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How to Set Up Secure Remote Access with Netmaker on a VPS

A practical guide to Netmaker on an Ubuntu VPS: DNS, firewall ports, Netclient onboarding, Remote Access Gateways, Egress Gateway routes, and validation.
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Set up a Netmaker server on an Ubuntu 24.04 VPS with a public static IP, point service DNS records at it, and allow the required web and WireGuard traffic through both the VPS firewall and cloud security group. Then create a non-overlapping Netmaker network, join nodes with Netclient, and assign a Remote Access Gateway for users. To reach a home or office LAN, add an Egress Gateway on a machine that can reach that LAN and route only the required private address ranges.

The available Community installation command comes from a guide marked deprecated, so treat it as a legacy documented method—not confirmation that it is the current recommended installer. If you use it, review the current Netmaker installation instructions first. The remaining sections explain the network design, ports, and access controls that make the deployment work securely.

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What you need before installing Netmaker

Plan the server endpoint, DNS, address ranges, and firewall rules before running the installer. These choices determine whether clients can connect and whether routes to a remote LAN work without clashing with users’ local networks.

VPS and operating system

  • Operating system: Ubuntu 24.04 is the documented server OS.
  • Public endpoint: Use a public static IP so Netmaker nodes can reliably reach the server. Confirm whether your VPS provides IPv4, IPv6, or both, and use the reachable address family in DNS and firewall rules.
  • Resources: The published minimum is 1 GB RAM, 1 CPU, and 2 GB storage. The production recommendation is 2 GB RAM, 2 CPU, and 10 GB storage. These are sizing recommendations, not throughput guarantees.
  • Provider: The setup guide recommends DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS, Azure, and GCP, and notes known network-configuration issues with Oracle Cloud.

Domain names and TLS

Domain access is preferred for service DNS and TLS. Create public DNS records that resolve to the VPS for the Netmaker API, dashboard, and MQTT broker. The documented example names are api.example.com, dashboard.example.com, and broker.example.com. Optional monitoring and exporter records are prometheus.example.com, grafana.example.com, and netmaker-exporter.example.com.

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If you use Cloudflare, proxying can interfere with MQTT. Use DNS-only behavior for the affected hostname when required; do not assume that proxying works for every Netmaker service.

Address plan

Choose a Netmaker network range that does not overlap with the home or office LANs you plan to reach, or with users’ local networks. For example, if a user’s laptop is already on a local network using the same range as the office network, the laptop may send traffic to its local network instead of through the tunnel. Decide the ranges before creating the network and routes; changing an address plan later can require updating connected nodes and route settings.

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Install the server and check its initial access

The Community command documented by the deprecated quick-install guide downloads and runs the installer as root. The URL shown here is the exact script URL in that command:

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sudo wget -qO /root/nm-quick.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gravitl/netmaker/master/scripts/nm-quick.sh && sudo chmod +x /root/nm-quick.sh && sudo /root/nm-quick.sh

For the Pro installation, that guide says to append -p. Because the guide is deprecated, confirm the supported installation path and command in Netmaker’s current official documentation before deploying a new production server. A downloaded shell script run with root privileges can make system-level changes; only run it when you have verified that the source and method are appropriate for your deployment.

  1. Provision the Ubuntu 24.04 VPS and assign or retain its public static IP.
  2. Create the DNS records for the API, dashboard, and broker, and any optional monitoring services you intend to use.
  3. Allow the server traffic listed in the firewall section below in both the cloud security group and the VPS host firewall.
  4. Run the currently supported installation method for your edition. If you are intentionally following the deprecated Community quick-install guide, use its command above.
  5. Open the dashboard hostname in a browser, sign in with the initial credentials, create or invite an administrator, and confirm that the administrator can access the dashboard. Replace or retire any initial credentials according to the server’s supported account-management process.

Open the right ports in both firewalls

Cloud security groups and the operating system firewall are separate layers. A port must be permitted at each layer that filters it. The server, a gateway-only host, and a Linux Netclient node do not necessarily need identical rules.

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System or purpose Protocol and port Why it is listed
Netmaker server TCP 80 Caddy certificate requests.
Netmaker server TCP 443 Dashboard, API, and MQTT services.
Netmaker server UDP 51821 and UDP 443 WireGuard traffic.
Linux Netclient node UDP 51821 and UDP 443 WireGuard ports listed for Linux nodes. From Netclient v0.30.0, the client tries UDP 443 as its default listening port and falls back to 51821 if that port is unavailable.
Linux Netclient node TCP 51821 Endpoint detection port listed by Netmaker documentation.
Linux Netclient node Outbound access to the server and outbound TCP 443 Connectivity requirements listed for nodes; allow only the destinations and directions appropriate to your firewall design.
Separate Remote Access Gateway UDP 51821 The security guide says a separate Remote Access Gateway needs only this WireGuard UDP port exposed.

The port requirements above describe the documented services; they are not a reason to open every port on every host. In particular, distinguish a Netmaker server, which serves the dashboard and API, from a separate gateway that only forwards encrypted WireGuard traffic.

Enable forwarding deliberately

Traffic routed through a gateway must be allowed to pass through it. The deprecated setup guide gives iptables --policy FORWARD ACCEPT as a way to guarantee forwarding. That command sets the forwarding policy to accept broadly; it is not a narrowly scoped rule. Do not apply it automatically to a host whose security policy depends on restricting forwarded traffic. Ensure forwarding is enabled and permitted in a way that matches the routes and firewall policy you intend to operate.

Default-deny rules for a gateway-only Ubuntu host

For a separate gateway host that should accept no unsolicited inbound traffic except WireGuard, the security guide gives this UFW starting point:

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sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow 51821/udp

Enable UFW if it is not already enabled, or reload it after changing rules. Before enabling a deny-incoming policy on a remotely managed machine, ensure your administration method is allowed so you do not lock yourself out. Add any genuinely required management access explicitly; the three commands above do not add SSH access.

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Create the network and join managed nodes

Netmaker uses WireGuard for encrypted transport. Netclient is the management agent for supported devices; installing it alone does not enroll a machine in a network.

  1. Create a Netmaker network. Select the planned CIDR and verify that it does not overlap with LANs or client networks that need to communicate through it.
  2. Install Netclient on a supported device. Supported systems listed in the documentation are Linux, Windows, macOS, and FreeBSD. On Linux, Netclient runs as a system daemon.
  3. Enroll the node with a join token. Run netclient join -t <token> on the device, substituting the token issued for the intended network. Treat join tokens as credentials and share them only through an appropriate secure channel.
  4. Verify the node appears and connects. Confirm its status in Netmaker before relying on it as a route or gateway. If it cannot connect, check DNS resolution, outbound connectivity to the server, the applicable cloud and host firewall rules, and whether the listening WireGuard port is reachable.

For a device that cannot run Netclient, Netmaker can generate a standard WireGuard configuration. That provides a way to connect unsupported devices, but it is a configuration file rather than the Netclient-managed enrollment flow. Keep generated configurations private and revoke or replace them when access should end.

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Choose the gateway that matches the traffic direction

Netmaker’s gateway functions solve different problems. A Remote Access Gateway is an entry point for people or devices connecting into the Netmaker network. An Egress Gateway advertises routes from that network toward a private site or other external ranges. A single node may perform one or both functions, but keeping their roles clear makes firewall and routing decisions easier.

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Design Role Public-IP and exposure considerations When to use it
Netmaker server as Remote Access Gateway Ingress for Remote Access Clients (RAC) or WireGuard-config clients. The gateway node must have a public IP. The Netmaker server is an acceptable default; it also needs the server’s web/API and WireGuard rules. A straightforward starting design when the server itself can serve as the public entry point.
Separate Remote Access Gateway Ingress for remote users into the Netmaker network. It must be publicly reachable. The security guide says it needs only UDP 51821 exposed when it is a separate gateway. When you want to separate user entry from the server’s dashboard and API services.
Egress Gateway at a home or office Routes selected traffic from Netmaker clients into the private LAN. The host must be able to reach the LAN. If it sits behind NAT, forward UDP 51821 on the router and set a static listening port when required. When authorized users need to access private-site services by their private addresses.

