Technology & infrastructure
At menta® we explain transparently how the application is deployed and operated: servers, security, backups, monitoring and service continuity.
These are the main areas that support how menta® runs:
Servers
The infrastructure behind menta® runs on dedicated, high–performance servers, configured to offer stability, security and continuous availability.
Location and reliability
European data centres with security certifications, redundant power and network, and 24/7 monitoring to ensure service continuity.
Application isolation
Each customer runs their own menta® instance in a separate environment to improve security, maintenance and fault isolation.
Reverse proxy & HTTPS
All traffic flows through a reverse proxy with modern TLS, mandatory HTTPS and automatic certificate management.
Maintenance and updates
Regular updates of the operating system, containers and services, with planned maintenance windows to minimise impact.
Backups
At menta® we work with two complementary backup levels:
- Infrastructure backups: full snapshots of servers and system components.
- Backups of each menta® instance: encrypted copies of data, documents and strain records.
Both levels are regularly verified to ensure integrity and fast recovery in case of incidents.
Encrypted backups with Restic
Backups with Restic, encrypting and deduplicating data before transfer, with keys managed securely.
Redundant storage
Encrypted copies in independent providers such as Backblaze B2 and Hetzner Storage Box for geographic redundancy.
Automation and retention
Automated execution via cron with retention policies that keep recent snapshots
and safely prune obsolete ones.
Full Docker project backups
Automatic detection of projects in /home/docker, backing up files and
persistent volumes to restore services and configuration.
Security and isolation
HTTPS reverse proxy, encrypted keys, credentials in .env files
and processes running with minimal privileges.
Continuous verification
Regular restic check and stats runs, with alerts on integrity issues.
Monitoring & alerts
Continuous monitoring of servers, network and applications, with clear dashboards and real-time alerts.
Servers (Beszel)
Real-time metrics for CPU, RAM, disk and processes with Beszel and historical views per host.
Network speed (MySpeed)
Scheduled tests for latency, download and upload, with thresholds for sustained degradations.
Availability (Uptime Kuma)
HTTP/HTTPS monitors, response time and optional public status pages for each collection.
Real-time alerts
Instant notifications (email and/or messaging) for outages, high latency or critical resources.
Thresholds and SLOs
Operational thresholds for key metrics (CPU, memory, disk, ping) and service level objectives.
Dashboards and history
Unified dashboards with historical data and exportable reports for audits and periodic reviews.
Updates & maintenance
menta® follows an active update and continuous improvement policy to keep both the application and the underlying infrastructure secure, stable and optimised.
Versioning and changelog
Every menta® update follows semantic versioning vX.Y.Z with a detailed
CHANGELOG.md for technical traceability.
Database migrations
Structural changes are applied via controlled scripts in /database/migrations/,
checking the version before and after each run.
Security patches
Regular patching of the OS, containers and dependencies following Debian’s lifecycle and PHP library updates.
Maintenance windows
Planned tasks (updates, restarts, migrations) are executed during off-peak hours with prior notice when needed.
Automation with cron
Automated routines for checks, housekeeping and minor dependency updates through scheduled jobs.
Post-update validation
Automatic checks after each update: application access, database integrity and critical services before marking a version as stable.
Access security
Security is a core pillar in menta®: encrypted authentication, granular permissions and per-customer isolation.
Secure authentication
All access via HTTPS and encrypted credentials. Future integration with Keycloak for centralised OIDC.
Role-based permissions
Distinct roles (Administrator, Curator, Technician, Viewer) with tracked actions in the activity history.
Sessions and tokens
Signed tokens, configurable expiry and automatic session regeneration after critical changes.
End-to-end encryption
TLS 1.3 with Perfect Forward Secrecy, and secure password storage using modern algorithms.
Environment isolation
Each customer operates in their own Docker environment with private networks and restricted access.
Audit and activity logs
Detailed logs of logins, changes and user actions in the database, providing full traceability.
Privacy & compliance
At menta® we handle scientific information with high standards of confidentiality, following European data-protection regulations and good documentation practices.
GDPR compliance
We comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, ensuring lawful, transparent and limited processing of scientific and personal data.
Data confidentiality
Data and documents for each collection remain confidential and under full control of the owning organisation.
Access control
Each user only accesses the data and collections that have been explicitly assigned to them.
Retention and deletion
Data is kept only as long as needed for collection management and is securely deleted upon expiration or explicit request.
Encrypted data at rest
Files stored on servers and in backups remain encrypted at all times, with per-instance keys and secure credential handling.
Transparency and audit
Full transparency on data management and access logs, with the possibility of audits on request from the data owner or security lead.
Continuous support: infrastructure matters as much as attention. With menta®, every collection benefits from personalised technical support, proactive maintenance and direct communication with the team responsible for development and operations.
menta® is built on our own mentaBase technology, designed to provide robust traceability and performance for microbial collections.