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Version: 0.10.0-dev

Server Block

The server block in snakeway.hcl controls process-level settings.

Configuration Example​

server {
  version       = 1                          # Config format version (always 1 for now)
  pid_file      = "/var/run/snakeway.pid"    # Optional; enables signal-based reload
  threads       = 8                          # Worker threads for the proxy runtime
  work_stealing = true                       # Allow work stealing between threads
  ca_file       = "/path/to/certs/ca.pem"   # Global CA for verifying upstream TLS
}

Field Reference​

version integer, required. Configuration file format version. Currently always 1.

pid_file string, default: none. Path where Snakeway writes its PID on startup. Enables the snakeway reload command.

threads integer, default: defers to the Pingora runtime. Number of worker threads for request processing. For most deployments, set this to the number of CPU cores on your server.

work_stealing boolean, default: true. Controls whether worker threads are allowed to steal tasks from one another. Enabling work stealing improves throughput under uneven load.

ca_file string, default: none. Path to a CA certificate file used to verify upstream TLS connections when no per-upstream ca_file is configured.

tls_automation object, default: none. Configures automatic ACME certificate issuance and renewal. See TLS Automation.

PID File and Reload Behavior​

When pid_file is set, Snakeway writes its process ID to the specified path at startup. This enables the snakeway reload command, which sends a signal to the running process to reload configuration without a full restart.

The PID file is useful when integrating Snakeway with:

  • Process supervisors
  • Signal-based reload workflows
  • System scripts or orchestration tools

If the PID file cannot be written, Snakeway logs a warning and continues running. On shutdown, Snakeway removes the PID file as a best-effort cleanup step.

tip

If threads is not set, Snakeway defers entirely to the Pingora runtime's internal defaults rather than selecting a value on your behalf.