The edge
A small rented machine in a data centre, and the only node that faces the internet. It exists so that one public service can be reached without anything at home having to accept a connection.
public ports
1
state held
none
credentials
none
rebuild
from code
Where it sits in the estate — the architecture view, opened on this node: what it sits on, what it carries, what it serves. Generated from the model, so it cannot drift from what is built.
What it is
A virtual machine rented by the month, defined entirely in code: there is no image anyone logged into and configured by hand, and no file on it that was not put there by that code. It has no hardware page because it has no hardware — the chassis under it is the provider's problem, and if it is replaced tomorrow nothing here notices.
It joins the private mesh on first boot with a key that retires itself, so the machine's own credentials expire whether or not anyone remembers them. It is permitted to reach exactly one port on the primary node and nothing else on the estate, which was verified by trying everything else and being refused.
What it runs
The game ingress
One port, forwarded across the private mesh to the game server at home. Players connect to a name that resolves here; the world, its backups and everything that matters stay in the house. This is the only reason the node exists, and the only action it is permitted.
one port forwarded over the mesh rate limited
A spending guard
The bandwidth it forwards is watched from the auxiliary node, and clamped below the allowance the rental includes rather than being allowed to run up a bill. The clamp lifts by itself when the billing period turns over, so the worst case is an outage rather than an invoice.
watched from home clamped, not billed
Why it is disposable
Nothing to lose
It holds no state and no credential, so destroying it costs nothing and proves nothing was hiding on it. Anything suspicious is answered by rebuilding rather than investigating.
Assume it is hostile
It is the one machine an unknown person can reach, so it is treated as though it is already someone else's. Its permission to reach home is a single port, and widening it for convenience is the mistake to avoid.
Off the house
Putting the public service out here is what lets the house keep its rule: nothing at home listens for the internet. A machine that can be thrown away absorbs the risk that would otherwise sit in the basement.
Built from code, September 2026 · rebuilt rather than repaired · the estate puts it in context