[for developer] suggestion about reverse proxy of plugin

luxflow · 1. August 2016

there are some plugins using reverse proxy function of omv
this can be done by putting configuration file in `/etc/nginx/openmediavault-webgui.d`
but some of plugins dosen't use reverse proxy and just link application's listen address
(for example deluge, transmission, emby)
some plugins use both approach. (sickbeard, sabnzbd..)

when plugin dosen't use reverse proxy,
it is not intergrated omv's ssl encryption. so someone can sniff your connection
it is also easy to configure ssl with omv-letsencrypt
you don't need to setup applications to use ssl

so it is good practice to change to use reverse proxy
but I'm afraid there are unseen pitfall
any idea or critic about this suggestion?

ryecoaaron · 1. August 2016

Plenty of people want reverse proxies. The only pitfall I can see is not being able to forward a port from the router to just that service.

tekkb · 1. August 2016

Some services have their own webserver and use a predefined port for ssl. I think emby is 8920.

tekkb · 1. August 2016

I don't use SSL much. I connect to my LAN via VPN. Once connected I use HTTP. If you use SSL there would be 2x encryption. A few plugins force SSL (e.g. shellinabox). It is hard to develop plugins that please everyone's preferences.

Sc0rp · 1. August 2016

Hi,

Zitat von luxflow

there are some plugins using reverse proxy function of omv
this can be done by putting configuration file in `/etc/nginx/openmediavault-webgui.d`

Seems not to be the "reverse proxy" function, but "virtual hosting" - don't mix that up.

Reverse proxiing occur's on a router or in case of OMV (NAS) morely as load balancer / firewall component.
Boarders may be fluent, since VM'ing comes in handy

The question is: what do you want to achieve?

Sc0rp

luxflow · 1. August 2016

Zitat von Sc0rp

Seems not to be the "reverse proxy" function, but "virtual hosting" - don't mix that up.

I'm saying it with nginx context.
IMHO, Virtualhost is server block in nginx
and configuration files in `/etc/nginx/openmediavault-webgui.d` are included by `/etc/nginx/sites-available/openmediavault-webgui` which is one single virtualhost
so I call them using reverse proxy function (actually calling it reverse proxy function is somewhat awkward but I cannot find approriate term for this)
(reference are here and here)

anyway,
what I want to is, since many omv plugins use different approach, and they are not unified,
changing them all to use reverse proxy
or
making a guideline when to use reverse proxy, when to use application own webserver
but I'm not unsure how others developer think about it

but it seems

Zitat von tekkb

It is hard to develop plugins that please everyone's preferences.

as tekkb said

ryecoaaron · 1. August 2016

Quite a few of those plugins are on my list to not maintain anymore. So, you can change them to whatever you want

tekkb · 1. August 2016

Is luxflow in the developer group?? If you are not luxflow we should have Volker add you.

Sc0rp · 1. August 2016

Re,

just for clear that out:

Zitat von luxflow

IMHO, Virtualhost is server block in nginx

Not only!
As for apache too, configuration can be splittet in various ways, but this is only virtual hosting, since it is related to the same machine, which is running the (same) webserver. So all related config files (whereever they hang arround) which are concatinated (symlinked) to /etc/<webserver>/sites.available are at first virtual hosts (or parts of that).

Reverse proxiing comes in, when you use the "proxy_pass" directive which refers to a 3rd party/host (that can be a VM, but even a second webserver(process) too). So you can hide other webservers behind the omv-webgui-nginx-instance.

The main problem is, that OMV have to catch all the coding-aproaches from other people into one nginx-instance - that's very hard till impossible.

Sc0rp

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