Frontends overview
A frontend is the public-facing address and entry point that your consumers use to access your services. It provides a public URL that, when bound to a share, makes your backend service accessible from the internet.
NetFoundry manages the frontend's underlying infrastructure, handling SSL/TLS termination, certificate management, DDoS protection, and rate limiting. It routes incoming requests to your backend services through secure, globally accelerated tunnels.
NetFoundry Frontdoor supports two types of Frontends both managed by NetFoundry, each designed for different organizational needs and use cases.
NetFoundry standard frontends
Standard Frontends are pre-provisioned, globally available ingress points that are centrally managed by NetFoundry. These provide immediate access to the platform without any setup requirements.
Characteristics
Standard Frontends are available immediately without any configuration or setup, being fully managed by NetFoundry
including SSL certificates, DNS, and infrastructure. They use NetFoundry-provided domain names such as
shares.netfoundry.io and are included as part of your NetFoundry Frontdoor subscription without additional cost. These
Frontends provide global distribution across multiple regions for optimal performance using global accelerators and
utilize NetFoundry's standard authentication providers.
URL pattern
Standard Frontends typically use the pattern:
https://{share-name}.shares.netfoundry.io
Example use cases
- Development and testing environments
- Internal tools and dashboards
- Proof of concepts and prototypes
- Quick service sharing without custom branding requirements
Custom frontends
Custom frontends allow you to bring your own hostname and domain branding while still benefiting from NetFoundry's managed infrastructure. These are ideal for organizations that need custom branding or specific domain requirements.
Characteristics
Custom frontends allow you to use your own domain name such as api.yourcompany.com while still being fully managed by
NetFoundry. They require domain ownership verification through DNS records and NetFoundry handles SSL certificate
provisioning and renewal automatically. These Frontends maintain your organization's brand identity and support advanced
authentication through custom authentication providers configured via auth
providers.
URL pattern
Custom frontends use your specified domain:
https://api.yourcompany.com
https://services.example.org
Setup requirements
- Domain ownership verification
- DNS record configuration (provided by NetFoundry)
- SSL certificate provisioning (handled automatically)
Example use cases
- Production customer-facing services
- Public APIs requiring custom branding
- Partner integrations with specific domain requirements
- Enterprise applications requiring corporate domain alignment
Key differences
| Aspect | Standard frontend | Custom frontend |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Immediate | Requires DNS setup |
| Domain | NetFoundry-provided | Your custom domain |
| SSL certificates | Managed by NetFoundry | Managed by NetFoundry |
| Branding | NetFoundry branding | Your custom branding |
| Cost | Included | May have additional costs |
| DNS management | Not required | DNS validation required |
| Use cases | Development, testing, internal | Production, customer-facing |
Choosing the right frontend type
Use standard frontends when
Standard Frontends are the optimal choice when you need rapid development capabilities and want to quickly share services for development or testing environments without any setup delays.
They excel in scenarios where the service is primarily for internal use or team collaboration, providing immediate access without complex configuration requirements. Standard Frontends are particularly valuable when cost sensitivity is a primary concern, as they allow you to minimize additional costs and complexity while still accessing the full power of NetFoundry's infrastructure.
These Frontends are ideal for temporary access scenarios where you need ephemeral service access that can be created and destroyed as needed. Additionally, Standard Frontends provide an excellent foundation for prototyping activities, enabling you to build proof of concepts and demos quickly without the overhead of custom domain setup and validation processes.
Use custom frontends when
Custom frontends become essential when your organization has specific brand requirements that demand consistent branding across all services, ensuring that your public-facing endpoints align with your corporate identity and brand standards. They are the preferred choice for customer-facing services that will be accessed by external customers or partners, as they provide the professional appearance and domain consistency that external users expect.
Custom frontends are necessary when corporate policies require services to use company-owned domains, ensuring compliance with organizational standards and security requirements. They provide the professional appearance needed when your services require a branded, polished presentation that reflects your organization's commitment to quality and attention to detail.
Custom frontends also address specific integration requirements where third-party integrations require particular domain patterns or when partner systems expect services to be available on your organization's domains rather than third-party infrastructure domains.