Instant live customer conversations! Empower your inside sales team by automating the hardest parts of outbound calling. Orum leverages AI to detect voicemails, filter out bad numbers, and navigate phone directories to get your reps into live conversations quickly. Orum allows for calling multiple numbers in parallel, automatically marking dispositions and call outcomes in your CRM and most importantly, helping you speak with more of your prospective clients. We plug right in with Salesforce, Outreach and SalesLoft. With Orum, there's no more waiting for Voicemails, manual dialing or fumbling for your account research. We bring all the research you need in front of your reps and connect you with your target clients instantly!

Orum

Onvif (stands for: O pen N etwork V ideo I nterface F orum) is a non-profit with the goal of facilitating the development and use of a global open standard for the interface of physical IP-based security products — Wikipedia Being able to control your house, open doors, view in real time your living room, control the lights is a childhood dream! I was really delighted to develop an app and a dependency to ease the development of ONVIF Android apps. ONVIF goal is to standardise how IP products (video surveillance cameras, alarms, doors, audio recorders…) communicate with each others. They created some specifications manufacturers have to conform to to be compliant with ONVIF. The goal behind these specifications is to standardise how to connect to these products, for instance if you develop an app for streaming video from an ONVIF camera, it should work with every ONVIF camera. Try it! If you just want to try the demo project, you can download the . Open it with Android Studio and run it, that’s it! sample project on Github You will be able to login on ONVIF camera and view its live stream: every Streaming from an ONVIF cameraHow to connect to a camera and visualise its live stream on Android? 👨🏽‍💻 Create a new project on Android Studio Add implementation and implementation to your (Module: app) com.rvirin.onvif:onvifcamera:1.1.6 com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:3.10.0 build.gradle Once it’s done, you can add the following code to connect to the camera and retrieve its information: (), OnvifListener { { .onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        currentDevice = OnvifDevice( , , )
        currentDevice.listener = currentDevice.getServices()
    } {
        Log.d( , )
        Log.d( , : class MainActivity AppCompatActivity override fun onCreate (savedInstanceState: ?) Bundle super "IP_ADDRESS:PORT" "login" "pwd" this override fun requestPerformed (response: ) OnvifResponse "ONVIF" "Request performed." ${response.request.type} "ONVIF" "Succeeded: , 
		  message: ”)
	
	if (response.request.type == GetServices) {
            currentDevice.getDeviceInformation()
        }
    }    
} ${response.success} ${response.parsingUIMessage} To instantiate an ONVIF camera, we use the class , this class takes an which defines the method. This method is called once the camera returns a call we made (getDeviceInformation, getProfiles, getStreamUri). OnvifDevice OnvifListener requestPerformed() Calling before getting the information is not mandatory but strongly recommended. It retrieves the different paths depending on the web service you’re calling, from one camera to another it can change. For instance command will have this path on a Dahua camera whereas it will be on a Uniview camera. Note: getServices getProfiles /onvif/media2_service /onvif/media2 If you implement new web services call in your app, you need to parse their path in this call. To be able to see the live stream of the camera we need to retrieve the different profiles (media profiles, with different configurations available) from the camera, select the one we want to play and retrieve the corresponding stream URI. Here is how we retrieve the profiles and the stream URI: {
        Log.d( , )
        Log.d( , ONVIF Stream URI retrieved: ${currentDevice.rtspURI} override fun requestPerformed (response: ) OnvifResponse "ONVIF" "Request performed." ${response.request.type} "ONVIF" "Succeeded: , 
		  message: ”)
        if (response.request.type == GetServices) {
            currentDevice.getDeviceInformation()
		
        } else if (response.request.type == GetDeviceInformation) {
            currentDevice.getProfiles()
        } else if (response.request.type == GetProfiles) {
            currentDevice.getStreamURI()
        } else if (response.request.type == GetStreamURI) {
            Log.d(" ${response.success} ${response.parsingUIMessage} ", " ")
        }
    }
} Depending on your camera, your URI will look like this one: etc… rtsp://IP_ADDRESS:PORT/cam/realmonitor?channel=1 The URI does not follow the http protocol, but the rtsp protocol, which is normal because (Real Time Streaming Protocol) is aiming to make streaming simpler. The problem is, doesn’t handle RTSP well (it can work but not with every codec, which is a problem to stream from an ONVIF camera). Fortunately, comes to the rescue! RTSP VideoView VLC How to read a RTSP stream on Android? 🎥 Add these lines to your build.gradle: { {
    maven { url }
  }
} { } allprojects repositories 'https://jitpack.io' dependencies compile 'com.github.pedroSG94.vlc-example-streamplayer:pedrovlc:2.5.14' Here is how you play the video with once you have the rtsp URI: libVLC (), VlcListener { vlcVideoLibrary: VlcVideoLibrary? = { .onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_stream) surfaceView = findViewById<SurfaceView>(R.id.surfaceView)
        vlcVideoLibrary = VlcVideoLibrary( , , surfaceView)
	  vlcVideoLibrary?.play(url)

