Configuring Metabase Behind a Reverse Proxy in Rosetta

Last updated
Save as PDF
Share
1. Share
2. Tweet
3. Share

Product: Rosetta
Product Version: 9.1 -

Overview

Starting Rosetta 9.1, Metabase can be deployed as an alternative reporting framework alongside BIRT.
By default, Metabase listens on HTTP port 3000 and is typically not exposed directly to end users.
However, organizations could tunnel Metabase through an existing load balancer or reverse proxy.
This article describes the recommended deployment strategy and alternative approaches that may be used, depending on local infrastructure capabilities.

Recommended Deployment (Preferred): Dedicated Metabase Hostname (CNAME)

The recommended and supported approach is to configure a dedicated proxy hostname for Metabase, then reverse proxy all requests to Metabase running on HTTP port 3000.

External Rosetta URL:  https://rosetta.example.org
External Metabase URL: https://rosetta-metabase.example.org
Reverse proxied to:    http://metabase-rosetta-server:3000

The reverse proxy should forward all requests, including requests against the root URL (/).

Advantages

Simplest and most reliable configuration
No URL rewrite rules required
Fully compatible with Metabase authentication and session handling
Easier SSL certificate management
Consistent with the deployment model used in Clarivate Hosted Rosetta environments

Example Topology

Users
   |
HTTPS/443
   |
Load Balancer / Reverse Proxy
   |
HTTP/3000
   |
Metabase

Alternative Deployment: Shared Proxy Hostname

Some institutions may prefer not to introduce an additional hostname and instead expose Metabase through the same load balancer already serving Rosetta and Cantaloupe.

Example: https://rosetta.example.org
Serving Rosetta, Cantaloupe and Metabase through a single hostname.

This approach is possible but requires advanced reverse proxy configuration and may have limitations.

URI-Based Routing

The proxy must identify requests intended for Metabase and route them to port 3000.

Example rules
https://rosetta.example.org/embed/*
https://rosetta.example.org/api/*
https://rosetta.example.org/app/*

Should be forwarded respectively to:
http://metabase-rosetta-server:3000/embed/*
http://metabase-rosetta-server:3000/api/*
http://metabase-rosetta-server:3000/app/*

Access to the Metabase User Interface

To allow users to access the Metabase UI through a shared hostname, additional proxy rules need to be created:

Example rules
https://rosetta.example.org/metabase/*
https://rosetta.example.org/auth/*

Should be forwarded respectively to:
http://metabase-rosetta-server:3000/*
http://metabase-rosetta-server:3000/auth/*

This configuration is infrastructure-dependent and may require URL rewriting capabilities on the reverse proxy.

Proxy Rule Priority

When multiple components share the same hostname, routing priority is important.
Rosetta traffic should be handled only after more specific Metabase and Cantaloupe routes have been evaluated
Recommended order:

1) Metabase rules

2) Cantaloupe rules

3) Rosetta (Tomcat) rules

Limitations of Shared-Hostname Deployments

Metabase was not originally designed to operate under an arbitrary URL prefix. During testing, configurations that relied on URL rewriting and URI prefixes could lead to navigation issues and page refresh failures. This is the primary reason why the dedicated-CNAME approach was selected for Hosted Rosetta deployments.

For this reason, institutions planning to deploy Metabase under "https://rosetta.example.org/metabase" should perform thorough testing before adopting this approach in production.

Rosetta Configuration

After the reverse proxy configuration is completed, the Metabase load balancer URL should be configured in:
/exlibris/dps/d4_1/system.dir/conf/metabase.properties
in parameter metabase.LB.url depending on the deployment model.
For example: metabase.LB.url=https://rosetta-metabase.example.org

A Rosetta application restart is required after changing this value.

Further information

For more information on Metabase, please consult the guide below or contact Rosetta support.

Article last edited: 06-AUG-2026