Systems and methods for establishing discrete connection to a network endpoint

1. A computer-implemented method of connecting a client to a desired network endpoint, comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request from a requestor identifying the desired network endpoint to be accessed;

wherein the server acts as an agent for the requestor to a platform as a service provider such that the requestor and the platform as a service provider do not directly communicate;

using the server to allocate one or more proxy instances to receive a connection from the client and to forward the connection to the network endpoint, the one or more proxy instances comprising:

at least one proxy instance configured to receive the connection from the client to set up a discrete network connection between the client and the network endpoint, and

at least one proxy instance configured to facilitate the discrete network connection without any detectable direct contact between the client and the network endpoint; and

deleting the one or more proxy instances upon occurrence of a session end criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the requestor is the network endpoint, prompting the server to request the platform as a service provider to perform the configuring of the one or more proxy instances; and

wherein the platform as a service provider performs the configuring of the one or more proxy instances.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more proxy instances comprises a pool of proxy instances.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the server allocates one proxy instance from the pool of proxy instances to the client upon the client entering a URL corresponding to the network endpoint.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the server requests the platform as a service provider to create a new proxy instance upon the server allocating the one proxy instance from the pool of proxy instances to the client; and

wherein the platform as a service provider creates the new proxy instance per the server's request.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the server issues an HTTP 302 (Resource Temporarily Moved) response code to the client containing a URL of the one proxy instance that was allocated to the client.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one proxy instance configured to receive the connection from the client to set up the discrete network connection comprises a first reverse proxy, and the at least one proxy instance configured to facilitate the discrete network connection without any detectable direct contact between the client and the network endpoint comprises a second reverse proxy; and wherein the one or more proxy instances are further implemented by:

sending an invitation indicating a mechanism for connecting to the first reverse proxy to the client;

sending access credentials to the client over the first reverse proxy connection including an address for connecting to the second reverse proxy; and

deleting the first reverse proxy connection upon delivery of the access credentials.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the session end criteria comprises the client terminating the discrete network connection to the network endpoint, an expiration of a pre-determined period of time, or inactivity for more than a threshold period of time.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the requestor is the client.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more proxy instances are configured with an IP address whitelist limiting connections to the one or more proxy instances to connections from the client.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the server forwards the request to the platform as a service provider to configure the one or more proxy instances.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the server requests the platform as a service provider to delete the one or more proxy instances upon occurrence of the session end criteria; and

wherein the platform as a service provider deletes the one or more proxy instances per the server's request.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the server receives at least one URL to the one or more proxy instances from the platform as a service provider and transmits the at least one URL of the one or more proxy instances to the client, the client establishing the connection to the one or more proxy instances using the at least one URL of the one or more proxy instances.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the network endpoint is the public IP address of an inbound proxy node comprising a hub device of an on-demand computing network configured to comprise one or more rim devices, which can only be contacted by the client through the hub device wherein the network endpoint is configured to be a rim device.

15. A computer-implemented system for connecting a client to a desired network endpoint, comprising:

a server comprising:

one or more data processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions to command one or more data processors to:

receive a request from a requestor identifying the desired network endpoint to be accessed;

act as an agent for the requestor to a platform as a service provider such that the requestor and the platform as a service provider do not directly communicate;

make a request to the platform as a service provider to configure one or more proxy instances to receive a connection from the client and to forward the connection to the network endpoint, the one or more proxy instances comprising:

at least one proxy instance configured to receive the connection from the client to set up a discrete network connection between the client and the network endpoint, and

at least one proxy instance configured to facilitate the discrete network connection without any detectable direct contact between the client and the network endpoint; and

delete the one or more proxy instances upon occurrence of a session end criteria.

16. The computer-implemented system of claim 15 , wherein the requestor is the client.

17. The computer-implemented system of claim 15 , wherein the requestor is the network endpoint, prompting the server to request the platform as a service provider to perform the configuring of the one or more proxy instances; and

wherein the platform as a service provider performs the configuring of the one or more proxy instances.

18. The computer-implemented system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more proxy instances comprises a pool of proxy instances.

19. The computer-implemented system of claim 18 , wherein the server allocates one proxy instance from the pool of proxy instances to the client upon the client entering a URL corresponding to the network endpoint.

20. A computer-implemented system for connecting a client to a desired network endpoint, comprising:

a processor-implemented platform as a service provider configured to implement instructions stored on a computer-readable medium that commands the platform as a service provider to execute steps comprising:

receiving a request from the client identifying the desired network endpoint to be accessed;

configuring one or more proxy instances to receive a connection from the client and to forward the connection to the network endpoint, the one or more proxy instances comprising:

a first reverse proxy instance configured to receive the connection from the client to set up a discrete network connection between the client and the network endpoint, and

a second reverse proxy instance configured to facilitate the discrete network connection without any detectable direct contact between the client and the network endpoint;

wherein the client to network endpoint connection is implemented by:

 sending to the client a mechanism for connecting to the first reverse proxy; and

 sending access credentials to the client over the first reverse proxy connection for connecting to the second reverse proxy; and

deleting the one or more proxy instances upon occurrence of a session end criteria.

21. A computer-implemented method of connecting a client to a desired network endpoint, comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request from a requestor identifying the desired network endpoint to be accessed;

wherein the server acts as an agent for the requestor to a platform as a service provider such that the requestor and the platform as a service provider do not directly communicate;

using the server to allocate a pool of proxy instances that is configured to set up a discrete network connection between the client and the network endpoint, wherein at least one of the proxy instances is configured to receive a connection from the client and to forward the connection to the network endpoint;

allocating the at least one proxy instance from the pool of proxy instances;

facilitating the discrete network connection without any detectable direct contact between the client and the network endpoint using the at least one proxy instance; and

deleting the at least one proxy instance upon occurrence of a session end criteria.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein each of the proxy instances of the pool of proxy instances are configured to receive the connection from the client and forward the connection to the network endpoint.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the pool of proxy instances comprises a quantity of proxy instances, and wherein the server requests the platform as a service provider to create at least one new proxy instance to maintain the quantity of proxy instances upon the server allocating the at least one proxy instance to the client; and

wherein the platform as a service provider creates the new proxy instance per the server's request.