    } {
        Toast.makeText( , , Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
    } {
        Toast.makeText( , , Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
        vlcVideoLibrary?.stop()
    }
} : class StreamActivity AppCompatActivity private var null override fun onCreate (savedInstanceState: ?) Bundle super val this this override fun onComplete () this "Playing" override fun onError () this "Error, make sure your endpoint is correct" implements two methods ( , and ). They are called by to tell us if the video loads without any problem. VLCListener onComplete() onError() VlcVideoLibrary You can also insert the login and password in the rtsp uri like this: etc… If you use the dependency, the URI saved in contains the login and password. Tip: rtsp:// login:password @IP_ADDRESS:PORT/cam/realmonitor?channel=1 ONVIFCamera OnvifDevice.rtspUri If you want to learn how to create the same project on , you can read . iOS this article Creating an ONVIF library was a exciting opportunity, as you can see in my , I really enjoy having an interaction between my apps and hardware devices, whether it’s a printer for iPhone, a camera, or even a door! I’m really looking forward to test new ONVIF devices and develop apps that can be useful for everyone that has ONVIF devices. previous posts The code of this project is open source, you can download it on . Github If you have any question, I’ll be happy to read them in the comments!

Live stream an ONVIF Camera on your Android app! 📱

We all need a reminder from time to time; Speak clearly and slowly, Focus on three people in the audience , Put one foot in front, so you don’t rock, Use hand gestures to better engage your listeners , Use short slides and explain them (people either listen to you or read your slides), Don’t say ‘am’ or ‘um’ when thinking what to say next. Finish on point that can be pondered by your listeners, pause, and formulate your next sentence. Confidence is key, believe in your content and you will feel confident. is how hackers start their afternoons. We’re a part of the family. We are now and happy to opportunities. Hacker Noon @AMI accepting submissions discuss advertising & sponsorship To learn more, , , or simply, read our about page like/message us on Facebook tweet/DM @HackerNoon. If you enjoyed this story, we recommend reading our and . Until next time, don’t take the realities of the world for granted! latest tech stories trending tech stories

6 Incredibly Simple But Vital Public Speaking Tips

ORM, short for Online Reputation Management, is a common term in Web 2. However, it is relatively unheard of in Web 3. In the world of Web 3, hackers are constantly seeking ways to exploit vulnerabilities and gain access to valuable crypto assets. Malicious actors will go to great lengths to achieve their goals, from impersonating celebrities to generating fraudulent user content directed to phishing websites. This is why Online Reputation Management (ORM) is critical for Web 3 communities. By proactively monitoring and managing your community's online reputation, you can safeguard your brand and protect your users from potential threats. How does ORM work in Web 3? Crypto is fundamentally community-driven, meaning it is user-generated content-driven. We rely heavily on online social cues and metrics from common users rather than influencers, as in the Web 2.0 world. Why take it from me? I work as a verifier for , a project born out of , a venture builder founded by Temasek. I provide expert opinions and analysis on the authenticity of NFT projects, having worked close to 20 projects ranking them on their use case, deliverables & roadmap. authentickator M enyala During my time in web 2.0, I’m a digital asset acquisition strategist, specialising in . I acquired over 100 domains, websites, and social media accounts through auctions, aftermarkets, and private dealings since 2014. My years of experience in due diligence have helped me develop a keen sense for vetting project authenticity and identifying potential shortcomings that will affect business valuation & security risks. growth hacking Example 1: Lacoste’s NFT project, UNDW3: The Emerge, used to not have an official twitter account for their NFT project. This was my review with authentick regarding the project. https://twitter.com/undw3_lacoste/status/1666444466880651265?embedable=true They recently setup their official, verified twitter account after numerous scam attempts mentioned in their discord chat. Example 2: Sushiswap’s acquisition of sushi.com ”SushiSwap’s online presence is notoriously scattered, including domains like “ ” and “ ” as mentioned in cointelegraph. sushiswap.fi sushiswapclassic.org https://cointelegraph.com/news/with-rebrand-on-the-horizon-sushiswap-receives-sushi-com-domain-name-gift?embedable=true After their acquisition of sushi.com, they are much less vulnerable to domain-name based attacks. Examples of ORM Mistakes, Risks & Methods There are several ways to improve online reputation management (ORM) to prevent breaches or malicious damage. Here are some problems and consequences for projects that don't put enough care into ORM, as well as the methods used to breach projects without proper ORM. Founder have limited social presence, opens up the project to impersonation: It is important for founders to have a strong social media presence to establish their identity and authority within the Web 3 community. This helps prevent bad actors from impersonating them and misleading the community. Additionally, a strong social media presence can help build trust and credibility with potential investors and partners. Scammers flooding hashtag with fraudulent news, when the project doesn’t use their cashtag often: This is a common tactic used by scammers to mislead the community and promote fraudulent projects. It is important for projects to regularly use their official cashtag and monitor social media channels for fraudulent activity. By doing so, they can quickly identify and address scams, protecting the community from potential losses. Inactive community, allowing vulnerability shillers to redirect community to other projects: An inactive community can leave a project vulnerable to shilling and redirecting tactics used by bad actors. It is important for projects to actively engage with their community, provide regular updates, and encourage participation. By doing so, they can build a strong community that is resistant to outside manipulation. Buying the cheapest domain name extension available, allowing bad actors to create clones using similar domain names, leading to a phishing site: This is a common tactic used by scammers to mislead users and steal their credentials or assets. It is important for projects to secure their brand name and domain names in all TLDs, and to monitor search engine results for any fraudulent activity. By doing so, they can quickly identify and address scams, protecting the community from potential losses. Outranking the official brand on Twitter/Instagram leading to a phishing website: This is another tactic used by scammers to mislead users and steal their credentials or assets. It is important for projects to regularly monitor their social media channels for fraudulent activity, and to take action against any accounts that are impersonating or misleading users. By doing so, they can protect the community from potential losses and maintain their reputation. Pretending to hire for personal information as a social engineering method to breach wallet: This is a common tactic used by scammers to gain access to personal information or assets. It is important for users to be cautious of unsolicited job offers or requests for personal information, and to verify the legitimacy of any requests before responding. By doing so, they can protect themselves from potential scams and maintain their security. Using a public facing email to signup for crypto wallet accounts, social media accounts & personal details & reusing passwords that has been leaked on public domain Conclusion In the world of Web 3, user-generated content (UGC) is crucial for crypto communities as they are fundamentally community-driven. As a result, having the right and guidelines for your project is essential to building a strong, damage-proof project. UGC Creators Setting up gamified community incentives has always been a popular choice among NFT and crypto projects. However, relying solely on monetary rewards for community engagement is not a sustainable long-term strategy. Online reputation management is not just about presenting the positive side of the project, but conveying the right message to your target audience and retaining them as loyal community members. Building a proper Web 3 community requires a multifaceted approach that includes not only gamification, but also a strong focus on community trust and onboarding the right ambassadors to ensure the project's survival during bear markets. After all, most progress is made during bear markets, not bull markets.

