alfred-mobile/HAPROXY_FIX.md

HAProxy WebSocket Configuration Fix

Issue

WebSocket connections open but messages aren't received by the Android client.

Root Cause

The HAProxy defaults section has option http-server-close which closes the connection after the HTTP response. This breaks WebSocket upgrade because HAProxy closes the connection before it can be upgraded to the WebSocket protocol.

Solution

Add no option http-server-close to the alfred_mobile_app-backend backend to override the default and keep the connection open for WebSocket upgrade.

Complete Backend Configuration

backend alfred_mobile_app-backend
    option forwardfor
    no option http-server-close
    timeout tunnel 3600s
    timeout server 3600s
    # Pass the real client IP to backend (from proxy headers or direct connection)
    # This is crucial for container-level logging and security tools
    http-request add-header X-CLIENT-IP %[var(txn.real_ip)]
    http-request set-header X-Real-IP %[var(txn.real_ip)]
    http-request set-header X-Forwarded-For %[var(txn.real_ip)]
    http-request set-header X-Forwarded-Proto https if { ssl_fc }
    
    server alfred_app_proxy 192.168.1.169:18790 check

Changes Made

1. Added: no option http-server-close

   • Overrides the global default
   • Keeps connection open after HTTP upgrade response

2. Already added: timeout tunnel 3600s

   • Keeps WebSocket tunnel open for 1 hour

3. Already added: timeout server 3600s

   • Prevents server timeout on long connections

Testing

After applying this change:

1. Reload HAProxy configuration
2. Kill Alfred Mobile app
3. Open app fresh
4. WebSocket should connect and receive messages
5. Connection should stay open

Alternative: TCP Mode (if HTTP mode still has issues)

If the above doesn't work, you can switch the entire backend to TCP mode for pure passthrough:

backend alfred_mobile_app-backend
    mode tcp
    timeout tunnel 3600s
    timeout server 3600s
    
    server alfred_app_proxy 192.168.1.169:18790 check

Note: TCP mode loses HTTP header manipulation (X-CLIENT-IP, X-Real-IP, etc.) but guarantees WebSocket works.

HAProxy WebSocket Documentation

From HAProxy docs:

For WebSocket connections, use no option http-server-close or switch to mode tcp to prevent HAProxy from closing the connection after the upgrade response.

Status

• Identified issue
• Applied fix
• Tested connection
• Verified messages flow