MeterMesh

MeterMesh is a robust solution designed for distributed usage ingestion tailored for SaaS billing applications. This tool efficiently processes usage events, consolidating them in memory for each customer on an hourly basis before writing the aggregated data into a Postgres database. MeterMesh serves as a high-performance intermediary that minimizes the number of writes to the database, effectively handling thousands of usage events without overwhelming the database.

Key Features

• Scalability: MeterMesh can accept traffic from any node within the mesh.
• Data Ownership: It ensures that all usage data for each customer is consistently managed by a designated owner node.
• Efficient Event Aggregation: The system compresses numerous events into a single upsert operation on an hourly basis, reducing load on the database.
• High Availability: MeterMesh is resilient, able to handle node failures without interrupting the service.

Architecture Overview

MeterMesh operates on a simple architecture that integrates with a SaaS application as follows:

[SaaS app]  
    │  
    ▼  
[nginx LB :8080]  
    │  
    ├─► node1 ──┐  
    ├─► node2 ──┼─► Redis heartbeats (monitoring active nodes)  
    └─► node3 ──┘  
         │  
         │ owner totals hourly usage in RAM  
         ▼  
      PostgreSQL customer_usage  

1. Load Balancer: Directs requests to any active node.
2. Data Handling: Each node hashes customer requests and processes them accordingly.
3. Usage Aggregation: The owner node manages current usage records in memory, periodically upserting these into the Postgres database.

API Endpoints

MeterMesh offers a range of functionalities through its API:

Integration with Your SaaS Application

To track the usage of resources by your customers, a simple POST request can be made to the MeterMesh API as shown below:

POST /v1/usage  
Content-Type: application/json  

{"customer_id":"user_123","metric":"tokens","quantity":42}  

This approach can be utilized at strategic points in your application, such as post successful API calls or at the conclusion of billable tasks.

MeterMesh stands out by providing not only efficient usage tracking but also ensuring that it remains lightweight and performant by minimizing unnecessary writes and handling node outages gracefully. While MeterMesh does not include features like invoicing or pricing logic, it serves as a critical component for collecting and managing usage data effectively for billing purposes.