dcrouter/readme.md

# @serve.zone/dcrouter

`dcrouter` is the serve.zone datacenter gateway runtime: a TypeScript control plane that brings HTTP/HTTPS/TCP routing, email ingress, authoritative DNS, RADIUS, VPN access control, remote ingress tunnels, certificate operations, metrics, and an Ops dashboard into one process.

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## Why It Exists

Modern infrastructure often has too many tiny edge tools: a proxy here, a DNS daemon there, a separate cert worker, another dashboard, and a tunnel process bolted on later. `dcrouter` is designed as a cohesive gateway layer for operators who want one audited place to define public routes, domains, edge tunnels, access policy, and operational state.

Highlights:

- 🌐 SmartProxy-backed HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, TLS/SNI, and optional HTTP/3 route handling
- 📬 SmartMTA-backed SMTP ingress and email-domain operations
- 🧭 SmartDNS-backed authoritative DNS plus generated DNS-over-HTTPS routes
- 🔐 ACME, certificate state, API tokens, users, source profiles, target profiles, and security policies
- 🛡️ RADIUS, VLAN assignment, VPN-protected routes, and remote ingress firewall snapshots
- 🖥️ Browser Ops dashboard and TypedRequest API served by the built-in OpsServer

## Runtime Areas

| Area | What dcrouter manages |
| --- | --- |
| Proxying | SmartProxy routes for HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, SNI, TLS termination, passthrough, and backend forwarding |
| Route ownership | Constructor routes, generated email/DNS routes, and API-created routes with explicit origins |
| DNS | Authoritative scopes, generated NS records, static DNS records, provider-backed domains, and DoH endpoints |
| Email | UnifiedEmailServer startup, email-domain management, route-backed delivery actions, received mail operations |
| Certificates | ACME config, stored certificate metadata, provisioning backoff, and certificate status reporting |
| Edge access | Remote ingress hub, edge registrations, derived edge ports, pushed firewall rules, VPN-only route access |
| Network auth | RADIUS clients, MAC Authentication Bypass, VLAN mapping, and accounting sessions |
| Operations | Dashboard views, TypedRequest handlers, metrics, logs, health, API tokens, users, and configuration views |

## Install

```bash
pnpm add @serve.zone/dcrouter
```

## Quick Start

This starts the gateway on unprivileged ports and stores data under the default `~/.serve.zone/dcrouter` base directory.

```typescript
import { DcRouter } from '@serve.zone/dcrouter';

const router = new DcRouter({
  smartProxyConfig: {
    routes: [
      {
        name: 'local-app',
        match: {
          domains: ['localhost'],
          ports: [18080],
        },
        action: {
          type: 'forward',
          targets: [{ host: '127.0.0.1', port: 3001 }],
        },
      },
    ],
  },
  dbConfig: {
    enabled: true,
  },
  opsServerPort: 3000,
});

await router.start();
```

After startup:

- open the dashboard at `http://localhost:3000`
- complete the first-admin bootstrap flow if no persisted admin account exists yet
- send proxied traffic to `http://localhost:18080`
- stop gracefully with `await router.stop()`

## Initial Admin Bootstrap

When DB-backed persistence is enabled and no persisted admin exists, dcrouter does not auto-create an admin account. The Ops dashboard exposes a non-cancelable first-admin bootstrap flow that must be completed explicitly.

Bootstrap behavior:

- `getAdminBootstrapStatus` reports whether persistence is ready and whether a first admin is required.
- The temporary env/config admin identity is only used to authorize bootstrap access while no persisted admin exists.
- `createInitialAdminUser` creates the first persisted admin with normalized email and local password authentication.
- Optional `idp.global` authentication can be enabled for that local account. The hosted `https://idp.global` endpoint is used by default, `adminAuth.idpGlobalUrl` or `DCROUTER_IDP_GLOBAL_URL` only override it, and the local dcrouter role remains authoritative.
- After a persisted admin exists, temporary bootstrap admin login is rejected and normal persisted-account authentication is used.