ORM for Web 3 Communities: Protecting Your Reputation and Security

ORM para comunidades Web 3: protección de su reputación y seguridad

ORM pour les communautés Web 3 : protéger votre réputation et votre sécurité

वेब 3 समुदायों के लिए ओआरएम: आपकी प्रतिष्ठा और सुरक्षा की रक्षा करना

Web 3 コミュニティの ORM: 評判とセキュリティの保護

ORM para comunidades Web 3: protegendo sua reputação e segurança

ORM dành cho cộng đồng Web 3: Bảo vệ danh tiếng và bảo mật của bạn

Web 3 社区的 ORM：保护您的声誉和安全

Q: What do a revolutionary from the 1800s, a supercomputer from the 1980s, and a tech start-up which supports decentralisation have in common? A: They’re all fictional. 🤣 Hilarious, right? Introducing the Luddites Let’s tie these things together. First of all, the revolutionary above refers to the folkloric figure of Ned Ludd, also known variously as General, Captain, and King Ludd. Whether there was ever a real Ned Ludd is very much up for debate. Sadly, since the Luddites were pretty much wiped out a couple of centuries ago by the combination of sending the military after them and executing them when captured (they threatened the almighty profit margin after all), we’re not likely to get an answer any time soon. What’s important for this article is that Ned Ludd was an idea. He was a mythical figurehead of a decentralised movement working to protect the livelihood of the individual worker, safeguarding their autonomy in the face of capitalist mechanical automation which worked to reduce them (or rather their cheaper, unskilled replacements) to cogs in a commercial machine. The Luddites are far from the first decentralised movement, and definitely not the last. They were unique, to my knowledge, in being the first to assemble a decentralised movement to oppose centralisation and concentration of power in the hands of a few. Those few being the capitalists who purchased the machines with the aim of exploiting their workforce by removing the need for expensive expertise. The Luddites were presented then, and are again now, as straightforward anti-progress revolutionaries. Even now the name is used as an insult, suggesting someone obstructs progress for the sake of obstruction. Ironically, those at the cutting edge of technologies designed to protect individual autonomy and identity have more in common with the Luddites than they do with most of the high-tech start-ups who claim to be fighting their corners. And the Supercomputer? In 1983 a film came out which became a cornerstone of hacker culture. No, not , I’m talking about the rightly-famous . Aside from being an innovative film, provides a brilliant illustration both of the danger of centralising power and authority, and of placing too much trust in technological infallibility. Hackers Wargames Wargames At the centre of the film is a supercomputer, Joshua (or more formally the WOPR), which controls the entire US nuclear arsenal and defensive systems. Even if you haven’t seen it, you can probably predict the rest of the film just from that. The centralisation piece is particularly striking when you know three names which deserve to go down in history (and likely others we don’t know): Stanislav Petrov, Vasily Arkhipov, and Sir David Ormsby-Gore. Their stories are worth looking up, but for this article what’s important to know is that it was their individual decision-making, their exercise of their autonomy, that means we’re not living in a nuclear hellscape today. As Joshua famously writes in , when there is only mutually assured destruction the only winning move is not to play. Wargames Obviously this lesson cannot be ascribed to our modern world, where we are completely dependent on massive interconnected systems designed to squeeze all the joy and freedom out of life and turn them into profitable numbers while having us make ‘the right’ decisions (i.e. buying the things advertised to us). Tech Start-Ups Are Fine Though, Right? And that brings us to the modern tech start-up, especially those that preach decentralisation and autonomy. Some, I’m sure, are sincere - it’s a statistical impossibility that all of them are presenting a smokescreen, but it’s definitely a minority. There’s a whole rainbow of -washings (green, pink, etc.) that companies use to publicly show off their credentials, whether social, environmental, diversity, or otherwise, while carrying on as normal behind the scenes, but I’m unsure what colour would apply to autonomy. VC-backed start-ups are funded by investment. Investors are looking for a return on their investment - usually by selling the company to bigger investors later on. Even if the first investors strongly believe in the ideals of the company rather than just the opportunity for profit, success and a sale dilutes everything further and further from those initial aims. Driving and supporting autonomy and decentralisation of power inevitably builds systems where it is harder for a single entity to extract value in the form of profit for themselves. Decentralised systems are resilient, not robust. They’re sustainable, not efficient. They tend towards value-sharing, not profit-making. This is a problem if the key incentives that drive an organisation are monetary returns on investments. What’s the Answer? Is there anything that can be done? Well, to a degree. The system is clearly built in such a way that gathering the resources to change it requires a level of investment which makes it hard to then change it without causing yourself damage. Taking part in these larger systems constrains our choices and autonomy, while opting out of them leaves us with ideological movements. Movements which are often unable to take effective actions, and easy for coordinated efforts to subvert for their own ends. At some point there may be enough smaller entities which aren’t profit-driven pulling in the same direction to make a difference, but until then all we can do is just not play the game. Instead of pursuing the big pay cheques of major tech companies, look to smaller organisations with different motivations. A question I was always told to ask when going to interviews was “why are you in business?” If the answer was “to make money”, it was not a sustainable place to work. For an organisation money should be a means to an end. Treating it as an end in itself is just chasing after a high score that means nothing outside the arcade (80s reference just to tie back to there). Wargames Take a lesson from the Luddites. Yes, they failed. Yes, they were utterly crushed by a system that turned people into nothing more than components in a money-making machine with no autonomy, no power, and no identity beyond ‘worker’. Failure doesn’t mean they were wrong. This article should not be taken as an incentive to or an endorsement of taking direct destructive action against datacentres, infrastructure, technology companies or similar. The author fully endorses the ideals of the Luddites, not their methods, or at least not the methods that will lead to similar reactions to those they faced.

