Traffic Distributor Integration

Integrate Traffic Distributor with a Running Application

Traffic Distributor can be added in front of an existing production application with minimal interruption. The integration creates a second backend, places both application copies behind the distributor, and then moves the public entry point to the new routing environment.
Blue-Green DeploymentApply application updates without exposing the deployment process to users.
A/B TestingCompare application versions, stability, performance, and user experience.
Failover ProtectionIncrease service availability by keeping a second backend ready.
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Add an Application Copy to Routing

In this example, the existing application is running on an Apache server inside an environment named primary-env.

Primary application environment
The original production application environment.

1Create a second application environment

Prepare another environment containing the same application. Environment cloning can be used to create an identical copy with the existing files, settings, and services.

Original and cloned application environments
The primary application and its cloned backend environment.
Review cloned settings: Update hardcoded domains, URLs, IP addresses, credentials, and other environment-specific values before routing production traffic to the clone.

2Install Traffic Distributor

Install the Traffic Distributor Marketplace package and select the original and cloned environments as its two backends. Configure the required routing method and traffic ratio.

Traffic Distributor installation configuration
Select both application environments as the Traffic Distributor backends.
When several regions are available, one backend can be migrated to different hardware to improve protection from region- or hardware-specific failures.

After installation, Traffic Distributor and both application backends are visible in the dashboard.

Traffic Distributor with two backend environments
Traffic Distributor is ready to route traffic between both backends.

Configure the Application Entry Point

The application domain or public IP must now point to Traffic Distributor instead of directly to the original application environment.

  • For a domain connected through CNAME or ANAME, swap the domain between the original environment and Traffic Distributor.
  • For a domain using an A record, transfer or replace the public IP so that the record points to Traffic Distributor.

Swap Domains

1Open the original environment settings

Hover over the environment that currently owns the custom domain and click Settings.

Open primary environment settings
Open the settings of the environment that currently owns the domain.

2Select Swap Domains

In Custom Domains, open Swap Domains, select the Traffic Distributor environment, click Swap, and confirm the operation.

Swap the application domain with Traffic Distributor
Move the custom domain from the primary environment to Traffic Distributor.

After the swap is complete, the domain reaches Traffic Distributor, which forwards requests to the two configured application backends.

Move a Public IP Entry Point

For a domain connected through an A record, the external address can be moved through the platform API or CLI, or the DNS record can be updated manually.

1Attach and copy the Traffic Distributor public IP

Confirm that the NGINX node in the Traffic Distributor environment has a public IP and copy the address from the dashboard.

Traffic Distributor public IP address
Copy the public IP assigned to the Traffic Distributor NGINX node.

2Update the domain A record

Open the domain provider’s DNS manager and replace the old application IP with the Traffic Distributor public IP.

DNS propagation depends on the record’s TTL. Until the previous value expires from caches, some users may still reach the original application address.
  • Recheck hardcoded IP-dependent application settings after the entry point changes.
  • After DNS propagation, detach the old public IP from the primary environment when it is no longer required for direct access.
  • Removing an unused paid public IP avoids unnecessary charges.

Complete the Integration

After the domain or public IP has been moved, all incoming traffic reaches Traffic Distributor first. Requests are then routed between the application backends according to the selected routing method and traffic ratio.

Production check: Test the public domain, both backends, HTTPS configuration, health checks, user sessions, and application data consistency before completing the migration.

What’s next?