Application manager setup

Application manager is microservice meant manage applications and also acts as a proxy for front-end requests related to resources.

​

Infrastructure prerequisites

Before you start setting up the Application Manager service, ensure the following infrastructure components are in place:

• Docker Engine - version 17.06 or higher
• PostgreSQL - version 13 or higher for storing application data (could vary based on your preferred relational database)
• MongoDB - version 4.4 or higher for managing runtime builds
• Redis - version 6.0 or higher (if caching is required)
• Kafka - version 2.8 or higher for messaging and event-driven communication between services

​

Dependencies

The Application Manager relies on several other FlowX services and components:

• Database instance - To store application details, manifests, and configurations
• Authorization & Access Management
• Kafka Event Bus
• Proxy Mechanism - Ensure resource endpoints are accessible through the application-proxy.

​

Configuration

​

Environment variables

• APP_MANAGER_DB_URL- Connection string for the relational database
• APP_MANAGER_DB_USER - Username for the database
• APP_MANAGER_DB_PASSWORD - Password for the database
• APP_MANAGER_DB_NAME - Database name

​

Configuring authorization and access roles

To integrate the Application Manager with the identity management system for authorization, set the following environment variables:

• SECURITY_OAUTH2_BASE_SERVER_URL - Base URL for the OAuth 2.0 Authorization Server
• SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_CLIENT_ID - Unique identifier for the client application registered with the OAuth 2.0 server
• SECURITY_OAUTH2_CLIENT_CLIENT_SECRET - Secret key for authenticating requests made by the authorization client
• SECURITY_OAUTH2_REALM - The realm name for OAuth2 authentication
• SECURITY_OAUTH2_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_ADMIN_CLIENT_ID - Client ID for the application manager service account
• SECURITY_OAUTH2_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_ADMIN_CLIENT_SECRET - Client Secret for the application manager service account

Refer to the dedicated section for configuring user roles and access rights:

Access Management

​

Database configuration

Configure the data sources for PostgreSQL and MongoDB as follows:

​

PostgreSQL (application data)

• SPRING_DATASOURCE_URL - Database URL for PostgreSQL
• SPRING_DATASOURCE_USERNAME - Username for PostgreSQL
• SPRING_DATASOURCE_PASSWORD - Password for PostgreSQL
• SPRING_DATASOURCE_DRIVER_CLASS_NAME - Driver class for PostgreSQL

​

Configuring MongoDB (runtime database - additional data)

The Application Manager requires MongoDB to store runtime build information. Use the following environment variables for configuration:

• SPRING_DATA_MONGODB_URI - URI for connecting to the MongoDB instance
• SPRING_DATA_MONGODB_RUNTIME_ENABLED - Enables runtime MongoDB usage
  • Default Value: true
• SPRING_DATA_MONGODB_STORAGE - Specifies the storage type used for MongoDB
  • Possible Values: mongodb, cosmosdb
  • Default Value: mongodb

Details to connect to Runtime database (if runtime is enabled):

• SPRING_DATA_MONGODB_RUNTIME_URI - URI for connecting to MongoDB for runtime data

​

Configuring Redis

If caching is required, configure Redis using the following environment variables:

• SPRING_REDIS_HOST - Hostname or IP address of the Redis server
• SPRING_REDIS_PASSWORD - Password for authenticating with the Redis server

​

Configuring Kafka

The Application Manager uses Kafka for event-driven operations. Set up the Kafka configuration using the following environment variables:

• SPRING_KAFKA_BOOTSTRAP_SERVERS - Address of the Kafka server, formatted as “host”
• SPRING_KAFKA_CONSUMER_GROUP_ID - Consumer group ID for Kafka topics
• KAFKA_CONSUMER_THREADS - Number of Kafka consumer threads

The Application Manager uses a structured naming convention for Kafka topics, designed to support flexibility through pre-defined components in the topic structure. These components, while not directly configurable, allow optional modifications when the desired version cannot be obtained through $package . $environment . $separator . $version.

Each topic adheres to a consistent naming schema for streamlined communication across environments and versions.

