ptth/README.md

# PTTH

An HTTP server that can run behind a firewall by connecting out to a relay.

```
Outside the tunnel
+--------+         +------------+        +-------------+
| Client | ------> | PTTH relay | <----- | PTTH server |
+--------+         +------------+        +-------------+

Inside the tunnel
+--------+         --------------        +-------------+
| Client | ----------------------------> |   Server    |
+--------+         --------------        +-------------+
```

The server can run behind a firewall, because it is actually a special HTTP
client.

## How to configure

The server must be configured first so that its tripcode can be registered
with the relay.

Configuring a server:

- Copy ptth_server or ptth_server.exe onto the server
- Create ptth_server.toml in the server's working dir
- Add a human-readable name and a secret API key generated by diceware method
- Run the server and use Ctrl+C to close it. It will print a tripcode to
the terminal. Copy that to the relay.

Configuring the relay:

- Copy ptth_relay onto the server (A Dockerfile is provided with no guarantees)
- Create ptth_relay.toml in the relay's working dir
- Add the tripcodes of all servers to the server_tripcodes table

Example server config: (Won't run because the key is too weak)

```
name = "my_server"
api_key = "secretpassword"
relay_url = "http://127.0.0.1:4000"
```

Example relay config:

```
[server_tripcodes]

my_server = "czpCob1t1T7IU9zIlYyoNRomyeN7pqKSg1R0EUPz6Pw="
some_other_server = "su2wWbTyf5xih4yiCTfAzqDlASatV+0dI+UVKFBIsEI="
```

## How to run

The relay should run first so that the server(s) can connect to it without error.

1. Start the relay
2. Start a server
3. Use a client to access a server through the relay

From the source code directory:

- `cargo run --bin ptth_relay`
- `cargo run --bin ptth_server`
- `firefox http://127.0.0.1:4000/servers/my_server/files/`

If you only have pre-built binaries:

- `./ptth_relay`
- `./ptth_server`
- `firefox http://127.0.0.1:4000/servers/my_server/files/`

"ptth_file_server" is not needed for production. It's a standalone build of
the file server module, for testing.

To run the relay behind Nginx, these directives improve time-to-first-byte
when streaming:

```
client_max_body_size 0;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_request_buffering off;
proxy_buffering off;
```

## Comparison with normal HTTP

Normal HTTP:

```
Client       Server

       H1
  O ---------> O
               | H2
  O <--------- O
          H3
```

1. The client connects to the server and sends a request
2. The server accepts the connection and processes the request
3. The server responds with a response

We'll call these steps "H1", "H2", and "H3" in the next section.

PTTH:

```
Client    Relay    Server

                P1
            O <----- O
    P2/H1   |
  O ------> O
            |   P3
            O -----> O
                     | P4/H2
            O <----- O
            |   P5
  O <------ O
      P6/H3
```

We'll call these steps "P1" through "P6".

1. The server makes a "listen" request to the relay, 
punching out through the server's firewall.
The server and relay are now in a long-polling state with each other, 
waiting for a client to make a request.
2. A client makes a request to the relay. (P2 == H1)
3. The relay packages the request and sends it as a response to the server,
completing the server's request in P1.
The client and relay are now in a long-polling state, waiting for the server
to respond.
4. The server processes the request. (P4 == H2)
5. The server packages its response in another request to the relay.
6. The relay unwraps the request and forwards it to the client. (P6 == H3)

Every step of the normal HTTP process is inverted for the server:

- It must stay connected to the relay even when nothing is happening
- A request arrives packaged in a response
- A response is sent out packaged as a request

There are twice as many steps, and the per-connection and per-request overhead
is probably high. But once the connections are established, the only
overhead is that of using a relay, which is similar to many other file transfer
or remote desktop software.

## Comparison with similar software

PTTH is very similar to [PageKite](https://github.com/pagekite/PyPagekite).
PTTH's relay is equivalent to PageKite's front-end server, and PTTH's server
is equivalent to (I think) PageKite's backend.

WireGuard can also pierce firewalls, but it requires root permissions,
and the client must be a WireGuard node. PTTH allows any normal HTTP client
such as curl, Firefox, etc.

## Module overview

```
+------------+       +-------------+       +------------------+
| ptth_relay |       | ptth_server |       | ptth_file_server |
+------------+       +-------------+       +------------------+
            |         |           |          |
             \       /             \        /
              V     V               V      V
           +------------+       +-------------+
           | http_serde |       | file_server |
           +------------+       +-------------+
```

The top-level binaries are ptth_relay, ptth_server, and ptth_file_server.

ptth_relay should run on a well-known public server, behind an HTTPS proxy
such as Caddy, Nginx, or Apache.

ptth_file_server is a standalone HTTP file server, similar to Python2's
`-m SimpleHTTPServer` command, or Python3's `-m http.server`.

ptth_server and ptth_file_server use the `file_server` module. ptth_server
will connect out to a ptth_relay instance and serve files through the reverse
HTTP tunnel.

The `http_serde` module is shared by ptth_relay and ptth_server so that they
can communicate with each other easily.

## Why are GitHub issues disabled?

Because they are not part of Git.

For now, either email me (if you know me personally) or make a pull request to add an item to [todo.md](todo.md).

## License

PTTH is licensed under the
[GNU AGPLv3](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.html)

Copyright 2020 "Trish"