Hoop Access Gateway: Secure, Auditable, and Controlled Infrastructure Access

Introduction and Overview

1. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this High-Level Design (HLD) document is to provide a comprehensive, non-technical overview of the Hoop.dev solution, an access gateway designed to secure and streamline developer access to critical infrastructure (databases and servers).

The scope covers the core architectural components, key features, data flow, and deployment models of the Hoop platform.

2. The Business Problem

Organizations currently face major challenges in managing infrastructure access:

1. Security Risks: Overly permissive access policies and reliance on shared credentials.
2. Productivity Bottlenecks: Complex, manual “break-glass” approval workflows for infrastructure access.
3. Compliance and Audit: Inadequate, non-standardized audit trails and visibility gaps.
4. Data Exposure: Risks associated with developers accessing sensitive data (PII, credentials) directly in production environments.

3. The Proposed Solution

Hoop.dev is a centralized access gateway that acts as a secure intermediary between users and infrastructure. It delivers zero-config security and AI-powered automations to protect resources while providing secure, auditable, and easy-to-manage access.

The solution enables a shift from static, permanent access to dynamic, temporary, and auditable session-based access.

Solution Requirements

1. Functional Requirements (What the system must do)

 2 . Non-Functional Requirements (How well the system must perform)

High-Level Solution Architecture

1. System Context Diagram

The Hoop platform sits as a centralized proxy between users/approvers and all protected infrastructure.

2. Logical Breakdown and Major Components

The Hoop platform is composed of several high-level services:

Data Flow and Use Cases

1. Use Case: Secure VM Access with Approval (Reviews)

This sequence describes a developer securely accessing a production VM through Hoop with an approval workflow.

1. Request:

A Developer uses the Hoop CLI or Hoop Web App to request temporary SSH access to a production VM (e.g. dev-ashwathama-app-sonarqube-cloud-ops-crew-snaatak) for 1 hour, providing a justification or ticket reference.

2. Authentication & Policy:

The Hoop Gateway authenticates the developer via the Identity Provider (IdP) and evaluates the request against the Policy Engine (FR3).The policy specifies that access to production VMs requires approval.

3. Review Workflow:

The access request is forwarded to an Approver through the configured integration (e.g., Slack, Jira, or Email).The Approver can approve or reject the request.

4. Session Start:

Once the request is approved, the Hoop Gateway establishes a secure, time-bound SSH session for the developer.The session is brokered through Hoop – without sharing the actual VM credentials or SSH keys with the user.

5. Data Flow (VM Access):

• • The developer initiates the session using the Hoop CLI:dev-ashwathama-app-sonarqube-cloud-ops-crew-snaatak
  • The connection is routed through the Hoop Gateway, which enforces session policies such as time limits and command restrictions (if configured).
  • The developer executes commands directly on the VM (e.g., checking logs, validating service status, restarting services if permitted).
  • All commands and outputs flow through the Hoop-controlled secure channel – no direct network access to the VM is exposed to the developer.

6 Audit:

The Audit Module (NFR – Auditability) records the entire lifecycle of the access, including:

• • The access request details
  • Approver decision
  • Start and end timestamps
  • Commands executed on the VM
  • Full session logs (if session recording is enabled)

Deployment and Operational Considerations

1. Deployment Model

Hoop supports flexibility in deployment:

• Managed Service (SaaS): The fastest deployment option, where Hoop manages the core Gateway and services. Users only connect their target infrastructure and IdP.
• Self-Hosted: The entire platform can be deployed within the customer’s own infrastructure using standard tools: Docker, Kubernetes, or AWS deployment templates.

2. Operational Requirements

• Identity Management: Requires integration with an existing Identity Provider (IdP) for user authentication and group synchronization.
• Secrets: If using the Secrets Management feature, integration with a corporate Secrets Manager is required.
• Configuration: All policy configuration, runbook definitions, and connection details are managed through the Hoop control plane (web app or API).

User Access & Connection Guide (Azure AD + Hoop Access Flow)

This section provides a practical guide for administrators and end-users on how to authenticate into Hoop, assign access, and connect to VMs using both the Web Terminal and the CLI.

1. Login to Hoop (All Users)

1. Open the Hoop identity portal: http://identity.opstree.dev
2. Click Sign in with Azure AD.
3. You will be automatically logged in if your Azure AD account is valid.

2. Admin Workflow: Grant Access to Users / Teams

1. Navigate to Organisation → Users.
2. Select a user and click Edit.
3. Assign the required Group to the user.(Access policies are tied to Groups, not individual users.)

3. User Workflow: Connect to VMs via Web Terminal

1. Open the Hoop Web Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Connections.
3. Select the target VM/server.
4. Click Connect.
5. A browser-based SSH terminal opens—no local SSH configuration required.

