Portal vs Self Hosted

Portal vs Self Hosted #

The CoSync Auth system comprises two components: the Portal and the Server. Initially, when starting with CoSync, both these components are typically bundled together as a single service. This bundled service is available in our Free and Developer tiers under the name SANDBOX. However, as your needs expand and your usage grows, there will come a point where it becomes advantageous to host the server independently, freeing you from the limitations of the SANDBOX.

With CoSync, you have the seamless capability to transition your CoSync Apps from the CoSync Server SANDBOX solution to a self-hosted one, ensuring greater flexibility and control over your setup.

CoSync Portal #

The administration web portal serves as a platform to collect Realm credentials and JWT configuration metadata, which are subsequently utilized to initialize the customer Realm Application. Additionally, the portal generates necessary keys for the application (e.g., iOS) to interact with the JWT APIs.

Inside the Portal, you can create CoSync Apps that seamlessly integrate with your Realm Apps. Moreover, you have complete access to configure authentication flow settings, email templates, and your entire users’ database.

It’s important to note that configuring the Realm application is a one-time process, and the Realm credentials are not retained or stored by the CoSync Web Portal Servers.

CoSync Auth Server #

The CoSync Auth Server offers authentication, user management, and onboarding flows designed for Realm-based applications. Realm clients gain access to the server APIs through an application provided in the CoSync Portal.

The system configuration can be divided into the following components:

  • Configuring MongoDB to run JWT enabled applications,
  • Configuring the JWT server. This includes server provisioning and application installation,
  • Registering the JWT server host in the CoSync Web Portal,
  • Configuring a Realm application that will use the CoSync Auth API’s,
  • Client Configuration.

As you transition from a CoSync SANDBOX JWT server to your own self-hosted server, you’ll retain access to your apps by navigating to the Hosts option in the top navigation menu and selecting your self-hosted host server. This gives you the flexibility to migrate any apps from CoSync hosted to self-hosted as your application expands and requires more control over the hosting environment.