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Version: 0.10.0-dev

Configuration Overview

Snakeway uses a flexible, directory-based configuration model designed for both simplicity and scale.

The Entry Point​

The heart of Snakeway's configuration is the snakeway.hcl file. This file defines the global server settings and modular configuration file locations.

A typical snakeway.hcl looks like this:

server {
  version  = 1
  pid_file = "/var/run/snakeway.pid"
  ca_file  = "/path/to/certs/ca.pem"
}

include {
  devices   = "device.d/*.hcl"
  ingresses = "ingress.d/*.hcl"
}

Modular Configuration​

The include section allows you to split your configuration into logical parts using glob patterns.

  • ingress.d/: Define your Ingress files.
  • device.d/: Define the Devices that should be active in the request pipeline.

When Snakeway starts (or reloads), it discovers all files matching these patterns, parses them, and merges them into a single unified runtime configuration. This is discussed in more detail in Configuration Internals.

Hot Reloading​

Snakeway supports zero-downtime configuration reloads. This means you can update your routes, add new services, or change device settings without dropping active connections.

Before a reload is applied, Snakeway performs a full semantic validation of the new configuration. If any errors are found (e.g., a route pointing to a non-existent service), the reload is aborted, the errors are logged, and the server continues running with the previous, stable configuration.

Reloads can be triggered in two ways:

Reload command​

Send a SIGHUP signal to the Snakeway process.

snakeway reload

Admin API​

If enabled the admin API is enable, you can send a POST request to the /admin/reload endpoint.

For example:

curl -X POST https://127.0.0.1:8440/admin/reload

Configuration Validation​

You can manually validate your configuration directory at any time using the config check command:

snakeway config check --path /etc/snakeway/

This will report any syntax errors or logical inconsistencies in your configuration files before you attempt to apply them to a running server.