[GH-ISSUE #5833] Feature Request: Restrict Dashboard Access to VPN-Only / Hide Login Page from Public Internet #12073

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opened 2026-08-05 01:32:21 -04:00 by saavagebueno · 0 comments
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Originally created by @Nitrogly on GitHub (Apr 8, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5833

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

I'm running a self-hosted NetBird instance where users join the network exclusively via Setup Keys. No end-user dashboard login is needed. Only admins should ever access the dashboard. Currently, the dashboard login page is publicly visible to anyone on the internet who knows the server address. Even though the login itself is secured, I'd prefer that the public IP shows no response at all (not even a login page). To reduce the attack surface and avoid unnecessary exposure.

Describe the solution you'd like

A configuration option or via environment variable, for making it possible to expose the dashboard or not.

When enabled:

  • The dashboard is only served on the NetBird peer IP (e.g. 100.64.x.x)
  • The public interface returns no response or a generic connection refused
  • Peer registration and connectivity via Setup Keys continues to work normally on the public interface
  • Admins access the dashboard by first connecting to the VPN

Describe alternatives you've considered

IP whitelisting via cloud firewall rules. This works but is inconvenient when admins connect from different locations and also getting probably problems because the management API runs on port 443.

Additional context
Before submitting this as a feature request: is there already a way to achieve this with the current NetBird setup that I might have missed? If so, I'd be happy to close this and just follow the existing approach.

Originally created by @Nitrogly on GitHub (Apr 8, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5833 **Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.** I'm running a self-hosted NetBird instance where users join the network exclusively via Setup Keys. No end-user dashboard login is needed. Only admins should ever access the dashboard. Currently, the dashboard login page is publicly visible to anyone on the internet who knows the server address. Even though the login itself is secured, I'd prefer that the public IP shows no response at all (not even a login page). To reduce the attack surface and avoid unnecessary exposure. **Describe the solution you'd like** A configuration option or via environment variable, for making it possible to expose the dashboard or not. When enabled: - The dashboard is only served on the NetBird peer IP (e.g. `100.64.x.x`) - The public interface returns no response or a generic connection refused - Peer registration and connectivity via Setup Keys continues to work normally on the public interface - Admins access the dashboard by first connecting to the VPN **Describe alternatives you've considered** IP whitelisting via cloud firewall rules. This works but is inconvenient when admins connect from different locations and also getting probably problems because the management API runs on port 443. **Additional context** Before submitting this as a feature request: is there already a way to achieve this with the current NetBird setup that I might have missed? If so, I'd be happy to close this and just follow the existing approach.
saavagebueno added the feature-request label 2026-08-05 01:32:21 -04:00
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Reference: DYNR/netbird#12073