episode 20 — Netstack.FM New Year Special, 2025 Wrap-Up.
This New Year special reflects on the first nineteen episodes of netstack.fm, highlighting key lessons about networking, Rust, open source, and the people behind the protocols and systems that power the internet. It also looks at the evolution of the Rama framework and sets the stage for continued learning, collaboration, and new conversations in the year ahead.
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Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj
episode 19 — Firezone and Zero-Trust Network Security with Thomas Eizinger.
In this episode of Netstack.fm, Glen talks with Thomas Eizinger from Firezone about designing a zero trust enterprise VPN built on top of WireGuard. They break down how modern VPNs work in practice, covering virtual network adapters, split tunneling, DNS interception, policy based access, and secure packet routing using WireGuard, ICE, and TURN relays.
The discussion highlights how Firezone differs from legacy VPNs by focusing on performance, reliability, and minimal user friction, while also touching on the role of Rust and Elixir in Firezone’s architecture and the long term importance of IPv6 adoption.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Netstack.FM
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj
episode 18 — Curiosity, Quake, and Networking with Fabien Sanglard.
Glen talks with Fabien Sanglard about curiosity driven engineering, from early computers and classic games like Doom and Quake to modern Android development and ADB. They discuss how networking evolved in games, why latency shaped multiplayer design, how Rust improves reliability in large systems, and why writing and diagrams are powerful tools for truly understanding complex technologies.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Netstack.FM
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj
episode 17 — Early Web History and Interlisp with Larry Masinter.
We sit down with internet pioneer and longtime IETF contributor Larry Masinter to revisit the origins of many technologies developers use every day. From his early days at Xerox PARC to co-authoring foundational RFCs on HTTP, URIs, and more, Larry shares first-hand stories that connect the early web to the world we build in now. The conversation also explores his current passion project: reviving the Interlisp environment as a living historical system.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Netstack.FM
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj
episode 16 — WebRTC and Sans IO with Martin Algesten.
We sit down with Rust developer Martin Algesten for a deep dive into WebRTC and the Sans IO approach to protocol design. Martin traces the surprising origins of WebRTC, explains why real time media over UDP is both powerful and painfully complex, and walks through how peer to peer connections work under the hood. The conversation then shifts to Sans IO design, why it matters for clean protocol implementations in Rust, and how Martin applies it in his own WebRTC stack, str0m.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj
In Episode 15 of netstack.fm, Glen sits down with Edward and Noah from Cloudflare to unpack the design of Pingora, the Rust based proxy framework that now powers Cloudflare’s origin facing traffic. The discussion covers why Cloudflare moved away from NGINX, how Pingora differs from Oxy, and what it takes to operate a high performance global proxy at massive scale. Listeners will learn about connection reuse strategies, dynamic traffic handling, gRPC and protocol translation, custom HTTP implementations, TLS backend choices, and the practical trade offs of Rust, Tokio, and work stealing in real production systems. It is an episode full of deep technical insights into building and operating modern networking infrastructure.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Netstack.FM
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj
Episode 14 – Roto And Cascade with Terts and Arya from NLnet Labs.
In this episode we have a conversation with Terts and Arya from NLnet Labs. Together we explore their paths into systems programming, the mission of NLnet Labs, and the critical internet infrastructure the organization maintains. The discussion spans DNSSEC, large scale DNS operations, Rotonda, and the Roto scripting language, with deep dives into performance engineering, zero copy design, and building resilient open source networking software. It is a technical episode that highlights the people and ideas behind essential internet protocols.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj
Episode 13 – Inside Ping Proxies with Joseph Dye.
In this episode of Netstack.fm, Glen from Plabayo talks with Joseph Dye (Joe), founding engineer at Ping Proxies, about building large-scale proxy infrastructure in Rust. Joe shares how he went from art student to programmer, joining Ping when it was a tiny startup running on Python and Squid. He explains how they rebuilt everything in Rust, creating performant HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies and managing massive IP networks for web scraping. The conversation covers the evolution of their stack, challenges with HTTP versions, TCP/IP fingerprinting, user-space networking with DPDK, and the adoption of MASQUE and HTTP/3. Joe also reflects on Rust’s safety benefits, being the only Rust engineer at Ping, and how the company stays competitive through technical innovation rather than size.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Netstack.FM
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
Episode 12 – Oxide Networking with Ryan Goodfellow.
A conversation with Ryan Goodfellow about Rust networking at Oxide. We will explore the Oxide computer stack with a focus on network, including their fully integrated cloud computer, programmable networking with P4 and Dendrite, the Maghemite routing stack, and OPTE — a Rust-based packet engine running inside the kernel. Ryan also shares how his background in large-scale network testbeds led him to help design Oxide’s rack-scale system and its modern approach to routing, observability, and hardware–software co-design.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Netstack.FM
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
Episode 11 – Modern networking in Firefox with Max Inden.
A conversation with Max Inden, Staff Software Engineer at Mozilla, about modernizing Firefox’s networking stack in Rust. We cover his work on the QUIC and HTTP/3 stack — improving UDP I/O, congestion control, and overall performance — and why QUIC matters as a fast, encrypted, and evolvable transport for HTTP/3, WebTransport, and beyond.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Netstack.FM
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
Episode 10 – zerocopy with Joshua Liebow-Feeser.
A conversation with Joshua Liebow-Feeser, the developer behind netstack3 and the creator of zerocopy, a crate that makes zero-cost memory manipulation effortless. Originally built for Fuchsia, zerocopy is now used by over 400 crates on crates.io, with nearly 300 million downloads.
We explore the origins of Fuchsia, the creation and purpose of zerocopy, how it works, and why you might want to use it. And of course, we get to know Joshua and his journey so far.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Netstack.FM
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
Episode 9 – gRPC with Lucio Franco.
