Guacamole API Wrapper Service
Enterprise REST API for Secure Remote Access Management
Developed a production-ready REST API wrapper service for Apache Guacamole that provides secure, programmatic access to remote desktop sessions (RDP, SSH, VNC) with enterprise-grade authentication, rate limiting, audit logging, and multi-session management capabilities.
Client
Luxottica (via The Conrad Group)
Completion
2 months
Category
Security & Compliance
Situation
Following the successful implementation of Apache Guacamole as a secure jump server solution, there was a need to enable programmatic access to remote sessions for automation, integration with other systems, and support for another business unit. The native Guacamole API required complex authentication flows and lacked enterprise features like rate limiting, comprehensive audit logging, and session management capabilities needed for production use.
Task
Design and develop a secure REST API wrapper service that abstracts the complexity of Apache Guacamole's native API, provides enterprise-grade features including authentication, rate limiting, audit logging, and session management, while supporting multiple protocols (RDP, SSH, VNC) and enabling both single and multi-machine session creation.
Action
→Architected a Node.js-based REST API service with comprehensive endpoint coverage for session creation, management, monitoring, and audit logging
→Implemented Bearer token authentication with master API key support, enabling secure access control and integration with existing enterprise authentication systems
→Developed rate limiting functionality with configurable limits (default 1000 requests/hour per API key + IP combination) to prevent abuse and ensure service stability
→Built comprehensive audit logging system tracking all session activities including creation, termination, and status changes with detailed metadata for compliance and troubleshooting
→Created single and multi-session endpoints supporting RDP, SSH, and VNC protocols with flexible authentication methods (password or SSH private key for SSH)
→Implemented session lifecycle management including automatic expiration, manual termination, and cleanup of expired sessions
→Developed health check endpoint with service metrics including active sessions, uptime, and rate limit configuration for monitoring and observability
→Designed Docker containerization with support for SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases, enabling flexible deployment options from single-instance to high-availability setups
→Implemented reverse proxy support with configurable base paths, enabling deployment at subpaths for integration with existing infrastructure
→Created comprehensive API documentation with example implementations in cURL, JavaScript/Node.js, and Python for developer adoption
→Built session status tracking and active session monitoring capabilities for operational visibility
→Implemented secure credential handling with encryption for sensitive data in transit and storage
→Integrated with Open Web UI (Lux GPT) via MCP (Multi-protocol Communication Protocol), enabling seamless workflow from infrastructure analysis to secure remote access
→Extended functionality to support programmatic session creation from AI-powered chat interfaces, allowing users to analyze Azure resources and immediately launch secure Guacamole connections to targeted machines
Results
✓Enabled programmatic access to remote desktop sessions, unlocking automation capabilities and integration with other enterprise systems
✓Provided enterprise-grade security features including rate limiting and comprehensive audit logging, meeting compliance requirements for privileged access management
✓Supported multi-session creation allowing users to access multiple machines through a single session, improving operational efficiency
✓Delivered production-ready Docker deployment with flexible database options, enabling scalable deployment from development to enterprise environments
✓Established foundation for another business unit to leverage the Guacamole infrastructure through standardized API access
✓Reduced integration complexity by abstracting Guacamole's native API, accelerating adoption and reducing development time for consuming applications
✓Enabled comprehensive monitoring and observability through health checks and audit logs, supporting operational excellence
✓Demonstrated extensibility through reverse proxy support and configurable base paths, enabling seamless integration with existing infrastructure
✓Enabled seamless integration with Lux GPT AI platform, creating end-to-end operational workflow: Analyze Infrastructure → Launch Secure Access Session
✓Provided foundation for AI-powered infrastructure management by allowing conversational interfaces to programmatically create secure remote access sessions