Controlled Outbound HTTP Relays vs Traditional Forward Proxies

Threat Model

Traditional proxies treat outbound HTTP as routine transport, lacking identity context, application token isolation, and fine-grained per-request policy evaluation.

Architectural Solution

Modern relays act as policy-enforcing gateways that log, sign, and monitor all outbound communication with millisecond overhead.

Hardened Implementation

// Dispatching requests via Backfire Relay
const client = new BackfireRelay({ host: 'relay.nullminds.me' });
const res = await client.request({
  method: 'GET',
  url: 'https://api.partner.com/v1/feed',
  allowedDomains: ['*.partner.com'],
});

Architecture Comparison

Security FAQ

Does an outbound relay add noticeable network latency?

No. When co-located in the same VPC or edge node, Backfire adds less than 1.2ms of overhead while providing complete visibility and protection.