Core Concepts

Uplink is the product: CLI, desktop app, local agent, UI, login, and dashboards.

OpenTunnels is the protocol underneath it: a connector-to-edge QUIC transport with TLS 1.3, channel binding, registration, and per-request streams.

Connector means your local device running uplink or the desktop app. It dials out to an edge; the edge never dials into your machine.

Edge means uplink-edge, the public server that owns an edge domain, accepts visitor HTTPS, accepts connector tunnels, and holds ephemeral in-memory routes. Edges hold no shared database.

Namespace is assigned by login and becomes part of every managed app host, preventing cross-account name collisions.

App name is the service name in a URL. uplink serve 3000 defaults to app3000; --name api or a services.api key in uplink.yaml sets it explicitly.

Control plane is optional for the data path. It issues identity, manages accounts/edges, receives edge liveness, and backs cross-device dashboard views. It is not between a visitor and your app.