## Configuration Model

`DcRouter` is configured with `IDcRouterOptions` from `@serve.zone/dcrouter`.

| Option | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `baseDir` | Root directory for dcrouter runtime data. Defaults to `~/.serve.zone/dcrouter`. |
| `smartProxyConfig` | Main SmartProxy route configuration for HTTP/HTTPS/TCP/SNI traffic. |
| `emailConfig` | UnifiedEmailServer configuration: hostname, ports, domains, and mail routes. |
| `emailPortConfig` | External-to-internal email port mapping and received-email storage path. |
| `tls` | Legacy/static TLS and ACME contact settings used to seed certificate config. |
| `dnsNsDomains` | Nameserver hostnames used for generated NS records and DoH routes. |
| `dnsScopes` | Authoritative domains served by the embedded DNS server. |
| `dnsRecords` | Constructor-defined DNS records. |
| `publicIp` / `proxyIps` | IPs used for generated A records and proxy-aware DNS exposure. |
| `dbConfig` | Smartdata persistence via embedded LocalSmartDb or external MongoDB. |
| `radiusConfig` | RADIUS authentication, accounting, and VLAN assignment. |
| `remoteIngressConfig` | Remote ingress hub configuration for edge tunnel nodes. |
| `vpnConfig` | VPN server/client definitions and VPN-only routing behavior. |
| `http3` | HTTP/3 augmentation settings for qualifying HTTPS routes. |
| `opsServerPort` | Port for the Ops dashboard and `/typedrequest` API. Defaults to `3000`. |

Important runtime behavior:

- `dbConfig.enabled` defaults to enabled. Without `mongoDbUrl`, dcrouter uses embedded LocalSmartDb.
- If the DB is disabled, constructor-defined proxy traffic can still run, but persistent API routes, tokens, managed domains, and stored certificate state are unavailable.
- Qualifying HTTPS forward routes on port `443` are HTTP/3-augmented unless `http3.enabled === false` or the route opts out.
- DNS-over-HTTPS routes are generated on the first `dnsNsDomains` entry at `/dns-query` and `/resolve`.
- Email listener ports can be remapped internally, for example public `25`, `587`, and `465` to unprivileged internal ports.

## Route Ownership

dcrouter keeps generated and operator-created routes separate so automation can reconcile safely.

| Origin | Source | Mutability |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `config` | Constructor `smartProxyConfig.routes` and seed data | Toggle only |
| `email` | Email listener and email-domain generated routes | Toggle only |
| `dns` | Generated DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-related routes | Toggle only |
| `api` | Ops UI or API client | Full CRUD |

System routes are persisted with stable `systemKey` values. API-created routes are the editable route layer intended for operators and automation.

## Production-Flavored Example

```typescript
import { DcRouter } from '@serve.zone/dcrouter';

const router = new DcRouter({
  baseDir: '/var/lib/dcrouter',
  smartProxyConfig: {
    routes: [
      {
        name: 'web-app',
        match: { domains: ['app.example.com'], ports: [443] },
        action: {
          type: 'forward',
          targets: [{ host: '10.10.0.21', port: 8080 }],
          tls: { mode: 'terminate', certificate: 'auto' },
        },
      },
      {
        name: 'internal-admin',
        match: { domains: ['admin.example.com'], ports: [443] },
        action: {
          type: 'forward',
          targets: [{ host: '10.10.0.30', port: 9000 }],
          tls: { mode: 'terminate', certificate: 'auto' },
        },
        vpnOnly: true,
      },
    ],
  },
  emailConfig: {
    hostname: 'mail.example.com',
    ports: [25, 587, 465],
    domains: [{ domain: 'example.com', dnsMode: 'internal-dns' }],
    routes: [
      {
        name: 'inbound-example',
        match: { recipients: '*@example.com' },
        action: {
          type: 'forward',
          forward: { host: 'mail-backend.example.com', port: 25 },
        },
      },
    ],
  },
  dnsNsDomains: ['ns1.example.com', 'ns2.example.com'],
  dnsScopes: ['example.com'],
  publicIp: '203.0.113.10',
  remoteIngressConfig: {
    enabled: true,
    tunnelPort: 8443,
    hubDomain: 'ingress.example.com',
  },
  vpnConfig: {
    enabled: true,
    serverEndpoint: 'vpn.example.com',
    clients: [{ clientId: 'ops-laptop', description: 'Operations laptop' }],
  },
  opsServerPort: 3000,
});

await router.start();
```

## VPN Target Profiles

Target profiles define what a VPN client can reach through `domains`, direct `targets`, and `routeRefs`. Set `allowRoutesByClientSourceIp: true` on a target profile when a VPN client should also reach non-`vpnOnly` routes that would have allowed the client's real connecting IP without the VPN.

