Session 1 — Platform Introduction and User Management
Session Overview
Duration: 2 hours
Format: Instructor presentation + live demo
Level: Introductory
Session Agenda
| Time | Topic | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 – 0:30 | Platform introduction and architecture walkthrough | Presentation |
| 0:30 – 1:00 | User management: roles, Cognito, JWT auth | Presentation + Demo |
| 1:00 – 1:30 | Observability fundamentals: metrics, logs, traces | Presentation |
| 1:30 – 2:00 | Live portal demo + Q&A | Demo |
Learning Objectives
By the end of Session 1, you will be able to:
- Describe the xScaler platform architecture and component roles
- Explain the two-tier deployment model (control plane vs edge)
- Explain the authentication flow from browser login to JWT
- Navigate the portal UI: create an organisation, manage members
- Define the three observability signals: metrics, logs, traces
- Explain which xScaler backend component handles each observability signal
Session Pages
- Platform Introduction — architecture, components, deployment topology
- User Management — authentication, authorisation, roles, Cognito
- Observability Fundamentals — metrics, logs, traces and the xScaler stack
Key Concepts Introduced
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Control Plane | portal-api, portal-web, agent-api — manages configuration |
| Data Plane | Envoy + proxy-auth + xMetrics/xLogs/xTraces — handles telemetry |
| Multi-tenancy | X-Scope-OrgID header isolates data per tenant |
| JWT Authentication | HS256, 30-minute TTL, stored in HttpOnly cookie |
| Cognito Integration | AWS Cognito → exchange for xScaler JWT |
| Three Signals | Metrics (xMetrics), Logs (xLogs), Traces (xTraces) |
Instructor Notes
Trainer Guidance
- Open the portal at
https://portal.xscalerlabs.comduring presentation - Walk through the UI live as you explain each component
- Emphasise the separation between control plane and data plane — this is the single most important architectural concept
- Students often conflate Grafana with the backend — clarify that Grafana is purely a visualisation layer
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