HTML5 WebSocket-based gateway for accessing RDP connections through a web browser. This service sits in front of RdpBroker and provides a modern web interface for remote desktop access.

Features

🌐 Browser-Based Access - Connect to RDP sessions from any modern web browser
🔒 Secure WebSocket - Real-time bidirectional communication
🎨 Modern UI - Clean, responsive interface
🔑 Session Management - Automatic session cleanup and timeout
📊 Activity Monitoring - Track active connections
⚡ Low Latency - Optimized for performance

Architecture

User Browser (HTML5/WebSocket)
          ↓
    RDP Web Gateway (Node.js)
          ↓
      RdpBroker (RDP)
          ↓
    Target RDP Servers

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
RdpBroker service running
Modern web browser with WebSocket support

Installation

Local Development

cd web-gateway

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment file
cp .env.example .env

# Edit configuration
nano .env

# Start development server
npm run dev

Docker Build

docker build -t rdp-web-gateway:latest .

Configuration

Edit .env file:

PORT=8080
RDP_BROKER_HOST=rdpbroker
RDP_BROKER_PORT=3389
LOG_LEVEL=info
SESSION_TIMEOUT=3600000

Usage

Access the Web Interface

Open your browser to http://localhost:8080
Enter your credentials (validated against Samba AD via RdpBroker)
Select a target from the list
Connect and use the remote desktop

API Endpoints

POST /api/auth/login

Authenticate user and create session.

{
  "username": "user@domain.com",
  "password": "password"
}

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "sessionId": "uuid"
}

GET /api/targets

Get available RDP targets (requires X-Session-ID header).

Response:

{
  "targets": [
    {
      "name": "Server 01",
      "host": "192.168.1.10",
      "port": 3389,
      "description": "Production Server"
    }
  ]
}

POST /api/auth/logout

Logout and destroy session (requires X-Session-ID header).

WebSocket Protocol

Connect to ws://localhost:8080/ws/rdp

Client → Server Messages

Connect to target:

{
  "type": "connect",
  "sessionId": "uuid",
  "target": {
    "name": "Server 01",
    "host": "192.168.1.10",
    "port": 3389
  }
}

Mouse event:

{
  "type": "mouse",
  "action": "move|down|up|wheel",
  "x": 100,
  "y": 200,
  "button": 0,
  "deltaY": 0
}

Keyboard event:

{
  "type": "keyboard",
  "action": "down|up",
  "key": "a",
  "code": "KeyA",
  "ctrlKey": false,
  "altKey": false,
  "shiftKey": false
}

Special command:

{
  "type": "special",
  "action": "ctrl-alt-del"
}

Server → Client Messages

Connected:

{
  "type": "connected",
  "target": "Server 01"
}

Resize canvas:

{
  "type": "resize",
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080
}

Error:

{
  "type": "error",
  "error": "Error message"
}

Deployment

See the Helm chart in chart/rdp-web-gateway/ for Kubernetes deployment.

helm install rdp-web-gateway ./chart/rdp-web-gateway -n rdpbroker

Browser Support

Chrome/Edge 90+
Firefox 88+
Safari 14+
Opera 76+

Security Considerations

Use HTTPS/WSS in production
Implement rate limiting
Set strong session secrets
Enable CORS restrictions
Regular security audits

Performance Tuning

Adjust session timeout based on usage
Configure WebSocket buffer sizes
Enable compression for HTTP responses
Use CDN for static assets in production

Troubleshooting

Can't connect to RdpBroker

Check environment variables:

echo $RDP_BROKER_HOST
echo $RDP_BROKER_PORT

Test connectivity:

nc -zv rdpbroker 3389

WebSocket connection fails

Ensure WebSocket upgrade is allowed through any proxies/load balancers.

For nginx:

location /ws/ {
    proxy_pass http://backend;
    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
}

High memory usage

Reduce session timeout or implement session limits per user.

Development

Running Tests

npm test

Code Style

npm run lint

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file

Support

For issues and questions, check the logs:

# View logs
kubectl logs -f deployment/rdp-web-gateway -n rdpbroker

# Check health
curl http://localhost:8080/health