dcrouter evaluates the live source IP reported by the VPN transport, such as `remoteAddr` or the WireGuard peer endpoint. If the route source policy allows that real IP, dcrouter injects the client's assigned VPN IP into SmartProxy for that route. The source-IP grant is live-only and is removed or updated when the VPN client disconnects or changes peer endpoint.

```typescript
const targetProfile = {
  name: 'ops laptop source access',
  allowRoutesByClientSourceIp: true,
};
```

## Automation API

The OpsServer exposes TypedRequest handlers at `/typedrequest`. You can use raw contracts or the object-oriented API client.

```bash
pnpm add @serve.zone/dcrouter-apiclient
```

```typescript
import { DcRouterApiClient } from '@serve.zone/dcrouter-apiclient';

const client = new DcRouterApiClient({
  baseUrl: 'https://dcrouter.example.com',
});

await client.login('admin@example.com', 'strong-password');

const route = await client.routes.build()
  .setName('api-gateway')
  .setMatch({ ports: 443, domains: ['api.example.com'] })
  .setAction({ type: 'forward', targets: [{ host: '127.0.0.1', port: 8081 }] })
  .save();

await route.toggle(true);
```

Use `@serve.zone/dcrouter/interfaces` or `@serve.zone/dcrouter-interfaces` when you want the raw TypedRequest contracts instead of resource managers.

## OCI / Container Bootstrap

`runCli()` supports an environment-driven container mode when `DCROUTER_MODE=OCI_CONTAINER`.

```typescript
import { runCli } from '@serve.zone/dcrouter';

await runCli();
```

Supported environment overrides include:

| Variable | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `DCROUTER_CONFIG_PATH` | JSON file loaded as the base `IDcRouterOptions` object. |
| `DCROUTER_BASE_DIR` | Runtime data root. |
| `DCROUTER_TLS_EMAIL` / `DCROUTER_TLS_DOMAIN` | TLS/ACME seed settings. |
| `DCROUTER_PUBLIC_IP` / `DCROUTER_PROXY_IPS` | Public/proxy IP exposure settings. |
| `DCROUTER_DNS_NS_DOMAINS` / `DCROUTER_DNS_SCOPES` | DNS nameserver and authoritative scope settings. |
| `DCROUTER_EMAIL_HOSTNAME` / `DCROUTER_EMAIL_PORTS` | Email server seed settings. |
| `DCROUTER_CACHE_ENABLED` | Enables or disables DB-backed persistence. |
| `DCROUTER_MAX_CONNECTIONS`, `DCROUTER_MAX_CONNECTIONS_PER_IP`, `DCROUTER_CONNECTION_RATE_LIMIT` | SmartProxy capacity and rate-limit overrides. |

## Published Modules

This repository intentionally publishes multiple module boundaries from one codebase.

| Module | Purpose | Docs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `@serve.zone/dcrouter` | Main runtime and orchestrator | `./readme.md` |
| `@serve.zone/dcrouter/interfaces` | Shared contracts as a subpath export | `./ts_interfaces/readme.md` |
| `@serve.zone/dcrouter/apiclient` | API client as a subpath export | `./ts_apiclient/readme.md` |
| `@serve.zone/dcrouter-interfaces` | Standalone contracts package | `./ts_interfaces/readme.md` |
| `@serve.zone/dcrouter-apiclient` | Standalone OO API client package | `./ts_apiclient/readme.md` |
| `@serve.zone/dcrouter-migrations` | Standalone migration runner package | `./ts_migrations/readme.md` |
| `@serve.zone/dcrouter-web` | Dashboard frontend module boundary | `./ts_web/readme.md` |

## Development

```bash
pnpm run build
pnpm test
pnpm run watch
```

Useful source entry points:

- `ts/index.ts` exports `DcRouter`, `runCli()`, and public module surfaces.
- `ts/classes.dcrouter.ts` owns service startup, dependency ordering, and `IDcRouterOptions`.
- `ts/opsserver/classes.opsserver.ts` wires the dashboard server and TypedRequest handlers.
- `ts/remoteingress/` integrates `@serve.zone/remoteingress` with stored edge registrations.
- `ts_migrations/index.ts` contains all DB schema migration steps.

## License and Legal Information

This repository contains open-source code licensed under the MIT License. A copy of the license can be found in the [license](./license) file.

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### Trademarks

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### Company Information

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