WebSockets Information and Design

PatchMon WebSockets

This document describes how WebSockets are used in PatchMon: endpoints, authentication, WS vs WSS behaviour, and security.

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Overview

PatchMon uses a single HTTP server with noServer: true WebSocket handling. All WebSocket upgrades are handled in one place (server.on("upgrade")) and routed by path:

Path pattern	Purpose	Clients
/api/{v}/agents/ws	Agent ↔ server persistent connection	PatchMon agent (Go)
/api/{v}/ssh-terminal/:hostId	Browser SSH terminal to a host	Frontend (browser)
/bullboard*	Bull Board queue UI real-time updates	Bull Board (browser)

Implementation lives in:

• Backend: backend/src/services/agentWs.js (agent + Bull Board), backend/src/services/sshTerminalWs.js (SSH terminal).

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WebSocket Endpoints

Agent WebSocket

• Path: /api/{version}/agents/ws (e.g. /api/v1/agents/ws)
• Auth: HTTP headers on the upgrade request: X-API-ID, X-API-KEY (validated against hosts and API key utils).
• Purpose: Persistent connection from each agent to the server for:
  • Heartbeat / presence
  • Commands from server (e.g. trigger update, compliance scan)
  • Events from agent (e.g. Docker status)

SSH Terminal WebSocket

• Path: /api/{version}/ssh-terminal/:hostId (e.g. /api/v1/ssh-terminal/abc-123)
• Auth: One-time ticket (query ticket=...) or legacy JWT (token=... or Authorization: Bearer ...). User must have can_manage_hosts (or admin).
• Purpose: Browser opens a WebSocket to the backend; backend either connects directly to the host via SSH or proxies through the agent WebSocket to the host.

Bull Board WebSocket

• Path: /bullboard (prefix match)
• Auth: Session cookie bull-board-session or Authorization header.
• Purpose: Real-time updates for the Bull Board queue UI (echo-style).

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WS vs WSS (Secure vs Insecure)

How each part of the system decides between ws (insecure) and wss (secure):

Server (backend)

The server does not choose the protocol; it detects whether the incoming connection is secure and records it for logging and metadata:

• socket.encrypted — true when the TCP socket is TLS (direct wss to Node).
• request.headers["x-forwarded-proto"] === "https" — true when TLS is terminated at a reverse proxy (e.g. Nginx) that sends the original protocol.

So: if the client connects over TLS, or the proxy sets X-Forwarded-Proto: https, the server treats the connection as secure (wss). Otherwise it is treated as ws.

Code: backend/src/services/agentWs.js (e.g. isSecure, connectionMetadata, log line with protocol=wss|ws).

Agent (Go)

The agent converts the configured server URL to a WebSocket URL and uses that to connect:

Configured URL	WebSocket URL
https://...	wss://...
http://...	ws://...
Already wss:// or ws://	Used as-is
No protocol	Assumed HTTPS → wss://...

The path is then appended: .../api/{version}/agents/ws.

Code: agent-source-code/cmd/patchmon-agent/commands/serve.go (connectOnce, URL conversion and wsURL).

Frontend (browser)

The frontend (e.g. SSH terminal) builds the WebSocket URL so it matches the page:

• Page loaded over HTTPS → wss:
• Page loaded over HTTP → ws:

So the same app works on http and https without extra configuration.

Code: frontend/src/components/SshTerminal.jsx (e.g. protocol = window.location.protocol === "https:" ? "wss:" : "ws:").

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Authentication

• Agent WS: Credentials only on the upgrade request via X-API-ID and X-API-KEY. No auth in query or body. Keys are validated (including bcrypt/legacy) before the WebSocket is accepted.
• SSH terminal: Prefer one-time ticket in query (ticket=...); ticket is consumed once. Legacy: token=... or Authorization: Bearer .... User must be authorized for the host (e.g. can_manage_hosts).
• Bull Board: Session cookie or Authorization header; required before accepting the upgrade.

All three paths reject the upgrade (e.g. 401) if auth fails; the WebSocket is never established.

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Message Types and Flows

• Agent → Backend: e.g. docker_status, pings. JSON over the agent WebSocket.
• Backend → Agent: e.g. update_agent, compliance_scan, SSH proxy payloads. Sent over the same WebSocket by api_id.
• SSH terminal: Browser sends connect with SSH options; backend (or agent) establishes SSH and forwards terminal I/O over the WebSocket. Resize and other control messages are defined in sshTerminalWs.js and the frontend.

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Security Notes

• TLS in production: Use HTTPS and WSS. The agent assumes WSS when the server URL is https:// or has no scheme.
• Proxy: When behind Nginx (or similar), ensure X-Forwarded-Proto: https is set for HTTPS so the backend correctly detects secure connections.
• Agent TLS verification: skip_ssl_verify is blocked when PATCHMON_ENV=production; avoid disabling TLS verification in production.
• SSH terminal: Prefer one-time tickets; avoid putting long-lived tokens in URLs (logs, history). Permissions are enforced per user/role (can_manage_hosts).
• Brute force / abuse: Upgrade is rejected with 401/404 before the WebSocket is created; no WebSocket resource is exposed without valid auth.