Files
headquarter/openspec/changes/instance-proxy/proposal.md
Fusion 74b5d0dc8c feat(instance-proxy): add HTTP proxy for tool instances
Add API proxy endpoint so users can access running tool instances
through the backend API instead of internal Docker network.

Backend:
- Add container_name field to ToolInstance model
- Create /instances/{id}/proxy/{path:path} endpoint with ownership checks
- Proxy HTTP requests to containers via docker network using container names
- Support all HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, HEAD, OPTIONS)
- Store proxy URL in instance.url instead of localhost
- Add Alembic migration 0007 for container_name column
- Add get_container_name() utility to docker.py

Frontend:
- Update Open button to use full proxy URL (API_BASE_URL + instance.url)

Closes instance-proxy OpenSpec change.
2026-05-20 10:37:21 +02:00

1.3 KiB

Why

Tool instances (code-server, jupyter-notebook) run inside Docker containers with internal network addresses. Currently the "Open" button links to http://localhost:{port}, which only works from inside the API container and fails when opened from the user's browser. We need a way to expose these instances to users over HTTPS.

What Changes

  • Add a proxy endpoint to the backend API: /instances/{id}/proxy/{path:path}
  • Proxy requests from the API to the running container (via docker network or internal IP)
  • Update frontend "Open" button to use the proxy URL instead of localhost
  • Add WebSocket proxy support for real-time features (terminal already uses WebSocket)
  • Ensure only the instance owner can access the proxied content

Capabilities

New Capabilities

  • instance-proxy: HTTP proxying for running tool instances through the API

Modified Capabilities

  • None (this is purely an infrastructure/transport feature, not a change to existing capability requirements)

Impact

  • Backend: New proxy endpoint, container network discovery, request forwarding
  • Frontend: Update instance "Open" link to use proxy URL
  • Docker: Containers must be reachable from API container (already true via docker network)
  • Security: Owner-only access enforced at proxy level