1. Gateway
The system exposes an API and uses the gRPC protocol to allow clients to connect to it. The gateway serves as the central component responsible for configuring, storing, and routing packets between clients.

2. Agents
The agent is responsible for connecting your private services. It acts as a client, connecting with the gateway and securely exchanging packets via gRPC.
See Setup.

3. Clients
Users interact with resources called connections through clients. The main clients include the command line and the webapp.
See Connect & Manage.

sql
CREATE DATABASE hoopdb;
CREATE USER hoopuser WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD 'my-secure-password' CREATEROLE;
-- switch to the created database
\c hoopdb
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE hoopdb TO hoopuser;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON SCHEMA public to hoopuser;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA public TO hoopuser;

• POSTGRES_DB_URI=postgres://hoopuser:<passwd>@<db-host>:5432/hoopdb

shell
export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS_JSON='{"type":"service_account",...}'

• {API_URL}/api/* - Rest HTTP API routes

• {API_URL}/* - Webapp routes

• Ease of Operation: Operating a system with fewer, more powerful instances is generally simpler than managing a large number of smaller instances, even when using orchestration systems like Kubernetes.

• Cloud-Native Deployment Benefits: Hoop is cloud-native, meaning it can quickly recover from issues. For example, in a Kubernetes environment, if a container instance faces problems, it will be restarted in seconds. The primary impact on users would be a temporary disconnection, which would occur in any system facing similar issues.

• High Capacity Utilization: Because a single instance can handle a large number of connections, vertical scaling allows us to fully utilize the capacity of each instance.

• Limitations with gRPC Connections: A significant portion of our load is managed within live gRPC connections, which are not well-suited for proxy load balancing. This limitation reduces the effectiveness of horizontal scaling.

• Uneven Load Distribution: Consider a scenario where 10 users are connected, but 2 of them exhibit extreme usage patterns and end up on the same server instance, while the remaining 8 are distributed to another instance. The instance with the 2 high-usage connections will face a disproportionately higher load.

• Long-Session Concentration: Users often maintain connections for extended periods. For instance, if 10 users connect, with 3 of them leaving their sessions open for several days, while others disconnect after a short duration, the longer sessions can concentrate on fewer servers based on round-robin distribution. This concentration can lead to uneven load distribution and potential strain on specific servers.

shell
$ hoop start agent
{... grpc_server=use.hoop.dev:8443, tls=true, strict-tls=true ..."}

shell
$ hoop start agent --debug --debug-grpc

1. High Capacity of a Single Instance: Like the Gateway, a single instance of the Agent component can manage thousands of connections. This high capacity plays a crucial role in determining the most effective scaling strategy.

2. Vertical Scaling as the Preferred Approach: Reflecting the main system's strategy, vertical scaling is also preferred for the Agent component. This approach is favored due to:
• Simplified operational management.
• Efficient utilization of the high capacity of a single instance.
• Advantages offered by cloud-native deployment, such as rapid recovery from issues.

3. Challenges in Horizontal Scaling: The Agent component encounters similar challenges in horizontal scaling as the main system. These include:
• Limited effectiveness due to the nature of live gRPC connections.
• Potential for uneven load distribution among instances, especially in scenarios with varying usage patterns among users.

4. Considerations for Long-Running Connections: The Agent component also needs to account for the impact of long-running connections on load distribution, mirroring the considerations outlined earlier.

EKS Quickstart

Nginx Ingress

Kubernetes

Bare Metal