backplane

README

BACKPLANE

Runtime Administration for High-Value Systems

Backplane is an invisible, crash-proof infrastructure layer that sits behind your application. It provides a secure, SSH-based administrative interface accessible only via the local loopback adapter.

It is designed for engineers who require absolute runtime control without the overhead, security vulnerabilities, or resource consumption of HTTP-based admin panels.

Prerequisites

Backplane strictly enforces standard SSH public key authentication.

• You must have a valid SSH key pair.
• Your public key (id_ed25519.pub or similar) must be present in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the host machine.
• If this file is missing, Backplane will deny all connections.

Architecture

Backplane operates on a strictly "Air Gapped" model. It binds a dedicated SSH server to 127.0.0.1, ensuring that administrative access is physically impossible from the public internet without prior host-level authorization.

• Zero-Allocation Logging: Uses a fixed-size ring buffer. It will never cause an OOM.
• Crash-Proof Isolation: The TUI runs in a distinct goroutine sandbox. A panic in the admin panel will never propagate to your main application loop.
• Standard SSH Auth: Leveraging ~/.ssh/authorized_keys, it respects your existing infrastructure security policies.

Integration

Backplane is not a framework. It is a library you import.

package main

import (
    "github.com/drskyle/backplane/pkg"
    "github.com/drskyle/backplane/internal/bridge"
)

func main() {
    // 1. Initialize Default Options
    opts := pkg.DefaultOptions()

    // 2. Launch the Backplane (Non-blocking)
    stop, err := pkg.StartServer(opts)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer stop()

    // 3. Your Application Logic Here
    select {}
}

The Reflector Bridge

Modern applications require runtime reconfiguration. Backplane exposes the internal/bridge package to safely bind internal variables to the TUI.

var maxConnections int = 1000
var maintenanceMode bool = false

// Expose variables to the secure admin panel
bridge.Expose("Max Connections", &maxConnections)
bridge.Expose("Maintenance Mode", &maintenanceMode)

Authorized operators can modify these values in real-time by connecting to the Backplane instance and navigating to the Editor tab.

Compliance & Audit

Every modification made via Backplane is cryptographically attributed to the SSH key of the operator. Audit logs are emitted to the host application's stdout in the following format:

[AUDIT] [2026-01-23T07:15:00Z] User 'alice' changed 'DB_Timeout' | OLD: 30s -> NEW: 10s

This ensures full traceability for SOC2 / ISO27001 compliance.

Access

Once integrated, your application will listen on port 2222 (default). Access it using any standard SSH client:

ssh -p 2222 localhost

Licensing

Backplane is free software licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL v3).

If your application is proprietary, or if you cannot comply with the viral open-source requirements of the AGPL v3, you must purchase a Commercial License.

Commercial Licenses start at $2,000 / year / project.

For commercial licensing and proper indemnification, contact: drskyle8000@gmail.com