Edge Lite — Private Target Delivery
Edge Lite is Zen Mesh's lightweight, single-node production tier for secure delivery to private destinations where multi-node high availability and automated failover are not required. For publicly reachable targets, no runtime is needed — just configure your endpoint and target in the UI. Edge Lite provides the outbound-only delivery flow — no cluster required. Public image and installer availability are evidence-gated; see Current Status below.
The Problem
Evaluating webhook infrastructure typically requires standing up infrastructure — load balancers, ingress controllers, TLS termination, and often a Kubernetes cluster — before you can run a single test. Most commercial webhook tools assume your evaluation environment has a public endpoint or can install system-level dependencies.
Why This Is Hard
If you operate behind a firewall or on a developer workstation, you don't want to open inbound ports just to evaluate a tool. You also don't want to commit to a full Kubernetes deployment before you know whether the tool meets your needs. Docker-first evaluation reduces this barrier to a single command.
How Zen Mesh Helps
Edge Lite runs as a single Docker container that establishes an outbound connection to Zen Mesh. You create a template, endpoint, and target through the Zen Mesh UI or CLI, and send test webhooks. The Edge runtime handles the delivery path — no firewall changes, no Kubernetes, no kernel modules.
Try It
# Edge Lite is in development. Image not yet published to a public registry. Note: Edge Lite is only needed when your target is behind a firewall, NAT, or VPN. For public HTTP targets, no runtime is required — just configure and deliver directly.
Then point a test webhook at your Zen Mesh endpoint and watch it arrive at your local service. The full quick-start guide walks through creating a Stripe test event, configuring a target, and verifying the delivery chain. See the Quick Start for step-by-step instructions.
Runtime Path
Select a provider template or create a custom endpoint in the Zen Mesh Registry.
Apply template defaults on the provider you're testing (Stripe, GitHub, custom HTTP).
Launch Edge Lite (once published) — establishes the outbound tunnel automatically (only needed for private targets behind NAT/firewall).
Create a flow binding endpoint to your local service (e.g., localhost:8080/webhook).
Inspect the delivery receipt to confirm the test webhook arrived successfully.
When to Use Full Kubernetes Edge Instead
Edge Lite is the right choice for DevOps, IaC, internal tooling, and lower-volume private integrations where single-node delivery is sufficient. For Tier-1 financial or high-availability flows that require multi-node availability, automated failover, stronger disruption tolerance, or Kubernetes-native operations, use the full Kubernetes Edge deployment. The same configuration (templates, blueprints, flows) works across both Edge profiles — no need to rebuild when you migrate.
Security & Evidence
Edge Lite uses the same mTLS, SPIFFE/SPIRE, and HMAC data-plane path as the managed runtime. Each delivery can produce a delivery receipt. See Security and Evidence for scope and maturity.
FAQ
What's the difference between Edge Lite and full Kubernetes Edge deployment?
Edge Lite is a lightweight single-node production tier via Docker for DevOps, IaC, and internal tooling where multi-node HA is not required. Full Kubernetes Edge provides multi-node high availability and automated failover for Tier-1 business-critical flows.
Can Edge Lite verify webhook signatures?
Yes. Edge Lite uses the same mTLS, SPIFFE/SPIRE, and HMAC data-plane path as the managed runtime. Provider signature verification works identically.
Does Edge Lite work with all providers?
Edge Lite works with Stripe, GitHub, Twilio, Shopify, and custom HTTP webhook sources. The template packs and flow engine are the same across both runtimes.
Current Status
Edge Lite is designed as Zen Mesh's lightweight, single-node production tier. Public image and installer availability remain evidence-gated — see the Current Status page for per-capability maturity. When published, Edge Lite will support the local delivery flow, configuration testing, and provider template experimentation. For multi-node HA deployment, use the full Kubernetes Edge profile.
Edge Lite — Lightweight Production Tier
Edge Lite's public image and installer are evidence-gated. For now, use Zen Mesh on public HTTPS targets with zero install, or join the design partner program. Free Forever tier included.