A deep dive into the world of asynchronous networking in Rust with Lucio Franco, maintainer of Tonic, Tower, Tokio, and Hyper. We explore the origins and design of gRPC and its Rust implementation, Tonic—how it came to be, what problems it solves, and why it matters. Along the way, Lucio shares insights into open source collaboration, Google’s work on gRPC for Rust, and what the future might hold for the broader async Rust ecosystem.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
Episode 8 – Fuchsia's Netstack3 with Bruno Dal Bo Silva.
In this episode our guest is Bruno Dal Bo Silva, Staff Software Engineer at Google. We will dive into his path into networking and Rust, and the story behind netstack3, the Rust-based networking stack built for Google’s Fuchsia operating system. We cover its origins from the Go-based netstack, why Rust was chosen, and the challenges of implementing a full range of protocols — from TCP and UDP with their POSIX socket API to the many less-visible but essential pieces like ARP, ICMP, IPv6, DHCP, and more. We hope you brought a bowl as you're in or a juicy letter soup with this one. Bruno also shares insights on where he sees the future of netstack3 — including its potential beyond Google.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
Episode 7 – Rustls with Dirkjan Ochtman.
In this episode, we go through Dirkjan's extensive experience in software development, particularly focusing on Rust, TLS, and QUIC protocols.
We explore Dirkjan his journey working on QUIC implementations to his contributions to Rust TLS and Hickory DNS. The conversation also delves into the ACME protocol and the Instant Domain Search project.
Dirkjan shares insights on the future of Rustls and the importance of community support in open-source projects.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
Episode 6 – Curl with Daniel Stenberg.
In this episode of netstack.fm, Glen speaks with Daniel Stenberg, the creator and maintainer of Curl, one of the most widely used networking tools on the internet. They discuss Daniel's journey into programming and networking, the evolution of Curl from a simple tool to a comprehensive solution supporting multiple protocols, and the challenges of maintaining such a large open-source project. Daniel shares insights on the importance of community involvement, the complexities of debugging across various platforms, and his reflections on a 30-year journey with Curl. The conversation highlights the significance of open-source contributions and the future of Curl as a project.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
Episode 5 – Tokio with Carl Lerche.
In this episode of Netstack.fm, Glen speaks with Carl Lerche, the creator and maintainer of the Tokio Runtime, about his journey into technology, the evolution of programming languages, and the impact of Rust on the software development landscape. They discuss the rise of async programming, the development of networking libraries, and the future of Rust in infrastructure. Carl shares insights on the creation of the Bytes crate, the implications of io_uring, and his role at Amazon. The conversation also touches on the upcoming Tokio conference and the introduction of Toasty, a new query engine for Rust.
Learn more:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
In this episode, Glen interviews Delaney, the creator of DataStar, a lightweight framework designed for building real-time collaborative web applications. Delaney shares his journey from being a 3D artist to a developer, emphasizing the importance of hypermedia and real-time visualization. The conversation delves into the efficiency of DataStar, its use of Server-Sent Events (SSE), and the framework's potential for collaborative web experiences. Delaney also discusses the challenges of WebSockets and introduces future projects like DarkStar, aimed at enhancing networking capabilities. Overall, the episode highlights the transformative potential of DataStar in modern web development. In this conversation, Delaney discusses the intricacies of DataStar, a real-time system for handling large volumes of messages. He emphasizes the importance of simplicity in programming, the significance of measuring performance, and the role of abstraction in software development. Delaney also explains the core functions of DataStar, including patch elements and signals, and how they facilitate real-time interactivity. The discussion touches on offline support, the growth of the DataStar community, and the non-profit model that supports its development. Delaney encourages developers to engage with the community and emphasizes the importance of building solutions to real problems.
Learn more about Datastar and Hypermedia:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
In this conversation, Chris Batterbee, co-founder of Metoro, discusses the importance of observability in modern software systems, particularly in Kubernetes environments. He explains how Metoro leverages eBPF technology to simplify observability by automatically instrumenting applications. The discussion also covers the integration of OpenTelemetry, the challenges faced by developers in implementing observability, and the potential of AI in diagnosing issues. Chris shares insights from his experience with Y Combinator and the competitive landscape of observability tools, emphasizing the unique position of Metoro in the market.
Learn more about OpenTelemetry, eBPF and Metoro:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
In this episode, Glen interviews Sean McArthur, the creator and maintainer of the Hyper ecosystem. They discuss Sean's journey in software engineering, the evolution of Rust and asynchronous programming, and the growth of Hyper from its inception at Mozilla to its current status in the web development landscape. Sean shares insights on the creation of hyper, hyper-util, http, headers, the Warp framework, and the challenges of integrating HTTP/3 and QUIC. The conversation also touches on collaboration with cURL, the FFI layer, and Sean's aspirations for the future of Hyper and the broader ecosystem.
Learn more about Sean McArthur, Hyper and Warp:
Rama
If you like this podcast you might also like our modular network framework in Rust: https://ramaproxy.org
Chapters
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.
In the inaugural episode of NetStack FM, hosts Elizabeth and Glen introduce themselves and the purpose of the podcast, which is to explore the intersection of protocols and people in the tech industry. Glen shares his personal journey into technology, discussing his background in software development, gaming, and networking.
The conversation highlights the challenges and learning experiences that shaped his careers, leading to the creation of Rama, a modular framework for building network services.
The episode concludes with a preview of upcoming guests and topics, emphasizing the podcast's goal to educate and engage listeners in the world of networking and Rust.
More information: https://netstack.fm/#episode-1
Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/VN77rKHR
Reach out to us: hello@netstack.fm
Music for this episode was composed by Dj Mailbox. Listen to his music at https://on.soundcloud.com/4MRyPSNj8FZoVGpytj.