Files
reverse-proxy/docs/architecture/decisions/010-multi-site-phase1.md
glm-5.1 346754fb2b Resolve OQ-07: add multi-config listener support (ADR-019)
Introduce [[listeners]] configuration to support both dedicated-IP
(1 IP = 1 cert = 1 domain) and shared-IP (SAN certificate) deployment
models. Each listener is an independent TLS endpoint with its own bind
address, TLS config, and site routing. OQ-07 is now resolved.

Changes:
- Add ADR-019 for multi-config listener support
- Update config format from [server] to [[listeners]] entries
- Update tls.md for per-listener TLS and certificate provisioning
- Update overview.md architecture diagram and scope
- Update proxy.md for per-listener HTTP redirect
- Fix stale references in ADR-010, ADR-011, ADR-016
- Update OQ-05 resolution (per-listener bind_addr supersedes)
- Add unique-host rationale to config validation rules
- Architecture review: fix all 3 critical and 6 warning issues
2026-06-11 09:35:24 +00:00

3.3 KiB

ADR-010: Multi-Site Support in Phase 1

Status

Accepted

Context

The original architecture phased multi-site support into Phase 2, treating Phase 1 as a single-domain replacement for nginx serving only git.alk.dev. This was based on the assumption that only one domain needed proxying initially.

However, alk.dev (the bare domain) will need proxying in the near future. While alk.dev is a simple case — proxying to a Deno/Fresh container with no special requirements — the proxy must support multiple sites from day one. The config format, routing logic, and TLS certificate provisioning all need multi-site awareness.

Additionally, api.alk.dev is explicitly out of scope (it runs its own HTTP/2+ server natively), but the proxy must not prevent future sites from being added.

The cost of deferring multi-site is high: we'd need a config format migration, routing logic rewrite, and TLS cert management changes later. Supporting multi-site from the start costs very little — the config format just uses an array of sites (which it already does), host-based routing is trivial in axum, and rustls-acme supports multi-domain certificates natively.

Decision

Move multi-site support from Phase 2 into Phase 1. The proxy supports multiple sites from the initial release:

  • [[listeners.sites]] array in each listener config (after ADR-019; was [[sites]] at top level)
  • Host-based routing via axum's Host extractor (already the planned approach)
  • Multi-domain ACME certificate provisioning via rustls-acme
  • Each site maps a hostname to an upstream address

Phase 1 scope becomes:

  1. Multi-site reverse proxy with TLS termination
  2. ACME certificate management (multi-domain)
  3. HTTP → HTTPS redirect
  4. Rate limiting, logging, health check, graceful shutdown
  5. Systemd integration

Phase 2 scope shifts to operational hardening:

  1. Per-site rate limits and body limits
  2. Per-site upstream timeouts
  3. Metrics endpoint (Prometheus-compatible)
  4. Connection limits and timeouts
  5. Log rotation

Phase 3 remains future enhancements.

Rationale

  • The config format already uses [[sites]] — no format change needed
  • Host-based routing is the natural axum pattern and was already planned
  • rustls-acme accepts Vec<domain> — multi-domain is its default usage
  • The cost of adding multi-site later (config migration, routing rewrite, cert management changes) far exceeds the cost of supporting it now (zero additional complexity)
  • alk.dev is confirmed as a near-term need, not a hypothetical
  • The proxy's value proposition is being a memory-safe reverse proxy for our infrastructure, which has multiple domains

Consequences

Positive:

  • No config format migration needed later
  • alk.dev can be added to the config without code changes
  • TLS cert management handles multiple domains from the start
  • Eliminates an entire phase of work

Negative:

  • Slightly more testing surface (must verify correct routing with multiple sites)
  • Must test multi-domain ACME provisioning (not just single-domain)
  • Wildcard or fallback site behavior is defined by the listener's site routing

References