Asyx Tunnel Security & Architecture Whitepaper
Executive Summary
Asyx delivers a serverless tunneling architecture built for distributed, cloud-native environments. Each tunnel receives its own cryptographic boundary with short-lived JWT credentials and in-band refresh, producing zero-downtime, zero-trust connectivity. Compared with Cloudflare Tunnel and ngrok, Asyx offers stronger revocation, tighter blast-radius limits, and a transparent operational footprint.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Asyx | Cloudflare Tunnel | ngrok |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary auth model | Ephemeral RS256 JWT | Connector certificate (mTLS) | Agent authtoken (Bearer) |
| Credential scope | Per tunnel / lease | Per connector | Per agent |
| Rotation | In-band reauth (no reconnect) | Manual certificate renewal | Manual replacement |
| Downtime on refresh | None | Connector restart | Tunnel restart |
| Validation | Stateless JWT + JWKS | mTLS chain | Server-side lookup |
| Revocation | TTL expiry or key rotation | Manual | Manual |
| Blast radius | Single tunnel | Connector / account | Agent / account |
| Client transparency | Open source | Open source | Proprietary |
Security Posture Comparison
Every active Asyx tunnel is shielded by its own cryptographic boundary. Sessions operate with short-lived JWTs scoped to a specific endpoint and host identity, verified through client certificates and stateless JWKS validation. Control and data channels remain segregated under policy governance. By contrast, Cloudflare relies on long-lived connector certificates and ngrok continues to depend on static bearer tokens, expanding the blast radius if a secret leaks.
Asyx Security Controls
- Independent X.509 certificates for messaging and control layers; each client and relay authenticates with unique credentials.
- Cryptographic presence monitoring ensures only live relays can receive assignments, preventing stale routing paths.
- Event-driven orchestration provides verifiable routing for DNS assignment, relay control, and session lifecycle.
- Browser-based pairing over HTTPS binds user identity and device fingerprint to tenant ownership.
- Immutable deployment templates embed SHA-256 validation hashes for integrity and tamper protection.
- In-band JWT reauthentication refreshes credentials without forcing reconnects, so tunnels stay live during renewal.
- Session-level cryptographic audit trails capture token issuance (JTI), timestamps, and validation context to aid forensic reviews.
- Dynamic access-control layers can reassign or close tunnels in real time based on usage signals or anomaly detection.
- Structured telemetry for authentication, policy, and reauth events builds a complete trust graph.
- Open-source CLI enables independent audit and community scrutiny of client behavior.
Conclusion
Asyx represents the next generation of secure connectivity—cryptographic rigor blended with operational transparency. Per-tunnel JWT issuance, aggressive credential lifetimes, and in-band reauth deliver continuous validation and resilience. The platform scales horizontally, enforces least privilege, and closes the gaps left by legacy tunnels that rely on static shared secrets. For organizations adopting verifiable, zero-trust networking, Asyx establishes a new benchmark.