In this chapter the browser becomes a worker. It connects to the engine over WebSocket, calls
link::create directly (no REST API Gateway), subscribes to the live click stream to update a
counter, and registers a user::confirm_destructive_op function the server calls when a delete
needs a human’s go-ahead.
Add the workers
A browser worker connects through iii-worker-manager’s RBAC-gated listener, separate from the
trusted port your local workers use. We’ll encapsulate the authentication logic in an auth worker
to gate those connections, so scaffold it the same way you scaffolded link in Chapter 1:
iii worker add iii-worker-manager
iii worker init auth --language typescript
Run two listeners
The engine’s built-in port at 49134 is the trusted listener; local workers (link worker,
analytics worker) connect there. The browser must not. Add two iii-worker-manager entries: the
trusted one (local workers keep using it) and an RBAC-gated one on 3110 for browsers:
workers:
# ...
# Trusted listener for local workers. Replaces the engine's built-in 49134.
- name: iii-worker-manager
config:
port: 49134
# Browser-facing listener. The auth function gates every connection; only the
# functions in `expose_functions` are reachable from sessions it admits.
- name: iii-worker-manager
config:
host: 127.0.0.1
port: 3110
rbac:
auth_function_id: auth::browser
expose_functions:
- match("link::create")
- match("link::request_delete")
- match("stream::*")
expose_functions is an allowlist of which functions a browser session can call. auth_function_id
names a function iii-worker-manager invokes on every connection to admit or reject it; you write
that next.
Gate connections with an auth function
The auth worker owns connection gating, so the link worker stays focused on links.
auth::browser runs once per browser connection: it receives the request’s headers,
query_params, and ip_address, and returns the session’s permissions (allow/deny additions,
arbitrary context). Throw to reject. Replace the generated auth/src/index.ts:
import { registerWorker, Logger } from "iii-sdk";
const worker = registerWorker(process.env.III_URL ?? "ws://localhost:49134", {
workerName: "auth",
});
const logger = new Logger();
worker.registerFunction(
"auth::browser",
async (input: {
headers: Record<string, string>;
query_params: Record<string, string[]>;
ip_address: string;
}) => {
const token = input.query_params.token?.[0];
if (!token || token !== (process.env.LINKLY_BROWSER_TOKEN ?? "dev-token")) {
throw new Error("unauthorized");
}
return {
allowed_functions: [],
forbidden_functions: [],
allow_trigger_type_registration: false,
allow_function_registration: true,
context: { source: "browser" },
};
},
);
logger.info("auth worker ready");
A real deployment would look the token up in a session store; the shape stays the same. The token
travels in a query parameter because browsers cannot send custom WebSocket headers.
Register it with your project:
Add a server-initiated delete
First give the link worker a link::delete that removes a link from both the database and the
iii-state cache. Add it to link/src/index.ts:
worker.registerFunction("link::delete", async (payload: { code: string }) => {
await worker.trigger({
function_id: "database::execute",
payload: { db: DB, sql: "DELETE FROM links WHERE code = ?", params: [payload.code] },
});
await worker.trigger({
function_id: "state::delete",
payload: { scope: "links", key: payload.code },
});
logger.info("link deleted", { code: payload.code });
return { deleted: true };
});
Now add a wrapper that asks the connected browser first, then deletes only if the browser confirms.
The server-side worker.trigger of a browser-registered function is the same primitive you’ve used
between server workers, in reverse:
worker.registerFunction("link::request_delete", async (payload: { code: string }) => {
const { confirmed } = await worker.trigger<
{ code: string; action: string },
{ confirmed: boolean }
>({
function_id: "user::confirm_destructive_op",
payload: { code: payload.code, action: `delete link "${payload.code}"` },
});
if (!confirmed) {
return { deleted: false };
}
await worker.trigger({ function_id: "link::delete", payload: { code: payload.code } });
return { deleted: true };
});
Scaffold the frontend
Initialize a Vite project
Create a Vite + React + TypeScript app under linkly/frontend/:
npm create vite@latest frontend -- --template react-ts
Vite may ask you to “Install with npm and start now”, answer no here as we first need to install
iii-browser-sdk
Now install the dependencies:
cd frontend
npm install
npm install iii-browser-sdk
Setup a client-side worker
Wire the SDK in src/iii.ts:
import { registerWorker } from "iii-browser-sdk";
const TOKEN = import.meta.env.VITE_LINKLY_TOKEN ?? "dev-token";
export const worker = registerWorker(`ws://localhost:3110?token=${encodeURIComponent(TOKEN)}`);
Create the application
We’ll build src/App.tsx in pieces. You can replace the template’s src/App.tsx with the code
samples below.
