Incorporating web applications into web pages at the network level

• US 10,205,674 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CloudFlare Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CloudFlare Incorporated
• Inventors: Prince, Matthew Browning, Tourne, Matthieu Philippe Francois, Joel, Christopher Stephen, Roberts, John Brinton, Sofaer, Michael Jonas, Benterou, Jason Thomas Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/503,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20150019679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 709246, 709200, 709217-219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A proxy server automatically includes web applications in web pages at the network level. The proxy server receives, from a client device, a request for a network resource at a domain and is hosted at an origin server. The proxy server retrieves the requested network resource. The retrieved network resource does not include the web applications. The proxy server determines that the web applications are to be installed within the network resource. The proxy server automatically modifies the retrieved network resource to include the web applications. The proxy server transmits a response to the client device that includes the modified network resource. The network resource may remain unchanged at the origin server.

Claims

1. A method in a proxy server for automatically including a plurality of web applications on a web page, the method comprising the following operations performed by the proxy server:

receiving an instruction to install the plurality of web applications in the web page, wherein the instruction is received as a result of an owner or operator of the web page selecting to install the plurality of web applications for at least the web page;

receiving, from a client device, a request for the web page, wherein the request is received at the proxy server as a result of a Domain Name System (DNS) request for a domain of the web page resolving to the proxy server instead of an origin server handling the domain, wherein the origin server is one of a plurality of origin servers that resolve to the proxy server and are owned by different entities;

retrieving the requested web page, wherein at a time when the requested web page is retrieved, that web page does not include the plurality of web applications;

determining, based on the received instruction, that the plurality of web applications are to be installed within the web page;

automatically modifying the retrieved web page to include the plurality of web applications; and

transmitting a response to the client device, the response including the modified web page.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically modifying the retrieved web page to include the plurality of web applications includes the proxy server performing the following:

for each of the plurality of web applications, performing the following;

determining a position in the retrieved web page for that web application,

scanning the retrieved web page to locate the determined position, and

inserting the web application at the located position.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the requested web page includes performing the following operations:

transmitting a request for the web page to the origin server; and

receiving, from the origin server, a response that includes the web page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the requested web page includes performing the following operation:

accessing a cache to retrieve the web page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of web applications includes two or more of the following:

an analytics application, an affiliate link application, a monitoring application, a contextual search application, a translation application, a webmaster tools application, a support application, a malware/virus scan application, a game application, a library application, a website backup application, a testing application, a security monitoring application, an audio application, a loyalty program application, and a policy management application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the plurality of web applications.

7. A method for configuring a plurality of web applications to be installed on a set of one or more web pages of a website publisher at a network level, the method comprising:

providing an interface for the website publisher to select the plurality of web applications to be installed on the set of one or more web pages of the website publisher at the network level;

receiving, through the interface, a selection of the plurality of web applications to be installed on the set of one or more web pages of the website publisher at the network level, wherein the received selection includes for at least one of the plurality of web applications only a single enable selection; and

communicating, to a proxy server, a set of one or more web application installation rules that indicate that the plurality of web applications are to be installed within the set of web pages as the set of web pages are passed through the proxy server and delivered to requesting client computing devices as a result of a Domain Name System (DNS) request for a domain of the set of web pages resolving to the proxy server instead of an origin server handling the domain, wherein the origin server is one of a plurality of origin servers that resolve to the proxy server and are owned by different entities, wherein the set of web pages do not include the plurality of web applications when they are received at the proxy server.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

communicating, to the proxy server, the plurality of web applications that are to be installed.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

responsive to learning that one of the plurality of web applications has been updated, communicating, to the proxy server, the updated web application.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein, the set of web application installation rules further indicate a position in code of the set web pages for each of the plurality of web applications to be installed.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of web applications are provided by a different entity than the website publisher.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of web applications includes two or more of the following:

an analytics application, an affiliate link application, a monitoring application, a contextual search application, a translation application, a webmaster tools application, a support application, a malware/virus scan application, a game application, a library application, a website backup application, a testing application, a security monitoring application, an audio application, a loyalty program application, and a policy management application.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the proxy server is owned and operated by a different entity than the website publisher.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a processor of a proxy server, will cause said processor to perform operations for automatically including a plurality of web applications on a web page, comprising:

receiving an instruction to install the plurality of web applications in the web page, wherein the instruction is received as a result of an owner or operator of the web page selecting to install the plurality of web applications for at least the web page;

receiving, from a client device, a request for the web page, wherein the request is received at the proxy server as a result of a Domain Name System (DNS) request for a domain of the web page resolving to the proxy server instead of an origin server handling the domain, wherein the origin server is one of a plurality of origin servers that resolve to the proxy server and are owned by different entities;

retrieving the requested web page, wherein at a time when the requested web page is retrieved that web page does not include the plurality of web applications;

determining, based on the received instruction, that the plurality of web applications are to be installed within the web page;

automatically modifying the retrieved web page to include the plurality of web applications; and

transmitting a response to the client device, the response including the modified web page.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein automatically modifying the retrieved web page to include the plurality of web applications includes performing the following:

for each of the plurality of web applications, performing the following;

determining a position in the retrieved web page for that web application,

scanning the retrieved web page to locate the determined position, and

inserting the web application at the located position.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein retrieving the requested web page e includes performing the following operations:

transmitting a request for the web page to the origin server; and

receiving, from the origin server, a response that includes the web page.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein retrieving the requested web page includes performing the following operation:

accessing a cache to retrieve the web page.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of web applications includes two or more of the following:

an analytics application, an affiliate link application, a monitoring application, a contextual search application, a translation application, a webmaster tools application, a support application, a malware/virus scan application, a game application, a library application, a website backup application, a testing application, a security monitoring application, an audio application, a loyalty program application, and a policy management application.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further provides instructions that, when executed by the processor of the proxy server, cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving the plurality of web applications.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a processor, will cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

providing an interface for a website publisher to select a plurality of web applications to be installed on a set of one or more web pages of the website publisher at a network level;

receiving, through the interface, a selection of the plurality of web applications to be installed on the set of one or more web pages of the website publisher at the network level, wherein the received selection includes for at least one of the plurality of web applications only a single enable selection; and

communicating, to a proxy server, a set of one or more web application installation rules that indicate that the plurality of web applications are to be installed within the set of web pages as the set of web pages are passed through the proxy server and delivered to requesting client computing devices as a result of a Domain Name System (DNS) request for a domain of the set of web pages resolving to the proxy server instead of an origin server handling the domain, wherein the origin server is one of a plurality of origin servers that resolve to the proxy server and are owned by different entities, wherein the set of web pages do not include the plurality of web applications when they are received at the proxy server.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further provides instructions that, when executed by the processor of the proxy server, cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

communicating, to the proxy server, the plurality of web applications that are to be installed.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further provides instructions that, when executed by the processor of the proxy server, cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

responsive to learning that one of the plurality of web applications has been updated, communicating, to the proxy server, the updated web application.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein, the set of web application installation rules further indicate a position in code of the set web pages for each of the plurality of web applications to be installed.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the plurality of web applications are provided by a different entity than the website publisher.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the plurality of web applications includes two or more of the following:

an analytics application, an affiliate link application, a monitoring application, a contextual search application, a translation application, a webmaster tools application, a support application, a malware/virus scan application, a game application, a library application, a website backup application, a testing application, a security monitoring application, an audio application, a loyalty program application, and a policy management application.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the proxy server is owned and operated by a different entity than the website publisher.