vCache - High Performance, High Efficiency, Streaming-Video Proxy-Cache

vCache is a containerized, custom integration, composed of several open-source components, that implements a streaming-video proxy-cache. It is a network-infrastructure traffic-management application allowing large enterprises, institutions, or any network environment with large numbers of viewers to consume streaming-video (HLS, DASH, MSS, MP4, etc.) without saturating upstream networks. In the absence of some enterprise CDN (eCDN) solution like vCache, WAN and ISP connections can quickly become congested with video traffic resulting in poor user experience, missed messaging, and potential interference with other mission critical network applications.

The central component of vCache is the world-class CDN caching engine, Varnish, used in combination with custom built nginx for frontend and backend processing. vCache uses node-red for control-plane operation and user-interface. Configuration, operational state, and metrics are stored in a Redis DB.

vCache can integrate with most standard streaming video environments in a number of ways. vCache has also been shown to work with a wide variety of vendors and streaming platforms (e.g., Vimeo, Brightcove, Kaltura, etc.). vCache supports a forward-proxy mode and reverse-proxy mode. Basic load-balancing and configuration based routing is supported via manifest re-write where possible. vCache has aslo been integrated with NPAW CDN Balancer achieving resilient fault tolerant load distribution.

vCache is designed for high performace, and high compute-efficiency, and can run on minimal hardware with low power consumption while maintaining high data throughput and requests per second. vCache ports fairly easily to container based environments. It has been successfully deployed on Lexmark's edge-compute platform, Optra, Synology NAS, and other platforms that support "portainer".

vCache may run standalone or operate within a fleet of managed caches via vCache-Manager (see vcache-manager repository). In the managed mode, vCache uses the salt-stack for secure remote management. A bulk deployment tool, vcache-deploy, is provided which supports SSH-based mass-deployment.

Author: G. S. Marzot ([email protected])

For additional information or demo please contact Vivoh ([email protected])