Add imports
First the imports and types: Click is one row from the clicks table, and StreamEvent is the
wrapper iii-stream delivers to subscribers.
import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import { worker } from "./iii.js";
type Click = { code: string; clicked_at: string };
type StreamEvent = {
event: { type: "create" | "update" | "delete"; data: Click };
};
Add client-side state
Open the component and declare its state: the form fields, the newly created link, and the live
click counter.
export default function App() {
const [url, setUrl] = useState('')
const [code, setCode] = useState('')
const [created, setCreated] = useState<{ code: string; url: string } | null>(null)
const [clicks, setClicks] = useState(0)
const [latest, setLatest] = useState<Click | null>(null)
Subscribe to clicks
Subscribe to the clicks stream we setup in Chapter 5. The useEffect registers a function the
browser exposes (ui::on_click) and a stream trigger that routes every new row to it; the cleanup
unregisters both on unmount:
useEffect(() => {
const fn = worker.registerFunction("ui::on_click", async (event: StreamEvent) => {
setClicks((n) => n + 1);
setLatest(event.event.data);
return null;
});
const trig = worker.registerTrigger({
type: "stream",
function_id: "ui::on_click",
config: { stream_name: "clicks", group_id: "all" },
});
return () => {
trig.unregister();
fn.unregister();
};
}, []);
Create a function
Register the function the server calls back when it needs human confirmation. It shows a native
prompt and returns the user’s decision:
This function registers and runs the exact same as other functions did in previous chapters.
Except for managing auth and permissions there is no functional difference between client side and
server side.
useEffect(() => {
const fn = worker.registerFunction(
"user::confirm_destructive_op",
async (data: { action: string; code: string }) => {
const confirmed = window.confirm(`Confirm: ${data.action}?`);
return { confirmed };
},
);
return () => fn.unregister();
}, []);
Create links directly, no gateways
Submit the form by calling link::create directly.
There is no fetch or REST API in the way here, the client worker in the browser works the exact
same as every other worker.
async function onSubmit(e: React.FormEvent) {
e.preventDefault();
const link = await worker.trigger<{ url: string; code?: string }, { code: string; url: string }>({
function_id: "link::create",
payload: { url, code: code || undefined },
});
setCreated(link);
setUrl("");
setCode("");
}
Create the UI
Finally, the UI: a link shortener form, the last-created link, and the live streaming click counter.
return (
<main>
<h1>Linkly</h1>
<form onSubmit={onSubmit}>
<label>URL <input value={url} onChange={(e) => setUrl(e.target.value)} required /></label>
<label>Code (optional) <input value={code} onChange={(e) => setCode(e.target.value)} /></label>
<button type="submit">Shorten</button>
</form>
{created && (
<p>
Created <code>{created.code}</code> → <code>{created.url}</code>.
</p>
)}
<section>
<h2>Live clicks: {clicks}</h2>
{latest && (
<p>Last: <code>{latest.code}</code> at <code>{latest.clicked_at}</code></p>
)}
</section>
</main>
)
}
See it work
Start the UI:
Open your browser, Vite typically hosts local websites at
http://localhost:5173.
Shorten a link, then see the visits streamed in realtime
Shorten a link from the form, then visit http://localhost:3111/s/<code> a few times. You’ll see
the “Live clicks” counter goes up in real time.
Request user confirmation directly from the backend
Then run a function in the browser via iii by runnning:
iii trigger link::request_delete code=<code>
The browser will show a confirm prompt, and the server deletes only after you click OK.
Conclusion
The client is a worker that is exactly the same as every other worker. We connected it through an
RBAC-gated listener (via iii-worker-manager) that uses an auth function to admit it because the
browser isn’t trusted like our other workers. However any other worker can be gated this same way.
Once everything is set up our client calls server functions directly, subscribes to streams for live
updates, and registers functions the server calls back, all on the same iii bus as the rest of
Linkly.