Luddites, WarGames, and the Lost Battle for Autonomy

How to Master .NET 8 Web API: From Setup to Security - The Best 50 Tips

কিভাবে .NET 8 ওয়েব এপিআই আয়ত্ত করবেন: সেটআপ থেকে নিরাপত্তা - সেরা 50 টি টিপস

.NET 8 Web API meistern: Von der Einrichtung bis zur Sicherheit – Die 50 besten Tipps

Cómo dominar la API web .NET 8: de la configuración a la seguridad: los 50 mejores consejos

Comment maîtriser l'API Web .NET 8 : de la configuration à la sécurité - Les 50 meilleurs conseils

.NET 8 वेब एपीआई में महारत कैसे हासिल करें: सेटअप से सुरक्षा तक - सर्वोत्तम 50 युक्तियाँ

.NET 8 Web API をマスターする方法: セットアップからセキュリティまで - ベスト 50 のヒント

.NET 8 Web API를 마스터하는 방법: 설정부터 보안까지 - 최고의 50가지 팁

Como dominar a API da Web .NET 8: da configuração à segurança - as 50 melhores dicas

Как освоить веб-API .NET 8: от настройки до безопасности — 50 лучших советов

.NET 8 Web API'sinde Uzmanlaşma: Kurulumdan Güvenliğe - En İyi 50 İpucu

Cách làm chủ API Web .NET 8: Từ thiết lập đến bảo mật - 50 mẹo hay nhất

如何掌握 .NET 8 Web API：从设置到安全 - 50 个最佳技巧

Navigating the SEO landscape can be complex, but simplifies this with clear-cut strategies and measurable results. Through the insight of their Founder, Scott Keever, this agency has made a mark with targeted SEO strategies. Our deep dive into their approach will show you why and how they make a real difference to businesses online. Keever SEO Keever SEO: The Award-Winning Agency Keever SEO is a search engine optimization company providing data-driven search engine marketing results. Keever SEO is an award-winning SEO agency. Established in 2015 by entrepreneur, internationally recognized SEO expert, and online reputation management mastermind Scott Keever, Keever SEO is a multi-award-winning digital marketing agency for businesses of all sizes. With a specialization in SEO, Local SEO, and online reputation management, Keever SEO helps clients gain more targeted traffic and revenue through data-driven SEO strategies. Keever SEO is one of the fastest-growing digital marketing agencies in the US and has helped hundreds of businesses secure prominent Page 1 rankings on Google. More than a mere search engine optimization company, stands as a beacon of excellence amidst the competitive digital marketing landscape. Founded by the visionary entrepreneur Scott Keever, the agency’s journey is a story of relentless innovation, technical expertise, and groundbreaking achievements in the industry. Keever SEO Awards and Recognition The reputation of Keever SEO as an acclaimed SEO agency resonates in its trophy cabinet, a testament to its digital marketing prowess. The agency’s consistent performance has earned it four UpCity National Excellence Awards and five Top SEO Agencies Awards, a testament to its unwavering commitment to delivering results that matter. Rapid Growth The rise of Keever SEO within the digital marketing realm resembles a meteoric ascension. Recognized as one of the fastest-growing digital marketing agencies in the U.S., Keever SEO owes its rapid growth to its specialized services focusing on SEO, local SEO, and online reputation management, which rapidly spread among clients. Scott Keever: The Visionary Behind Keever SEO is an entrepreneur, internationally recognized SEO expert, online reputation mastermind, and member of the Forbes Agency Council. Scott Keever He is the founder of award-winning digital marketing agencies: Keever SEO, Asap Digital Marketing, and Pool Pros Marketing. Learn more about and his complete bio here. Scott Keever Comprehensive Services for Online Success Going beyond the traditional scope of a search engine optimization company, Keever SEO provides a wide array of digital marketing services designed to cultivate online success. Local SEO With the advent of a hyper-connected world, local businesses require more than mere online presence - they need more targeted traffic to help businesses secure prominent positions in search results, which is exactly what Keever SEO’s Local SEO services provide. Online Reputation Management In a world where a single negative review can tarnish a reputation painstakingly built over the years, online reputation management is critical. Keever SEO understands this all too well and has carved out a niche in providing Online Reputation Management (ORM) services, focusing on high-profile individuals such as celebrities, athletes, and business moguls. Data-Driven Strategies for Maximum Impact Within the sphere of SEO, Keever SEO reigns as the master of data. The agency utilizes sophisticated data analytics to analyze client website traffic patterns, customizing their data-driven SEO strategies for optimal relevance and effectiveness. Proven Track Record One’s track record serves as the finest testament to a company’s expertise, and the record of Keever SEO exemplifies its proficiency in enhancing organic traffic and boosting search engine rankings. Top Talent Keever SEO’s success is not just built on innovative strategies and advanced analytics. It’s also powered by a team of industry experts recognized for their contribution to thought leadership in SEO and digital marketing strategies. Free Consultation: Taking the First Step If you wish to amplify your online presence and harness the power of inventive digital marketing, Keever SEO is at your service in the digital marketing space. Access their website today for a complimentary consultation on web design, paving your first step towards digital marketing triumph on online platforms. Summary In sum, Keever SEO stands as a beacon of innovation and success in the digital marketing landscape. From its award-winning services to its data-driven strategies, the agency is truly revolutionizing the way businesses approach SEO. With a dedicated team of industry experts and a proven track record of success, Keever SEO is the partner you need to succeed in today’s digital era. Frequently Asked Questions What does Keever SEO do? Keever SEO is a search engine optimization company providing data-driven search engine marketing results. Keever SEO is an award-winning SEO agency. Who is the Founder of Keever SEO? Scott Keever is the founder and CEO of Keever SEO. Where is Keever SEO located? Keever SEO has locations across the country including Cincinnati, OH, Tampa, FL, and Miami, FL. How Much Does Keever SEO Cost? Keever SEO offers monthly SEO services starting at $1000 per month. Who is Scott Keever? Scott Keever is an entrepreneur, internationally recognized SEO expert, online reputation mastermind, and member of the Forbes Agency Council. He is the founder of award-winning digital marketing agencies: Keever SEO, ASAP Digital Marketing, and Pool Pros Marketing. What awards has Keever SEO won? Keever SEO has won the Upcity National Excellence Award from 2020-2023 and the Local Excellence Award for its performance in Tampa and Cincinnati from 2020-2023. This showcases the company's consistent excellence in SEO. Follow Keever SEO on Social Media Keever SEO - Facebook Keever SEO - Twitter Keever SEO - Youtube

