[GH-ISSUE #5963] Reverse proxy: target peer group / internal domain #11962

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opened 2026-08-05 01:31:54 -04:00 by saavagebueno · 5 comments
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Originally created by @3ster on GitHub (Apr 22, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5963

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Currently reverse proxy targets can only be peers or network resources, not peer groups or internal domains. This results in the reverse proxy feature not being viable when the targeted service is connected via ephemeral peer, for example via sidecar container.
Describe the solution you'd like
I'd like to be able to target internal domains, i.e. service.netbird.cloud, in order to support ephemeral clients.
Describe alternatives you've considered
Adding an internal domain as a network resource does not work. Pointing the reverse proxy to a peer explicitly breaks compatibility with ephemeral peers as the target has to be changed every time the ephemeral peer reconnects and rotates its identity.
Adding the targeted service via network resource works but is not ideal as it means exiting the p2p network.
Additional context
Setting NB_HOSTNAME in the environment variables of a peer allows it to share its internal DNS name with other peers. When used with ephemeral peers this results in a static DNS record pointing to a service. This works fine, but not with the reverse proxy feature.

Originally created by @3ster on GitHub (Apr 22, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5963 **Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.** Currently reverse proxy targets can only be peers or network resources, not peer groups or internal domains. This results in the reverse proxy feature not being viable when the targeted service is connected via ephemeral peer, for example via sidecar container. **Describe the solution you'd like** I'd like to be able to target internal domains, i.e. service.netbird.cloud, in order to support ephemeral clients. **Describe alternatives you've considered** Adding an internal domain as a network resource does not work. Pointing the reverse proxy to a peer explicitly breaks compatibility with ephemeral peers as the target has to be changed every time the ephemeral peer reconnects and rotates its identity. Adding the targeted service via network resource works but is not ideal as it means exiting the p2p network. **Additional context** Setting NB_HOSTNAME in the environment variables of a peer allows it to share its internal DNS name with other peers. When used with ephemeral peers this results in a static DNS record pointing to a service. This works fine, but not with the reverse proxy feature.
saavagebueno added the feature-request label 2026-08-05 01:31:54 -04:00
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@dasunsrule32 commented on GitHub (Apr 22, 2026):

You can create a resource that is an internal domain and target that under the proxy. Not sure if that is what you are looking for? But yeah, I don't see a way to target Zones in the current Nameserver implementation.

<!-- gh-comment-id:4298921039 --> @dasunsrule32 commented on GitHub (Apr 22, 2026): You can create a resource that is an internal domain and target that under the proxy. Not sure if that is what you are looking for? But yeah, I don't see a way to target Zones in the current Nameserver implementation.
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@3ster commented on GitHub (Apr 22, 2026):

It would be, yes, but it doesn't seem to actually work, unfortunately, unless I'm running into a massive user error on my part.

<!-- gh-comment-id:4299234479 --> @3ster commented on GitHub (Apr 22, 2026): It would be, yes, but it doesn't seem to actually work, unfortunately, unless I'm running into a massive user error on my part.
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@dasunsrule32 commented on GitHub (Apr 22, 2026):

Do you have a split dns domain created on your internal network? You would need that to resolve from your routing peers from to local DNS servers for it to work that way. Something like Pi-Hole, Adguard, Unifi, etc that support local DNS records will work. You can even setup a simple dnsmasq setup. You'd need to install a netbird client as well on one of those devices and set it as a routing peer on your local network.

<!-- gh-comment-id:4299266056 --> @dasunsrule32 commented on GitHub (Apr 22, 2026): Do you have a split dns domain created on your internal network? You would need that to resolve from your routing peers from to local DNS servers for it to work that way. Something like Pi-Hole, Adguard, Unifi, etc that support local DNS records will work. You can even setup a simple `dnsmasq` setup. You'd need to install a `netbird` client as well on one of those devices and set it as a routing peer on your local network.
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@3ster commented on GitHub (Apr 29, 2026):

Note that by "internal domain" I mean the domain used internally by netbird for peers within the network, as set in the "DNS Domain" setting, not a domain external to the netbird overlay.

<!-- gh-comment-id:4343715867 --> @3ster commented on GitHub (Apr 29, 2026): Note that by "internal domain" I mean the domain used internally by netbird for peers within the network, as set in the "DNS Domain" setting, not a domain external to the netbird overlay.
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@dasunsrule32 commented on GitHub (Apr 29, 2026):

Gotcha, so the the DNS Domain. Yeah, I don't think that's possible. I think you'd have to something more like this.

<!-- gh-comment-id:4343753371 --> @dasunsrule32 commented on GitHub (Apr 29, 2026): Gotcha, so the the DNS Domain. Yeah, I don't think that's possible. I think you'd have to something more like [this](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/networks/use-cases/by-resource-type/accessing-entire-domains-within-networks#enabling-dns-wildcard-routing).
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Reference: DYNR/netbird#11962