4. User Workflow: Connect to VMs via CLI

Install the Hoop CLI

hoop login

View available servers

hoop ls

Connect to a server

hoop connect <connection-name>

Cost Savings with Hoop

Implementing Hoop provides tangible cost reductions across security, DevOps operations, engineering productivity, and compliance. Below are the key areas where organizations achieve measurable savings:

1. Reduced Operational Overhead

• Eliminates manual user onboarding/offboarding for server access.
• No need to distribute, rotate, or manage SSH keys across environments.
• Centralized policy and access control reduces admin time.

Savings: Fewer DevOps hours spent on access management (typically 20–40% reduction).

2. Lower Security & Credential Risks

• Removes shared credentials and permanent access.
• Prevents accidental exposure of database credentials or SSH keys.
• Reduces time spent investigating access-related security incidents.

Savings: Avoids costly security breaches, investigations, and downtime.

3. Faster Developer Access

• Developers get timely, self-served access (via reviews) instead of waiting for Ops.
• No jump hosts, VPN approvals, or key setups required.
• Enables direct access via browser terminal or CLI.

Savings: Developer productivity increases (15–25% faster incident resolution).

4. Reduced Compliance Costs

• Full session recordings and audit logs simplify compliance checks.
• Automated data masking reduces risk of PII exposure audits.
• Helps meet SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA with lower audit overhead.

Savings: Lowers annual compliance effort by 30–50%.

5. Eliminates Multiple Legacy Tools

Hoop replaces several traditional access tools:

• Bastion hosts
• VPN solutions
• SSH key management systems
• Sudo policy systems
• Manual audit logging tools

Savings: Lower infrastructure + licensing + administrative cost.

Overall Impact:

Organizations typically see 25–50% reduction in access-management operational costs and faster developer throughput.

Competitor Comparison

Hoop operates in the privileged access and secure developer access ecosystem. Below is an overview of how Hoop compares with major alternatives.

1. Teleport

Strengths:

• Strong in Kubernetes access.
• Good for cloud-native engineering environments.

Limitations vs. Hoop:

• No AI-powered data masking.
• Heavier operational overhead for self-hosting.
• Review workflows are less flexible.
• Not as seamless for database query monitoring.

Hoop Advantage:

Simpler access workflow, lighter deployment, and better protocol-aware masking.

2. StrongDM

Strengths:

• Excellent database proxying.
• Good user/group permissioning.

Limitations vs. Hoop:

• Expensive for large teams.
• Lacks AI guardrails and runbooks.
• Limited automation around command filtering.

Hoop Advantage:

More cost-effective, includes guardrails + runbooks natively.

3. HashiCorp Boundary

Strengths:

• Open-source and enterprise-ready.
• Strong integration with HashiCorp tooling.

Limitations vs. Hoop:

• No data masking.
• No session recording out of the box.
• Complex to deploy and maintain.

Hoop Advantage:

Faster setup, built-in audits, and full masking + review workflows without add-ons.

4. Bastion Hosts / Jump Servers (Legacy)

Strengths:

• Simple to set up.
• Familiar for traditional Ops teams.

Limitations vs. Hoop:

• No approvals.
• No session recording.
• No policy/guardrails.
• Complete lack of auditability.
• Shared credentials remain a big risk.

Hoop Advantage:

Modern, secure, automated, and fully auditable.

5. VPN + SSH Key Setup (Traditional Access)

Limitations:

• Keys stored on developer laptops.
• Very slow onboarding and offboarding.
• Difficult to enforce least privilege.
• No masking, no analytics, no audit logs.

Hoop Advantage:

Eliminates keys, VPN dependency, and fragile network-level access.

Why Teams Choose Hoop

• Lightest operational footprint
• Fastest time-to-setup
• Strongest security-to-cost ratio
• Only tool with AI Guardrails + Protocol-level Data Masking + Runbooks
• Better suited for engineering teams handling sensitive data (PII, payments, logs)

Conclusion

Hoop provides a modern, centralized, and secure way to manage access to production infrastructure without relying on static credentials, shared SSH keys, or manual break-glass procedures. By enforcing policy-driven, time-bound access with integrated reviews, guardrails, and full session auditing, Hoop helps organizations significantly reduce operational risk while improving developer efficiency. Whether deployed as a managed SaaS or fully self-hosted, the platform fits seamlessly into existing identity, secrets, and approval ecosystems.

With its AI-powered data masking, intelligent command filtering, and Git-based runbooks, Hoop not only strengthens security but also accelerates day-to-day operations. For teams striving for compliance, auditability, and scalable access governance, Hoop Access Gateway offers a future-ready solution that balances control with productivity.

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