Best Practices¶

This guide outlines best practices for using TelcoAPI in production environments.

Architecture Guidelines¶

High Availability¶

Load Balancing
Deploy multiple instances behind a load balancer
Use round-robin or least-connections algorithms
Implement health checks

from telcoapi.ha import HAClient

client = HAClient(
    peers=[
        {"host": "peer1.example.com", "port": 3868},
        {"host": "peer2.example.com", "port": 3868}
    ],
    strategy="round-robin"
)

Failover
Configure backup peers
Implement automatic failover
Monitor peer health

telcoapi:
  diameter:
    primary_peer:
      host: peer1.example.com
      port: 3868
    backup_peers:
      - host: peer2.example.com
        port: 3868
      - host: peer3.example.com
        port: 3868

Performance Optimization¶

Connection Pooling
Reuse connections
Configure optimal pool size
Monitor pool metrics

from telcoapi.pool import ConnectionPool

pool = ConnectionPool(
    min_size=5,
    max_size=20,
    idle_timeout=300
)

Caching
Cache frequently used data
Use appropriate TTL values
Implement cache invalidation

from telcoapi.cache import Cache

cache = Cache(
    backend="redis",
    ttl=3600,
    max_size=10000
)

Security Best Practices¶

Authentication & Authorization¶

TLS Configuration
Use strong TLS versions (1.2+)
Configure secure cipher suites
Implement certificate validation

from telcoapi.security import TLSConfig

tls_config = TLSConfig(
    cert_file="client.pem",
    key_file="client.key",
    ca_file="ca.pem",
    min_version="TLSv1.2",
    verify_peer=True
)

API Security
Use API keys
Implement rate limiting
Monitor for suspicious activity

from telcoapi.security import APISecurityConfig

security_config = APISecurityConfig(
    rate_limit=100,  # requests per second
    max_concurrent=50,
    api_key_header="X-API-Key"
)

Network Security¶

Firewall Configuration
Allow only necessary ports
Implement IP whitelisting
Use secure protocols

telcoapi:
  security:
    allowed_ips:
      - 192.168.1.0/24
      - 10.0.0.0/8
    blocked_ips:
      - 1.2.3.4

Protocol Security
Validate all input
Sanitize responses
Handle protocol attacks

from telcoapi.security import ProtocolValidator

validator = ProtocolValidator(
    validate_avps=True,
    sanitize_output=True,
    max_message_size=65535
)

Monitoring & Logging¶

Metrics Collection¶

Key Metrics
Request/response latency
Error rates
Connection pool status
Protocol-specific metrics

from telcoapi.metrics import MetricsCollector

metrics = MetricsCollector(
    service_name="telcoapi",
    labels={
        "environment": "production",
        "region": "us-east-1"
    }
)

Alerting
Set up thresholds
Configure notifications
Define escalation paths

from telcoapi.monitoring import AlertManager

alerts = AlertManager(
    error_threshold=0.1,  # 10% error rate
    latency_threshold=500,  # 500ms
    notification_channels=["email", "slack"]
)

Logging¶

Log Levels
DEBUG: Detailed debugging information
INFO: General operational information
WARNING: Warning messages
ERROR: Error conditions
CRITICAL: Critical conditions

from telcoapi.logging import setup_logging

setup_logging(
    level="INFO",
    file="telcoapi.log",
    format="json",
    rotate_size="100MB",
    retain_days=30
)

Log Management
Implement log rotation
Use structured logging
Forward logs to central system

from telcoapi.logging import LogManager

log_manager = LogManager(
    backend="elasticsearch",
    retention_days=90,
    compression=True
)

Error Handling¶

Retry Strategies¶

Exponential Backoff
Start with short delays
Increase delay exponentially
Set maximum retries

from telcoapi.retry import RetryStrategy

retry_strategy = RetryStrategy(
    initial_delay=0.1,
    max_delay=5.0,
    max_retries=3,
    backoff_factor=2.0
)

Circuit Breaker
Prevent cascade failures
Allow system recovery
Monitor breaker status

from telcoapi.circuit import CircuitBreaker

breaker = CircuitBreaker(
    failure_threshold=5,
    reset_timeout=60,
    half_open_timeout=30
)

Testing¶

Unit Testing¶

Mock Dependencies
Use mock objects
Test edge cases
Validate responses

from unittest.mock import Mock
from telcoapi.testing import MockDiameterPeer

peer = MockDiameterPeer(
    responses={
        "CCR": {"result_code": 2001},
        "AAR": {"result_code": 2001}
    }
)

Integration Testing
Test with real peers
Validate end-to-end flows
Monitor performance

from telcoapi.testing import IntegrationTest

test = IntegrationTest(
    peer="test.example.com",
    scenarios=["auth", "charging"],
    concurrent_users=10
)

Deployment¶

Container Guidelines¶

Docker Configuration
Use official base images
Implement health checks
Configure resource limits

FROM python:3.9-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
COPY . .
HEALTHCHECK CMD curl -f http://localhost/health
CMD ["python", "main.py"]

Kubernetes Deployment
Use StatefulSets for stateful components
Configure readiness/liveness probes
Implement proper scaling

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: StatefulSet
metadata:
  name: telcoapi
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: telcoapi
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: telcoapi
        image: telcoapi:latest
        resources:
          limits:
            cpu: "1"
            memory: "1Gi"
        livenessProbe:
          httpGet:
            path: /health
            port: 8080

Documentation¶

Code Documentation¶

Inline Documentation
Document all public interfaces
Include examples
Explain complex logic

def send_request(self, command: str, avps: List[AVP]) -> Response:
    """
    Send a Diameter request with the specified command and AVPs.

    Args:
        command: The command code (e.g., "CCR", "AAR")
        avps: List of AVPs to include in the request

    Returns:
        Response object containing result code and AVPs

    Raises:
        ConnectionError: If connection to peer fails
        ProtocolError: If protocol error occurs
    """
    pass

API Documentation
Keep documentation up-to-date
Include request/response examples
Document error conditions

Maintenance¶

Version Management¶

Dependency Updates
Regularly update dependencies
Test updates thoroughly
Maintain changelog
Database Management
Regular backups
Index optimization
Data archival strategy

Monitoring & Alerts¶

System Health
Monitor resource usage
Track error rates
Alert on anomalies
Performance Metrics
Response times
Throughput
Resource utilization