Starla is an alternative unofficial software probe for RIPE Atlas, built using the Rust programming language. It serves as a tool for network measurement, providing insights into various network parameters with an emphasis on performance and reliability.

Key Features

• Comprehensive Measurement Types: Starla supports a wide range of measurement types including Ping, Traceroute, DNS, HTTP, TLS, and NTP, ensuring that various aspects of network performance can be assessed.
• Pure Rust Implementation: The probe features a pure Rust SSH implementation, leveraging russh and eliminating any dependency on OpenSSH, which simplifies deployment and enhances security.
• Secure Communication: All communications are routed through an SSH tunnel, ensuring integrity and confidentiality while interacting with the probe.
• Lightweight Container Image: The application is packaged as a minimal container image that includes only the binary and CA certificates, supporting multi-architecture setups (amd64 and arm64).
• NixOS Module Availability: Provides a declarative configuration for NixOS users, complete with systemd hardening for enhanced performance and security.
• Prometheus Metrics: Offers optional observability export to Prometheus, allowing for integration with monitoring systems.
• Persistent Result Queue: Utilizes RocksDB to maintain a persistent result queue, ensuring that measurement data is not lost in the event of restarts.

Quick Start

Getting started with Starla is straightforward. Below are example commands for deployment using different platforms:

# Docker / Podman
docker run -d --name starla \
  -v starla-state:/state \
  --cap-add NET_RAW \
  ghcr.io/ananthb/starla:latest

# NixOS
services.starla.enable = true;

# Ubuntu / Debian
curl -LO https://github.com/ananthb/starla/releases/latest/download/starla_0.1.0_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i starla_*.deb
sudo systemctl enable --now starla

# Fedora / RHEL
curl -LO https://github.com/ananthb/starla/releases/latest/download/starla-0.1.0-1.x86_64.rpm
sudo dnf install ./starla-*.rpm
sudo systemctl enable --now starla

# Release tarball
curl -LO https://github.com/ananthb/starla/releases/latest/download/starla-amd64.tar.gz
tar xzf starla-amd64.tar.gz && sudo ./starla/starla

After installation, register the probe by visiting atlas.ripe.net/apply/swprobe and using the public key found in probe_key.pub located in the state directory.

Additional Documentation

• Installation & Configuration
• Architecture Overview
• API Reference

Starla offers a robust solution for those keen on leveraging RIPE Atlas for network performance measurement through its efficient and secure design.