -p 8080:8080 `
  -e UPSTREAM=__YOUR_UPSTREAM_URL__ `
  -e CLIENT_ID_SECRET=__YOUR_CLIENT_ID_SECRET__ `
  -e OUTBOUND_TOKEN=__YOUR_SECURE_OUTBOUND_ACCESS_TOKEN__ `
  321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/customer/on-prem/mte-api-relay:4.4.9

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.

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
version: "3.8"

services:
  mte-api-relay:
    image: 321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/customer/on-prem/mte-api-relay:4.4.9
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - UPSTREAM=__YOUR_UPSTREAM_URL__                  # Update this value!
      - CLIENT_ID_SECRET=__YOUR_CLIENT_ID_SECRET__      # Update this value!
      - OUTBOUND_TOKEN=__YOUR_OUTBOUND_ACCESS_TOKEN__   # 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

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-api-relay-deployment.yaml with the following content:

mte-api-relay-deployment.yaml
# MTE Relay container deployment
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: mte-api-relay-deployment
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: mte-api-relay
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: mte-api-relay
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: mte-api-relay
          image: 321186633847.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/customer/on-prem/mte-api-relay:4.4.9
          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: OUTBOUND_TOKEN
              value: __YOUR_OUTBOUND_ACCESS_TOKEN__     # Update this value!
            - name: REDIS_URL
              value: "redis://my-redis-service:6379"

---

# MTE Relay Service to expose the deployment
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: mte-api-relay-service
spec:
  type: LoadBalancer
  selector:
    app: mte-api-relay
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 8080
      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:

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.
Cannot Reach Upstream Service
- Verify the container can resolve and connect to the target host.

Security

No sensitive data is stored in the container.
No root privileges required.
Recommended to deploy close to the upstream service to minimize exposure of unencrypted traffic.

Costs

Private infrastructure costs (VMs, storage, networking, Redis clusters) are customer-managed. No AWS charges are incurred for on-premise usage.

Maintenance

Routine Updates

Updated container images are distributed through Eclypses.

Fault Recovery

Relaunch the Relay container; paired API Relays will automatically re-establish secure communication.

Key/Variable Rotation Recommendations

Rotate the CLIENT_ID_SECRET and OUTBOUND_TOKEN every 90 days as per security best practices.

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​

Server Configuration​

Required Variables​

Optional Variables​

Minimal Example​

Full Example​

Deployment Steps​

Option A: Docker Run​

Option B: Docker Compose​

Docker Compose Commands​

Option C: Kubernetes​

Kubernetes Commands​

Testing & Health Checks​

Troubleshooting​

Security​

Costs​

Maintenance​

Routine Updates​

Fault Recovery​

Key/Variable Rotation Recommendations​

Support​