Building and testing network stacks with Rama

Building and testing network stacks with Rama

EPISODE 38: BUILDING AND TESTING NETWORK STACKS WITH RAMA. In this Protocol Shorts episode of Netstack.fm [http://Netstack.fm], Glen talks with Brecht Stamper about Rama, the modular Rust framework for building clients, servers, proxies, and other network systems. Brecht shares how he came to understand Rama’s core idea that everything is a service, and why that simple input to output contract makes it easier to compose complex stacks without constantly inventing new traits or glue code. They also discuss how Rama helps with testing, including gRPC client and server logic without spinning up real HTTP or TCP infrastructure. The conversation then moves into practical production lessons, such as gRPC latency caused by TCP_NODELAY, the role of OpenTelemetry and logging, and how Rama can provide better abstractions while still allowing low level control. Later in the episode, Glen and Brecht explore Rama’s evolving extension system, including the move toward append only extensions, clearer separation between request and connection state, and support for complex scenarios such as HTTP/2 streams and protocol upgrades. They close with thoughts on where Rama is heading next, including HTTP/3, QUIC, better developer tooling, performance work, and making more hard won network fixes available to everyone through the framework. Learn more * https://ramaproxy.org/ [https://ramaproxy.org/] — Rama homepage: modular Rust framework for proxies, clients, servers, inspection, tunneling, and network diagnostics. * https://ramaproxy.org/book/ [https://ramaproxy.org/book/] — Rama book: broader introduction to Rama and its approach to fine grained programmable control over network stacks. * https://ramaproxy.org/docs/rama/index.html [https://ramaproxy.org/docs/rama/index.html] — Rama API documentation: generated Rust docs for the main Rama crate. * https://github.com/plabayo/rama [https://github.com/plabayo/rama] — Rama source code on GitHub. CHAPTERS * 00:00 Intro * 00:48 Introduction to Rama and Brecht's Role * 02:46 Understanding Services in Rama * 08:22 Testing and Mocking in Rama * 10:23 gRPC and TCP Configuration Issues * 15:35 Evolution of Extensions in Rama * 24:58 Building with Rama and Rama's Horizon * 31:52 Outro NETSTACK.FM [http://Netstack.FM] * More information: https://netstack.fm/#episode-38 [https://netstack.fm/#episode-38] * Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/29EetaSYCD [https://discord.gg/29EetaSYCD] * Reach out to us: hello@netstack.fm [hello@netstack.fm] Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj [https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj]

dial9: from black box to insight in Tokio

episode 37: dial9: from black box to insight in Tokio. In this episode of Netstack.fm [http://Netstack.fm], Glen talks with Jess Izen and Russell Cohen from Amazon about Dial9, a new tool for understanding what’s happening inside Rust and Tokio applications. They explain how it captures events from different layers of your system and puts them into a single timeline, making it much easier to debug tricky performance issues and unexpected behavior. They also share how Dial9 came out of real debugging challenges at Amazon, where engineers often had to rely on complex, low level tools. The goal with Dial9 is to make those kinds of insights more accessible, so developers can diagnose problems faster and with less guesswork, while the tool continues to evolve with new features and improvements. Learn more: * https://tokio.rs/blog/2026-03-18-dial9 [https://tokio.rs/blog/2026-03-18-dial9] — Introducing dial9: a flight recorder for Tokio * https://github.com/dial9-rs/dial9-tokio-telemetry [https://github.com/dial9-rs/dial9-tokio-telemetry] — source code (Tokio Telemetry you can run in production) * https://github.com/dial9-rs/dial9-tokio-telemetry/blob/main/dial9-trace-format/SPEC.md [https://github.com/dial9-rs/dial9-tokio-telemetry/blob/main/dial9-trace-format/SPEC.md] — trace format spec * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr0RYMu57kU [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr0RYMu57kU] — demo walkthrough (slightly outdated) * https://github.com/dial9-rs/dial9-tokio-telemetry/blob/main/dial9-tokio-telemetry/examples/production_use.rs [https://github.com/dial9-rs/dial9-tokio-telemetry/blob/main/dial9-tokio-telemetry/examples/production_use.rs] — example Rama If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org [https://ramaproxy.org] Chapters * 00:00 Intro * 02:01 Meet Russell and Jess * 05:27 The Mission of the Rust Team at Amazon * 11:47 Integration with OpenTelemetry and Tracing * 13:49 The Evolution of Dial 9 * 17:17 Comparing Dial 9 with Existing Tools * 20:07 Continue exploring history and development and UX of Dial9 * 33:47 Building Self-Serve Solutions * 36:22 perf sched * 38:30 Task Dumps * 41:17 Dial 9: almost a free lunch * 43:00 Cross-Platform Considerations for Dial 9 * 46:20 Future Features and Improvements for Dial 9 * 50:20 Dial 9 usage today * 54:31 Considerations before using Dial 9 * 01:03:05 Getting Started with Dial 9 * 01:05:30 Outro Netstack.FM [http://Netstack.FM] More information: https://netstack.fm/#episode-37 Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/29EetaSYCD Reach out to us: hello@netstack.fm Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj

Protocol Shorts: WireGuard

Episode 36 – Protocol Shorts: WireGuard In this Protocol Shorts episode of netstack.fm [http://netstack.fm], we explore WireGuard, a modern and lightweight VPN protocol. Glen explains what makes it different from traditional VPNs and why its simplicity and security model are gaining attention among developers. The episode also highlights real world use cases and why VPNs like WireGuard remain essential for securely accessing private resources. Learn more: * https://www.wireguard.com/ [https://www.wireguard.com/] — official website of WireGuard * https://www.wireguard.com/papers/wireguard.pdf [https://www.wireguard.com/papers/wireguard.pdf] — WireGuard whitepaper * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OipNNLHLphw [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OipNNLHLphw] — Black Hat USA 2018 - WireGuard Next Generation Secure Network Tunnel Rama If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org Chapters * 00:00 Intro * 00:18 Introduction to WireGuard * 01:41 WireGuard Properties * 03:24 Why WireGuard? * 07:43 Current Use Cases and Adoption of WireGuard * 11:42 Get started with WireGuard * 14:37 Final Words * 15:17 Outro Netstack.FM [http://Netstack.FM] * More information: https://netstack.fm/#episode-36 * Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/29EetaSYCD * Reach out to us: hello@netstack.fm [hello@netstack.fm] Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.

OpenTelemetry, eBPF and Metoro (Ep 3 Remastered)

EPISODE 35 – OPENTELEMETRY, EBPF AND METORO (EP 3 REMASTERED). In this remastered episode, Chris Batterbee, co-founder of Metoro, discusses the importance of observability in modern software systems, particularly in Kubernetes environments. He explains how Metoro leverages eBPF technology to simplify observability by automatically instrumenting applications. The discussion also covers the integration of OpenTelemetry, the challenges faced by developers in implementing observability, and the potential of AI in diagnosing issues. Chris shares insights from his experience with Y Combinator and the competitive landscape of observability tools, emphasizing the unique position of Metoro in the market. Learn more about OpenTelemetry, eBPF and Metoro: * https://opentelemetry.io/ [https://opentelemetry.io/] * https://ebpf.io/ [https://ebpf.io/] * https://metoro.io/ [https://metoro.io/] * metoro demo: https://demo.us-east.metoro.io/guardian?startEnd=&service= [https://demo.us-east.metoro.io/guardian?startEnd=&service=] * OpenTelemetry metric examplar: https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/otel/metrics/data-model/#exemplars [https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/otel/metrics/data-model/#exemplars] Rama If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org [https://ramaproxy.org] Chapters * 00:00 Intro * 00:34 Into to Chris Battarbee * 02:36 Understanding eBPF and Its Role in Observability * 10:13 Integrating OpenTelemetry with eBPF * 15:05 Challenges and Experiences with OpenTelemetry * 22:28 Future of eBPF and OpenTelemetry in Different Environments * 27:53 YCombinator Experience * 29:31 Insights from Y Combinator Experience * 32:31 Networking and Community in Y Combinator * 34:43 Raising Funds Post-Y Combinator * 35:39 Post-Y Combinator Relationship with YC * 36:27 OpenTelemetry Pain Points * 38:31 The Future of OpenTelemetry and Standards * 39:47 Competition with Major Cloud Providers * 41:40 Understanding eBPF and Its Challenges * 43:24 Prometheus vs. OpenTelemetry * 44:40 AI Integration in Telemetry * 45:36 Metoro * 49:03 Profiling * 51:43 Metoro Payment Models * 53:57 Customer Engagement and Support * 55:09 Outro Netstack.FM [http://Netstack.FM] * More information: https://netstack.fm/#episode-35 [https://netstack.fm/#episode-35] * Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/29EetaSYCD [https://discord.gg/29EetaSYCD] * Reach out to us: hello@netstack.fm [hello@netstack.fm] Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj [https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj].

Tokio with Carl Lerche (Ep 5 Remastered)

Episode 34 — Tokio with Carl Lerche (Ep 5 Remastered). In this remastered episode, Glen speaks with Carl Lerche, the creator and maintainer of the Tokio Runtime, about his journey into technology, the evolution of programming languages, and the impact of Rust on the software development landscape. They discuss the rise of async programming, the development of networking libraries, and the future of Rust in infrastructure. Carl shares insights on the creation of the Bytes crate, the implications of io_uring, and his role at Amazon. The conversation also touches on the upcoming Tokio conference and the introduction of Toasty, a new query engine for Rust. Learn more: * https://tokio.rs/ [https://tokio.rs/] * https://www.tokioconf.com/ [https://www.tokioconf.com/] * https://github.com/carllerche [https://github.com/carllerche] Rama If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org [https://ramaproxy.org] Chapters * 00:00 Intro * 01:26 Introduction to Carl and His Journey in Tech * 16:30 How Carl got into Rust * 21:18 How Mio/Tokio begun * 47:15 The Evolution of IO-URing and Its Practicality * 53:11 Amazon's Adoption of Rust and Tokyo * 55:06 Transitioning Leadership in the Tokyo Project * 57:15 Toasty * 01:08:55 AI in Software Development: A Tool for Productivity * 01:25:53 First Tokio Conference * 01:34:28 Outro Netstack.FM [http://Netstack.FM] * More information: https://netstack.fm/#episode-34 [https://netstack.fm/#episode-34] * Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/29EetaSYCD [https://discord.gg/29EetaSYCD] * Reach out to us: hello@netstack.fm [hello@netstack.fm] Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj [https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj].