[GH-ISSUE #2215] Implement Zero Trust Authentication for Web Applications #4658

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opened 2026-08-05 00:59:01 -04:00 by saavagebueno · 5 comments
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Originally created by @toasterlolz on GitHub (Jun 28, 2024).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/2215

I've been thinking about a feature of implementing Zero Trust authentication for web applications.

Essentially, I'm imagining extending the current capabilities to support Zero Trust principles by adding support for web application authentication based on emails, groups, and other identity factors, similar to what Cloudflare Tunnel does for web apps.

Implementing this also provides isolation for self-hosted applications, requiring users to authenticate before they can access anything.

Is this something that’s possible to implement? I’m really excited about the potential of this feature and would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Originally created by @toasterlolz on GitHub (Jun 28, 2024). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/2215 I've been thinking about a feature of implementing Zero Trust authentication for web applications. Essentially, I'm imagining extending the current capabilities to support Zero Trust principles by adding support for web application authentication based on emails, groups, and other identity factors, similar to what Cloudflare Tunnel does for web apps. Implementing this also provides isolation for self-hosted applications, requiring users to authenticate before they can access anything. Is this something that’s possible to implement? I’m really excited about the potential of this feature and would love to hear your thoughts on it.
saavagebueno added the feature-request label 2026-08-05 00:59:01 -04:00
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@braginini commented on GitHub (Jul 15, 2024):

Hey @gr4n73
This is possible. And I think that this is a great idea. Could you please point out to this feature of Cloudflare Tunnel? A link to the docs would do.

Are you looking into protecting internal/self-hosted apps or SaaS (e.g., salesforce)

<!-- gh-comment-id:2227963359 --> @braginini commented on GitHub (Jul 15, 2024): Hey @gr4n73 This is possible. And I think that this is a great idea. Could you please point out to this feature of Cloudflare Tunnel? A link to the docs would do. Are you looking into protecting internal/self-hosted apps or SaaS (e.g., salesforce)
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@toasterlolz commented on GitHub (Jul 15, 2024):

Hey @braginini,

Yes, as you mentioned, I am looking into protecting self-hosted apps.

Link to the Docs: https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/applications/configure-apps/self-hosted-apps/.

The below image is the architecture from the above docs.

image

<!-- gh-comment-id:2227972630 --> @toasterlolz commented on GitHub (Jul 15, 2024): Hey @braginini, Yes, as you mentioned, I am looking into protecting self-hosted apps. Link to the Docs: https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/applications/configure-apps/self-hosted-apps/. The below image is the architecture from the above docs. ![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/423e41e1-8963-4d9c-839c-3bcd9f8af22f)
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@braginini commented on GitHub (Jul 15, 2024):

Thank you for the swift reply, @gr4n73

<!-- gh-comment-id:2228918816 --> @braginini commented on GitHub (Jul 15, 2024): Thank you for the swift reply, @gr4n73
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@braginini commented on GitHub (Jul 20, 2024):

Hey @gr4n73
The way it works right now is that you install a routing peer in your private network (data center) and configure a network route using this peer to route traffic.

Every NetBird client app will need to authenticate before being able to access that routed network and apps inside it. The auth session is configurable and defaults to 24h.

You can create DNS routes pointing to specific internal apps.

Is it something that could work for you? Or are you missing auth on every request to the internal app?

The difference is that the app wont be published on internet.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2240936481 --> @braginini commented on GitHub (Jul 20, 2024): Hey @gr4n73 The way it works right now is that you install a routing peer in your private network (data center) and configure a network route using this peer to route traffic. Every NetBird client app will need to authenticate before being able to access that routed network and apps inside it. The auth session is configurable and defaults to 24h. You can create DNS routes pointing to specific internal apps. Is it something that could work for you? Or are you missing auth on every request to the internal app? The difference is that the app wont be published on internet.
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@lisandromaselli commented on GitHub (Feb 12, 2025):

Hi @braginini I think it would be great to have a way to enforce additional authentication on every request to the internal app itself. Even if the app isn’t published on the internet, a per-request auth check or token validation can help achieve a stronger zero-trust posture

<!-- gh-comment-id:2654505540 --> @lisandromaselli commented on GitHub (Feb 12, 2025): Hi @braginini I think it would be great to have a way to enforce additional authentication on every request to the internal app itself. Even if the app isn’t published on the internet, a per-request auth check or token validation can help achieve a stronger zero-trust posture
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Reference: DYNR/netbird#4658