[GH-ISSUE #5391] exit node inside a Docker container #10480

New Issue

saavagebueno · 2026-08-05T01:26:04-04:00

saavagebueno commented

2026-08-05 01:26:04 -04:00

Originally created by @AlbertHakvoort on GitHub (Feb 19, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5391

Describe the problem

When using Netbird as an exit node inside a Docker container (network_mode: host), no internet access is provided to clients when the default 0.0.0.0/0 route is assigned. However, specific routes (e.g. /32) do work correctly.

The root cause is that the netbird-rt-fwd nftables chain does not receive an accept rule for 0.0.0.0/0, while specific routes do get one.

To Reproduce

Deploy netbirdio/netbird:0.65.2 as an exit node in Docker with network_mode: host
Configure a 0.0.0.0/0 exit route in the self-hosted Netbird dashboard
Assign it to a peer group
From a client, activate the exit node
Internet access fails

On the exit node host, inspect nftables:

nft list chain ip netbird netbird-rt-fwd

Result:

chain netbird-rt-fwd {
    ct state established,related counter accept
    ip daddr 146.103.47.30 counter accept    # ← specific route works
    # ← NO 0.0.0.0/0 accept rule!
}

The netbird-acl-forward-filter chain then drops all other traffic from wt0:

chain netbird-acl-forward-filter {
    meta mark 0x0001bd20 accept
    iifname "wt0" jump netbird-rt-fwd
    iifname "wt0" drop                       # ← all non-matched traffic is dropped
}

Workaround

Manually adding the accept rule immediately restores internet for exit node clients:

nft add rule ip netbird netbird-rt-fwd ip daddr 0.0.0.0/0 accept

This must be re-applied after every Netbird restart as the rules are regenerated.

Expected behavior

When a 0.0.0.0/0 exit route is configured in the dashboard, the netbird-rt-fwd chain should contain an ip daddr 0.0.0.0/0 accept rule (or equivalent catch-all) so that internet traffic is properly forwarded.

Environment

NetBird version: 0.65.2
Running: Docker container with network_mode: host on Debian
Dashboard: Self-hosted
Host sysctl: net.ipv4.ip_forward=1, net.ipv4.conf.all.src_valid_mark=1
NAT: iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -s 100.64.0.0/10 ! -d 100.64.0.0/10 -j MASQUERADE

Have you tried these troubleshooting steps?

Reviewed client troubleshooting
Checked for newer NetBird versions
Searched for similar issues on GitHub (including closed ones)
Restarted the NetBird client
Disabled other VPN software
Checked firewall settings

Originally created by @AlbertHakvoort on GitHub (Feb 19, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5391 ## Describe the problem When using Netbird as an exit node inside a Docker container (`network_mode: host`), no internet access is provided to clients when the default `0.0.0.0/0` route is assigned. However, specific routes (e.g. `/32`) **do** work correctly. The root cause is that the `netbird-rt-fwd` nftables chain does not receive an accept rule for `0.0.0.0/0`, while specific routes do get one. ## To Reproduce 1. Deploy `netbirdio/netbird:0.65.2` as an exit node in Docker with `network_mode: host` 2. Configure a `0.0.0.0/0` exit route in the self-hosted Netbird dashboard 3. Assign it to a peer group 4. From a client, activate the exit node 5. Internet access fails On the exit node host, inspect nftables: ```bash nft list chain ip netbird netbird-rt-fwd ``` Result: ``` chain netbird-rt-fwd { ct state established,related counter accept ip daddr 146.103.47.30 counter accept # ← specific route works # ← NO 0.0.0.0/0 accept rule! } ``` The `netbird-acl-forward-filter` chain then drops all other traffic from `wt0`: ``` chain netbird-acl-forward-filter { meta mark 0x0001bd20 accept iifname "wt0" jump netbird-rt-fwd iifname "wt0" drop # ← all non-matched traffic is dropped } ``` ## Workaround Manually adding the accept rule immediately restores internet for exit node clients: ```bash nft add rule ip netbird netbird-rt-fwd ip daddr 0.0.0.0/0 accept ``` This must be re-applied after every Netbird restart as the rules are regenerated. ## Expected behavior When a `0.0.0.0/0` exit route is configured in the dashboard, the `netbird-rt-fwd` chain should contain an `ip daddr 0.0.0.0/0 accept` rule (or equivalent catch-all) so that internet traffic is properly forwarded. ## Environment - **NetBird version:** 0.65.2 - **Running:** Docker container with `network_mode: host` on Debian - **Dashboard:** Self-hosted - **Host sysctl:** `net.ipv4.ip_forward=1`, `net.ipv4.conf.all.src_valid_mark=1` - **NAT:** `iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -s 100.64.0.0/10 ! -d 100.64.0.0/10 -j MASQUERADE` ## Have you tried these troubleshooting steps? - [x] Reviewed client troubleshooting - [x] Checked for newer NetBird versions - [x] Searched for similar issues on GitHub (including closed ones) - [x] Restarted the NetBird client - [x] Disabled other VPN software - [x] Checked firewall settings

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Reference: DYNR/netbird#10480