Keever SEO: Revolutionizing Digital Marketing With Proven SEO Strategies

This post covers what I've learned about Akamai's VPC, how I deployed one with Terraform, and why it's good for security. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending in Oakland, CA. In addition to working the Akamai booth, making new friends, and spreading the good word of cloud computing, my teammate and I were tasked with creating a demo to showcase the new product. DeveloperWeek Talia VPC Background A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) enables private communication between two cloud compute instances, isolating network traffic from other internet users, thus improving security. So, how did I decide to showcase this? By building a little Pokémon dashboard, of course. I deployed two apps, each consisting of an app server and a database server (four servers total). The first app + database server pair is deployed normally. The second is configured to run within a VPC. Each app’s front end is built with and uses for styling. The server side is powered by (Qwik’s official meta-framework) and runs on hosted on a . The apps also use for process management and as a reverse proxy and SSL provisioner. The data is stored in a database that also runs on a shared Linode VPS. The apps interact with the database using , an Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) for . The entire infrastructure for both apps is managed with using the , which was new to me but made provisioning and destroying infrastructure really fast and easy (once I learned how it all worked). Qwik Tailwind Qwik City Node.js shared Linode VPS PM2 Caddy PostgreSQL Drizzle JavaScript Terraform Terraform Linode provider If you’re interested, you can find all the code here: github.com/AustinGil/linode-vpc-demo Demo As I mentioned above, the demo deploys two identical apps. There isn’t anything remarkably special about it, but here’s a screenshot. (I had to change the Pokémon names for reasons…) There’s nothing special about this tech stack. I chose these tools because I like them, not necessarily because they were the tools for the job. best The interesting part is the infrastructure. When we consider app #1, it’s essentially made up of two servers hosted inside the Akamai cloud, one server for the app and one for the database. When a user loads the app, the app server pulls the data from the database, constructs the HTML, and returns the result to the user. server The problem here is how the database connection is configured. In some cases, you may deploy a database server without knowing the IP addresses of the computers you want to allow access from (like the app server). In these cases, it’s not uncommon to allow any computer with the right credentials to connect to the database. This presents a security vulnerability because it could allow for a bad actor to connect to the database and steal sensitive data. A bad actor would still need the database host, port, username, and password to get access, so it’s not trivial. And as I said, this is not an uncommon practice, but we can do better. If you know the IP address for every computer that needs access, a good solution might be to set up a or . But if your infrastructure is more dynamic, with servers coming up and down, maintaining lists of IP addresses can be cumbersome. And that’s where VPCs shine. You can configure servers to live within a VPC and allow communication to flow freely only between other computers in the network. firewall VLAN That’s how app #2 is set up. Users can connect to the app server, which allows traffic from the public internet but also lives within the VPC. The app server connects to the database, which is also in the VPC, and only allows connections from within the same network. Then, the app server takes the data, builds the HTML, and returns the page to the user. For a normal user, the experience is identical. The browser loads the table with the modified Pokémon data just fine. The VPC doesn’t change anything for normal users. For bad actors, however, the experience is different. Even if they somehow manage to get the database access credentials, they would not be able to connect because of the network isolation from the VPC. Here, the VPC acts as a virtual firewall, ensuring that only devices with the same network are able to access the database. (This concept is sometimes referred to as “segmentation”) Evidence It’s cool to show a demo and talk about the infrastructure with cute diagrams, but I always want to prove, even if just to myself, that things work as expected. So, I thought a good way to test it would be to try connecting directly to both databases using my database client, . DBeaver For database #1, I set up a Postgres connection using the host IP address I got from my Akamai dashboard and the port, username, and password I had set up in my Terraform script. The connection worked as expected. For database #2, all I had to change was the IP address since all the database provisioning was handled by the same script using Terraform. The only difference was that the database server was put inside the same VPC as the app server, and it was configured to only allow connections from any computer within the same network. As expected, I got an error when trying to connect, even though I had all the correct information. The error doesn’t mention anything about the VPC. It just says that my IP address is not in the allowed list in the configuration file. This makes sense. I could explicitly add my home’s IP address and gain access to the database if needed, but that’s beside the point. The key point is that I did not explicitly add IP address to the Postgres allow-list. Yet, the app server was able to connect just fine, and everyone else was blocked, thanks to the VPC. any Code The last thing I’ll touch on is the Terraform code for deploying this application. You can find the whole file here: [github.com/AustinGil/linode-vpc-demo/blob/main/terraform/terraform.tf](https://github.com/AustinGil/linode-vpc-demo/blob/main/terraform/terraform.tf) It’s also worth mentioning that I tried to make this Terraform file reusable for other people (or future me). That required a bit more variable and config setup based around the file: tfvars [github.com/AustinGil/linode-vpc-demo/blob/main/terraform/terraform.tfvars.example](https://github.com/AustinGil/linode-vpc-demo/blob/main/terraform/terraform.tfvars.example) Anyway, I’m just going to highlight the key parts. 1. Configure Terraform Provider First, since I used the , it makes sense to know how to set that up: Linode Terraform provisioner terraform {
  required_providers {
    linode = {
      source = "linode/linode"
      version = "2.13.0"
    }
  }
}

variable "LINODE_TOKEN" {}

provider "linode" {
  token = var.LINODE_TOKEN
} This part sets up the provider as well as a variable, which Terraform will either ask you for or you can provide with the file. tfvars 2. Set Up VPC and VPC Subnet Next, I set up the actual resource along with a resource. This part required a lot of learning on my part. vpc subnet resource "linode_vpc" "vpc" {
  label = "${local.app_name}-vpc"
  region = var.REGION
}
resource "linode_vpc_subnet" "vpc_subnet" {
  vpc_id = linode_vpc.vpc.id
  label = "${local.app_name}-vpc-subnet"
  ipv4 = "${var.VPC_SUBNET_IP}"
} Servers can only be added to VPCs in the same region. At the time of writing, there are thirteen regions where VPCs are supported. For the most up-to-date details, refer to the docs: . linode.com/docs/products/networking/vpc/ I tried deploying my servers to San Francisco and ran into errors several times before realizing that it wasn’t an available region. So I went with Seattle ( ) instead. "us-sea" The subnets were also a learning point for me. As a web application developer, I haven’t had to do much networking, so when I was asked to provide “ ” I had to research. The IPv4 range of this subnet in CIDR format Turns out, (such as a VPC): there are three IPv4 address ranges that are reserved for private networks 10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255 You have to choose one of these three options, but you have to use format, which is a way of representing the IP range you want to use. Don’t ask me for more details, because that’s all I know. Akamai has more . I just went with . CIDR documentation around the subnets 10.0.0.0/24 Every server in the network will have an IPv4 address within that range. private 3. Set Up Application Servers For Terraform to deploy my application servers, I used the resource. I also used the resource to create a reusable deployment script for installing and configuring software. It’s like a script that lives in your Akamai cloud dashboard that you can reuse on new servers. linode_instance [stackscript](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/linode/linode/latest/docs/resources/stackscript) Bash I won’t include the code here, but it installs Node.js 20 via NVM, installs PM2, clones my project repo, runs the app, and sets up Caddy. You can view the StackScript contents in the source code, but I want to focus on the Terraform stuff. resource "linode_instance" "application1" {
  depends_on = [
    linode_instance.database1
  ]
  image = "linode/ubuntu20.04"
  type = "g6-nanode-1"
  label = "${local.app_name}-application1"
  group = "${local.app_name}-group"
  region = var.REGION
  authorized_keys = [ linode_sshkey.ssh_key.ssh_key ]

