Apache Traffic Server
Apache Traffic Server is available in the NetActuate Marketplace as a one-click, open-source appliance you can deploy into any NetActuate PoP. HTTP caching proxy and origin shield: cache and accelerate your backend on your own VM. It is grouped under the Media & Streaming category.
What It Does
Apache Traffic Server is a fast, scalable, and battle-tested HTTP caching proxy used by some of the largest content networks in the world. This appliance runs it as a reverse proxy and origin shield: point it at your backend origin and Traffic Server caches and serves responses close to your users, absorbing load and shortening the delivery path.
Key features
- High-performance HTTP/HTTPS caching reverse proxy and origin shield
- Reduce origin load and egress by serving cacheable responses from the edge
- Keep-alive connection reuse and request coalescing to your backend
- Runs the official, unmodified trafficserver/trafficserver container
- Ships with a built-in landing page so the proxy answers HTTP 200 before you wire up an origin
- Simple seeded configuration: one upstream origin and one listen port, no web console to manage
Use cases
- Put a caching origin shield in front of a web app, API, or media origin
- Offload and accelerate a slow or distant backend from a PoP near your users
- Add a regional cache tier in front of object storage or a packager
Why run it on the NetActuate edge Running Traffic Server in a PoP near your audience serves cacheable content locally, cuts round-trips and egress back to your origin, and keeps a caching tier on infrastructure you control.
Deployed from the NetActuate marketplace, Traffic Server boots pre-configured from your seeded values: set the origin host to cache and shield and the reverse-proxy port to listen on. There is no login to configure; the proxy answers on the instance IP as soon as the instance is up. Leave the origin blank and the appliance serves a co-located instructions page so you can confirm it is running, then point it at your backend.
Vendor and Project
Apache Traffic Server is an open-source project, offered here under the Open Source listing with best-effort community support.
- Project home: trafficserver.apache.org
NetActuate supports the underlying infrastructure. Application-level support follows the listing SLA class (open-source, best effort).
Sizing
| vCPU | RAM | Disk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1 | 2 GB | 20 GB |
| Recommended | 2 | 4 GB | 50 GB |
No VPU (hardware acceleration) is required for this appliance. Choose a size at deploy based on your expected load.
Configuration Fields
When you deploy, you provide these fields. They are written into the appliance at first boot.
| Field | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upstream origin host | No | none | The backend origin to cache and shield, as host or host:port (e.g. origin.example.com or 10.0.0.10:8080). Leave blank to serve the built-in landing/instructions page until you wire up an origin. |
| Reverse-proxy port | No | 8080 | Port the reverse proxy listens on, published on the instance IP (default 8080). |
Using the Appliance
Shield your origin in minutes
- Confirm the proxy is up. Browse to http://YOUR_VM_IP:8080/ . Before an origin is set you will see the built-in landing page (HTTP 200), which confirms Traffic Server is running.
- Set your origin. Set the mkt_origin_host seed field to your backend (for example origin.example.com or 10.0.0.10:8080) and, if you want a different listen port, mkt_proxy_port (default 8080).
- Serve through the cache. Requests to http://YOUR_VM_IP:8080/ are now served from, and cached in front of, your origin. There is no web console; Traffic Server is configured entirely by the seeded origin.
Exposure posture: the appliance serves plain HTTP on the reverse-proxy port. Put a TLS-terminating proxy and access control in front before exposing it on an untrusted network.
FAQ
Is there a software license fee? No. Apache Traffic Server is open source and free to run. You pay only for the NetActuate infrastructure and bandwidth.
Which port does the appliance serve on?
The primary service is published on port 8080 by default; see the configuration fields for any adjustable ports.
Who supports it? NetActuate operates the underlying infrastructure. The application itself is community-supported open source (best-effort SLA class).
Version and Changelog
| Version | Status | Released |
|---|---|---|
| 10.1.2 | Current (default) | 2026-07-13 |
Deploy
- Deploy in the portal: Deploy Apache Traffic Server
- View the listing: portal.netactuate.com/platform/marketplace/l/trafficserver
- Public listing: netactuate.com/marketplace/trafficserver
Need Help?
Contact support@netactuate.com or open a support ticket from the portal.