Geoff Cant Whitelabel Erlang covers the trials, tribulations and technologies used in building a whitelabel ejabberd hosting service. The talk explains the rationale behind the choices of web server, templating system, email module, page optimizers and other web framework components. The talk also covers the documented and undocumented DNS query and caching modules in OTP and introduces 'dns' - a convenient new API for using them. Finally, the talk describes some tips and tricks useful for whitelabel hosting solutions that require customer DNS updates.

1. WhiteLabel Erlang
Adventures in the undocumented wilds of inet_dns

2. Who is this guy?
Geoff Cant
<nem@erlang.geek.nz>
Current (xmpp|mailto):
gcant@process-one.net
Previously
geoff@catalyst.net.nz
archaelus on http://
github, irc:freenode/
#erlang

5. What have I been up to?
ejabberd
debugging
virtual hosting
debugging large clusters
porting patches
debugging patches

6. What have I been up to?
Whitelabel ejabberd hosting

7. A rant in four parts
Web Frameworks (why Mochiweb)
Other libraries (ejango, esmtp,
erlydtl)
DNS (OTP Undocumented)
Tricks and Lessons

8. Web Frameworks
Erlyweb
YAWS
inets
The Erlang Web
Nitrogen

9. Mochiweb.
(No logo, ‘cause they’re too busy coding)

10. Other pieces
Templating
URL Routing
Form validation
Email

11. Templating
erlydtl
Templates
compile to
modules
Well known
template syntax
(Django-ish)
Template

12. URL Routing
Must work with RESTful URLs
Must be reversible - able to generate
URLs too
ejango.url_routes

14. Form Validation
Generate forms and validate form
posts
Couldn’t find anything available
already
Declarative DSL for form specification
ejango.form, ejango.form_validator

16. Sending Email
smtp_fsm
Erlware smtp
No attachments?
This should be much easier.
esmtp

17. Mail Sending API

18. Mime Attachment API

19. DNS
Need to verify ownership of domain
Need to add XMPP SRV records
inet:gethostbyname
...
To the githubs!

21. DNS Undocumented
inet_res:getbyname/2
inet_res:nnslookup/5
inet_db - caching
inet_dns - packet
encoding/decoding,
bugs
‘dns’ -- the way forward.

22. Here be Dragons.
Sometimes it’s
undocumented
for a reason
The TXT RR is
subtle.
I reimplemented
the same bug.

23. My DNS decoder
TXT RRs are
<<Len:8,
Data:Len/binary>>*
Binary pattern matching
rocks

24. Whitelabel Tricks
Check SOA to test if domain exists
Bypass DNS caching

25. YSlow Optimisations
Initially got a D on my YSlow report
Decided to gzip and minify content,
move js blocks around
ejango.static:compress_docroot/1,
ejango.static:serve_compressed/3

26. Minifying...

27. Lessons
Hierarchal modules are a world of
hurt.
Metaprogramming in Erlang is still
too hard.
Never trust ADSL routers.
...

28. Use Github.

29. A small plea for help
I have way too many github projects
Adopt my code?
Interested in collaborating?

30. Fin.