  stackscript_id = linode_stackscript.configure_app_server.id
  stackscript_data = {
    "GIT_REPO" = var.GIT_REPO,
    "START_COMMAND" = var.START_COMMAND,
    "DOMAIN" = var.DOMAIN1,
    "NODE_PORT" = var.NODE_PORT,
    "DB_HOST" = linode_instance.database1.ip_address,
    "DB_PORT" = var.DB_PORT,
    "DB_NAME" = var.DB_NAME,
    "DB_USER" = var.DB_USER,
    "DB_PASS" = var.DB_PASS,
  }
}
resource "linode_instance" "application2" {
  depends_on = [
    linode_instance.database2
  ]
  image = "linode/ubuntu20.04"
  type = "g6-nanode-1"
  label = "${local.app_name}-application2"
  group = "${local.app_name}-group"
  region = var.REGION
  authorized_keys = [ linode_sshkey.ssh_key.ssh_key ]

  stackscript_id = linode_stackscript.configure_app_server.id
  stackscript_data = {
    "GIT_REPO" = var.GIT_REPO,
    "START_COMMAND" = var.START_COMMAND,
    "DOMAIN" = var.DOMAIN2,
    "NODE_PORT" = var.NODE_PORT,
    "DB_HOST" = var.DB_PRIVATE_IP,
    "DB_PORT" = var.DB_PORT,
    "DB_NAME" = var.DB_NAME,
    "DB_USER" = var.DB_USER,
    "DB_PASS" = var.DB_PASS,
  }

  interface {
    purpose = "public"
  }
  interface {
    purpose   = "vpc"
    subnet_id = linode_vpc_subnet.vpc_subnet.id
  }
} Configuring the two resources is almost identical, with only a few significant things to note: Application #2 includes configuration to add it to the VPC. The StackScript needs the IP address for the database. Application #1 uses the public IP address from database #1 ( ). Application #2 uses a variable ( ). This variable will come up later, but it’s the private IP address assigned to database #2, running within the VPC. This can be manually assigned, so I set it to . linode_instance.database1.ip_address var.DB_PRIVATE_IP 10.0.0.3 Also note that they are deployed to the same region as the VPC, for the reasons I mentioned above. 4. Set Up Database Servers The databases are also set up using the and resources. Once again, I’ll skip the StackScript contents, which you can find in the repo. It installs Postgres, sets up the database and credentials, and provides some configuration options. linode_instance linode_stackscript resource "linode_instance" "database1" {
  image = "linode/ubuntu20.04"
  type = "g6-nanode-1"
  label = "${local.app_name}-db1"
  group = "${local.app_name}-group"
  region = var.REGION

  authorized_keys = [ linode_sshkey.ssh_key.ssh_key ]
  stackscript_id = linode_stackscript.configure_db_server.id
  stackscript_data = {
    "DB_NAME" = var.DB_NAME,
    "DB_USER" = var.DB_USER,
    "DB_PASS" = var.DB_PASS,
    "PG_HBA_ENTRY" = "host all all all md5"
  }
}
resource "linode_instance" "database2" {
  image = "linode/ubuntu20.04"
  type = "g6-nanode-1"
  label = "${local.app_name}-db2"
  group = "${local.app_name}-group"
  region = var.REGION
  authorized_keys = [ linode_sshkey.ssh_key.ssh_key ]

  stackscript_id = linode_stackscript.configure_db_server.id
  stackscript_data = {
    "DB_NAME" = var.DB_NAME,
    "DB_USER" = var.DB_USER,
    "DB_PASS" = var.DB_PASS,
    "PG_HBA_ENTRY" = "host all all samenet md5"
  }