​

Topic naming components

Component	Description	Default Value
package	Package identifier for namespace	ai.flowx.
environment	Environment identifier	dev.
version	Version identifier for topic compatibility	.v1
separator	Primary separator for components	.
separator2	Secondary separator for additional distinction	-
prefix	Combines package and environment as a topic prefix	${kafka.topic.naming.package}${kafka.topic.naming.environment}
suffix	Appends version to the end of the topic name	${kafka.topic.naming.version}

​

Application resource topics

• Resource Export

  • Pattern: ${kafka.topic.naming.prefix}application${separator2}version${separator}export${kafka.topic.naming.suffix}
  • Purpose: For exporting application resources.
  • Example: ai.flowx.application-version.export.v1

• Resource Import

  • Pattern: ${kafka.topic.naming.prefix}application${separator2}version${separator}import${kafka.topic.naming.suffix}
  • Purpose: For importing application resources.
  • Example: ai.flowx.application-version.import.v1

​

Build resource topics

• Build Export

  • Pattern: ${kafka.topic.naming.prefix}build${separator}export${kafka.topic.naming.suffix}
  • Purpose: For exporting build resources.
  • Example: ai.flowx.build.export.v1

• Build Import

  • Pattern: ${kafka.topic.naming.prefix}build${separator}import${kafka.topic.naming.suffix}
  • Purpose: For importing build resources.
  • Example: ai.flowx.build.import.v1

​

Process topics

• Start for Event

  • Pattern: ${kafka.topic.naming.prefix}core${separator}trigger${separator}start${separator2}for${separator2}event${separator}process${kafka.topic.naming.suffix}
  • Purpose: For triggering process start events.
  • Example: ai.flowx.core.trigger.start-for-event.process.v1

• Scheduled Timer Events

  • Set Timer Schedule
    • Pattern: ${kafka.topic.naming.prefix}core${separator}trigger${separator}set${separator}timer${separator2}event${separator2}schedule${kafka.topic.naming.suffix}
    • Purpose: For setting scheduled timer events.
    • Example: ai.flowx.core.trigger.set.timer-event-schedule.v1
  • Stop Timer Schedule
    • Pattern: ${kafka.topic.naming.prefix}core${separator}trigger${separator}stop${separator}timer${separator2}event${separator2}schedule${kafka.topic.naming.suffix}
    • Purpose: For stopping scheduled timer events.
    • Example: ai.flowx.core.trigger.stop.timer-event-schedule.v1

​

Audit topics

• Audit Output
  • Pattern: ${kafka.topic.naming.prefix}core${separator}trigger${separator}save${separator}audit${kafka.topic.naming.suffix}
  • Purpose: For sending audit-related events.
  • Example: ai.flowx.core.trigger.save.audit.v1

​

Configuring resource proxy

The Resource Proxy module forwards resource-related requests to appropriate services, handling CRUD operations on the manifest. It requires proper configuration of proxy endpoints:

• RESOURCE_PROXY_MANIFEST_URL - URL for managing the application manifest
• RESOURCE_PROXY_TARGET_URL - URL for forwarding resource-related requests to their respective services

​

Configuring logging

To control the logging levels for the Application Manager, use the following environment variables:

• LOGGING_LEVEL_ROOT - Log level for the root service logs
• LOGGING_LEVEL_APP - Log level for application-level logs
• LOGGING_LEVEL_DB - Log level for database interactions

​

Configuring file storage (optional)

If the Application Manager requires file storage for resources or builds, configure S3-compatible storage using the following environment variables:

• APPLICATION_FILE_STORAGE_S3_URL - URL of the S3-compatible storage server
• APPLICATION_FILE_STORAGE_S3_BUCKET_NAME - S3 bucket name for storing application files
• APPLICATION_FILE_STORAGE_S3_ACCESS_KEY - Access key for S3 storage
• APPLICATION_FILE_STORAGE_S3_SECRET_KEY - Secret key for S3 storage

​

Configuring application management

Configure the management of applications, builds, and related resources using these variables:

• APP_MANAGER_MAX_FILE_SIZE - Maximum file size allowed for uploads
• APP_MANAGER_MAX_REQUEST_SIZE - Maximum request size for uploads
• APP_MANAGER_BUILD_POLICY - Build policy configuration for the Application Manager

​

Data model overview

The Application Manager stores application data using a relational database schema, with key entities such as application, application_version, and application_manifest. Below are descriptions of primary entities:

• Application - Defines an application with its details like name, type, and metadata.
• Application Branch - Represents branches for versioning within an application.
• Application Version - Keeps track of each version of an application, including committed and WIP statuses.
• Application Manifest - Contains the list of resources associated with a specific application version.

​

Monitoring and maintenance

To monitor the performance and health of the Application Manager, use tools like Prometheus or Grafana. Configure Prometheus metrics with the following environment variable:

• MANAGEMENT_PROMETHEUS_METRICS_EXPORT_ENABLED - Enables or disables Prometheus metrics export (default: false).