Definition and Purpose:
SiteSpect's Bypass mode is a feature that allows traffic to bypass the SiteSpect infrastructure entirely by routing traffic directly to your origin servers. This mode can be activated by your team (for maintenance or troubleshooting purposes), or automatically invoked (for SiteSpect Cloud deployments) in the rare event that SiteSpect's services need to be temporarily disabled without disrupting your website's availability.
Note: with most on-premises deployments, SiteSpect sits behind one or more load balancers that health checks the engines and will fail over to the origin in the event the engines report ill health. The details are client and/or environment-specific.
Additionally, in some cases, SiteSpect will leverage DNS failover via Akamai Global Traffic Management (GTM).
Activation Process:
When Bypass Mode is activated, DNS settings are updated so that the CNAME record, which normally points to SiteSpect, is re-routed to point to the failover address of SiteSpect's, which could be the origin server or a CDN (based on the traffic flow design). This process ensures that all incoming traffic bypasses SiteSpect and is instead handled by the origin infrastructure directly.
Impact on Active Campaigns:
During Bypass mode, all active campaigns in SiteSpect are effectively paused. Users visiting the website (during this time) will not be served any variations or tests managed by SiteSpect, as the traffic no longer flows through SiteSpect’s systems. The website functions as if SiteSpect is not in place, with no A/B tests, personalizations, or other modifications being applied.
Use Cases:
- Maintenance:
For SiteSpect Cloud, upgrades and maintenance are performed seamlessly without any disruption to traffic or campaigns, and don’t require Bypass mode. For on-premise customers, Bypass mode is leveraged for upgrades or maintenance to the SiteSpect platform, ensuring that traffic is unaffected while changes are being made. Bypass mode can be a useful tool for your team during scheduled maintenance or updates to your environment. - Troubleshooting:
If issues arise that are suspected to be related to SiteSpect, Bypass mode can be enabled to determine if SiteSpect is the cause. This helps isolate problems by removing SiteSpect from the traffic flow. - Health Checks:
Bypass mode can be automatically triggered for SiteSpect Cloud deployments (if health checks fail), ensuring any potential issues within the SiteSpect environment do not impact the live website.
Reverting Back to Routing Mode:
Once the reason for enabling Bypass mode has been addressed, the Bypass can be removed, which reverts DNS records to route traffic back through SiteSpect. At this point, all active campaigns and tests will resume as normal and users will be automatically allocated to their prior campaign assignments.
For automatic bypass, the removal is automatic; our systems are designed to restore traffic once it has been evaluated as healthy.
Bypass mode is an essential feature for ensuring the stability and performance of your website in rare scenarios where issues arise with SiteSpect or its integration. It allows you to temporarily suspend SiteSpect's influence on your website; letting traffic flow directly to your origin servers without any modifications. This feature is particularly valuable for diagnosing and resolving issues without disrupting the user experience.