SFMIX: the lore
So what’s SFMIX?
The San Francisco Metropolitan Internet eXchange (SFMIX) is an Internet Exchange (IX) in the San Francisco Bay Area. That’s the whole vibe.
An Internet Exchange is a shared switching fabric where networks link up to swap traffic directly, instead of routing it through third-party transit providers (the middlemen, ew). Each network runs a single cable to the exchange and can then reach every other connected network — no need to run a separate cable to each one. This swaps out an expensive full mesh of point-to-point links for one efficient shared connection. Big W.
SFMIX connects its sites with an all-dark-fiber backbone around the Bay Area. Leasing direct access to the glass — instead of leasing wavelengths — means the exchange can scale for a very long time, no cap. The backbone already carries 400GBASE-ZR coherent optics today, and as demand grows we just light additional links on the same fiber span. Easy.
Because this backbone bridges multiple buildings, a single connection in any one facility gives you access to networks in all of them. A port in San Jose can peer with a network in San Francisco as easily as one down the hall — the exchange fabric bridges the distance for you. It’s giving teleportation.
Why Pull Up?
Lower latency — Traffic between participants stays local instead of taking detours through upstream networks. Less lag, fr.
Lower cost — One port replaces a bunch of individual cross-connects and transit fees. Save the bag.
Better resilience — Direct paths mean fewer points of failure between you and your peers. Built different.
Real people — Your critical traffic runs across local networks operated by local people with real email addresses and phone numbers. When you peer with your neighbors, your voice actually gets heard. No bots.
Cool traceroutes — There’s something lowkey satisfying about a traceroute that hops through buildings you can point to on a map. Local peering makes the path your traffic takes tangible and understandable. Main character energy.
The more networks that connect, the more valuable the exchange becomes — a cooperative example of Metcalfe’s Law. The squad gets stronger.
Where to Pull Up?
SFMIX runs across multiple carrier-neutral locations in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Fremont, and San Jose. More spots are planned based on demand.
The Lore (aka History)
Founded in 2006 at 365 Main Street in San Francisco as a single-building IX. The building sponsored rack space and power; the community brought everything else. Real ones.
In 2013, SFMIX started expanding to additional Bay Area facilities, powered by community contributions of equipment, volunteer time, and a shared passion for a better Internet.
Today SFMIX spans 9 locations with 1, 10, 100, and 400Gbps port speeds. SFMIX is an IRS 501(c)(12) cooperative — part of a community of member-owned exchanges including SIX, NWAX, and MICE. The whole friend group.
Meet the people behind SFMIX.
Pricing
Yearly membership fees, no cap (as of 2023):
| Port Speed | Yearly Bag | The Tea |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Gbps | $995/year | 10G with a rate limit > stacking multiple 1G ports, no debate |
| 10 Gbps | $2,995/year | Up to 4 ports in a LAG |
| 100 Gbps | $7,495/year | No LAG limit (go off) |
Fee exemptions get judged case-by-case for non-profits putting in in-kind services that benefit every member of the exchange equally (e.g., root DNS, ccTLD/gTLD, public measurement tools) — real green flag energy. Hit up tech-c@sfmix.org to drop an appeal for a fee exemption.