  interface {
    purpose = "public"
  }
  interface {
    purpose   = "vpc"
    subnet_id = linode_vpc_subnet.vpc_subnet.id
    ipv4 {
      vpc = var.DB_PRIVATE_IP
    }
  }
} As with the application servers, the two database servers are mostly the same, with just a couple of key differences: The second database includes configuration to add it to the VPC. Different settings are written to the Client Authentication file ( ). Database #1 allows all internet connections ( ) while database #2 only allows access from the same network ( ). [pg_hba.conf](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/auth-pg-hba-conf.html) "host all all all md5" "host all all samenet md5" It’s also worth noting that we explicitly assign the server’s private IP address when configuring the VPC settings ( ). This is the same static value that was given to the application server so it can connect to the database from within the VPC. var.DB_PRIVATE_IP Closing Hopefully, this post has opened our eyes to what VPCs are, why they’re cool, and when you might consider one. It’s like having your own little private internet. It’s not strictly a replacement for VLANs or firewalls, but it’s a great addition to any existing security practice or at least something to keep in the back of your head. Building out the demo was interesting in itself, and there were a lot of things that were totally new to me. I spent a lot of time learning: What VPCs are and how they work. It was my first time using Terraform, so that involved installation, usage, terminology, etc. I’ve used Postgres before, but have never had to manually configure client access. This was my second project using Drizzle and although it was very limited, the migrations process was challenging. I learned more than I care to know about networking, computer interfaces, IP ranges, and CIDR. I have much more respect for folks working on the networking layer. Linode StackScripts are also super cool. It was my preferred way to configure a server using Terraform, and I want to see how they work otherwise. There were also a couple of resources that I found particularly helpful: Linode’s VPC documentation Terraform’s Linode provider documentation And in case you want to keep going on with this or related topics, Talia put together some excellent posts recently: Talia’s review of DeveloperWeek Introduction to Akamai’s VPC Crafting a Resilient VPC Landscape using Terraform When should I use a Private IP vs. VLAN vs. VPC? And of course, if you are interested in trying out the VPC or any other Akamai cloud computing products, new users can sign up at and get $100 in free credits :) linode.com/austingil Thank you so much for reading. If you liked this article, and want to support me, the best ways to do so are to , , and . share it sign up for my newsletter follow me on Twitter Originally published on . austingil.com

How I Deployed My Own Lil' Private Internet (a.k.a. VPC)

Building new software always comes with unknowns. We try to reduce these with research, but there are always unanswered questions about what users truly need. This is where (MVPs) come in. As engineers, we need to strike a balance between overly loose “cowboy architecture” and building with future scale in mind. The database schema of an MVP is particularly critical. It determines the application’s data model, so flexibility is important. Yet, we need enough structure to avoid problems when it’s time to scale. Minimum Viable Products A Three-Step Process for Designing the Right Schema 1. Extrapolate to the Edges To understand an idea, take it to extremes – both big and small. This helps expose where it breaks down. Apply this to your MVP with non-functional requirements: How should the system perform at its absolute design limits? You likely don’t need planet-scale planning, but consider how it should behave once you hit traction. 2. Identify First-Class Objects These are entities with identities independent of others. A common example is a ‘User’. In e-commerce, a ‘Purchase Order’ (PO) might be one.  An ‘Invoice’, however, is dependent on a PO and thus wouldn’t be first-class. 3. Visualize Diagrams are powerful! Create a visual representation of your schema to see how things relate. This exposes potential complexity. Tools like ERD Editor in VSCode work well for MVPs. An Example I’m working on a SaaS app with GitHub-inspired access control for individuals, teams, and organizations. I used this process for my database design: : Defined desired features & performance at scale. Extrapolation : ‘Users’, ‘Organizations’, and ‘Roles’ needed independent existence for flexibility. First-Class Objects : The diagram helped me simplify and spot issues in relationships. Visualization Features/Capabilities Individual user accounts Organization accounts Users can belong to zero or more organizations Team support Organizations can have zero or more teams Role-based access control that is flexible Different roles for users in different organizations Non-Functional Requirements Simple to grok schema Flexible Role-based ACL Be performant at this scale: 1000-5000 Organizations 10-20 Teams per Organization 5-20 User per Team 100,000-500,000 Users Limitations A note on the limitations – for the sake schema simplicity and flexibility I chose to handle the limitations with business logic in code. Organization Owner -  Schema lacks enforcement of an organization “owner” Unique Organization/Team Names - Schema lacks normalization of , Organization.name Team.name schema & Diagram I used ORM to generate the SQL. I’ve shared my schema as a gist: “ .” Take a look for specifics. Prisma Flexible Multi-Tenant Web App Prisma Schema Summary Building a database schema for an MVP that scales well means finding the middle ground between adaptability and thoughtful planning. Follow these steps to get closer to that balance, as the perfect answer at the outset is unlikely. Also published here.

ORUM

orum.com

51-200 employees

Since 2018

COMPANY RANKING

ORUM

EVERGREEN INDEX #7787

Representing this company? Click here to claim and customize this page!

Orum WIKI

Apply to get your Tech Company News Page live on HackerNoon.com today!

ORUM

orum.com

51-200 employees

Since 2018

COMPANY RANKING

ORUM

EVERGREEN INDEX #7787

RELATED COMPANIESRANK

STORIES ABOUT ORUM

Representing this company? Click here to claim and customize this page!

Orum WIKI

Apply to get your Tech Company News Page live on HackerNoon.com today!