Configure Remote Access for users

Assign a publicly reachable node as the Remote Access Gateway, then onboard users through authenticated access. Remote Access Clients authenticate to the self-hosted server and connect to their assigned gateway. The documented access options include the Netmaker Desktop App and generated WireGuard configuration files. Relay mode can help nodes that cannot establish direct peer-to-peer connections.

Where practical, use the Remote Access Client flow with user authentication and role assignment rather than distributing reusable VPN configuration files. The security guide describes RAC login as safer operationally because access remains tied to user credentials and assigned roles. Netmaker also documents Service Users, invitations, and OAuth/SSO as onboarding and authentication options. Give users only the access their role requires, and remove or change assignments when that access is no longer appropriate.

Route a home or office LAN through an Egress Gateway

  1. Choose a Linux machine on the private site that can reach the LAN resources users need.
  2. Install Netclient on it, join it to the Netmaker network, and configure that node as an Egress Gateway.
  3. Add only the external route ranges that should be reachable through this gateway. Avoid advertising a broad range when users need access to only a few private subnets.
  4. Keep NAT egress enabled when appropriate for the way the private network handles return traffic.
  5. If the egress host is behind a router performing NAT, forward UDP 51821 from the router to that host. Set a static listening port when required so the forwarded port continues to point to the expected WireGuard listener.
  6. Connect a client and test a required service using its private IP address. A successful tunnel does not by itself prove that the intended LAN route or return path is correct.

A gateway route is not a substitute for LAN reachability: the gateway machine must be able to reach the target network, and the address ranges must not collide with the client’s local routes. If access fails, check those conditions before exposing additional ports.

Validate the deployment without exposing private services

Work through this checklist from the public endpoint inward. Test from a network outside the VPS and private site rather than relying only on a machine already inside either network.

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  1. Confirm the VPS has a public static endpoint and that each required DNS name resolves to it.
  2. Confirm TCP 80 and 443 and the required WireGuard UDP ports are allowed in both cloud security groups and the host firewall.
  3. Confirm forwarding is enabled where traffic must traverse a gateway, and that firewall policy permits the intended routes.
  4. Check that the Netmaker network, private-site routes, and client-local ranges do not overlap.
  5. Create the network, join a test node with Netclient, and verify that it connects.
  6. Assign the Remote Access Gateway and test a RAC login or WireGuard configuration from an external network.
  7. If private-site access is needed, verify the Egress Gateway route and, for a gateway behind NAT, the router’s UDP 51821 forwarding and required static listening port.
  8. Test a private service by its private address. Keep private web, file, and administrative services off the public internet; expose only the required encrypted WireGuard transport on gateway hosts.

Troubleshoot the most common failures

The dashboard or API hostname does not load

  • Check that the DNS record points to the VPS’s current public static address.
  • Check TCP 443 at both firewall layers, and TCP 80 where needed for Caddy certificate requests.
  • Confirm that the installation completed and that the hostname used is the one configured for the service.

Nodes do not establish a tunnel

  • Check UDP 51821 and UDP 443 rules where the server or node needs them, and confirm that the cloud firewall and host firewall agree.
  • For Linux nodes, account for Netclient v0.30.0 and later trying UDP 443 first and falling back to 51821 if unavailable.
  • Confirm the node has outbound access to the server and outbound TCP 443 as documented.
  • If direct peer-to-peer connectivity is not possible, consider whether relay mode is needed.

A user connects but cannot reach the home or office resource

  • Check that the route is configured on an Egress Gateway, not only a Remote Access Gateway.
  • Confirm the gateway host can reach the target private address on the LAN.
  • Check for overlapping CIDRs and verify the client is using the intended private route.
  • If the gateway is behind NAT, verify router forwarding for UDP 51821 and the configured listening port.
  • Verify the gateway’s forwarding and firewall policy permits the selected route, and that return traffic can reach the client.

MQTT connectivity is unreliable with proxied DNS

Cloudflare proxying may interfere with MQTT. Try DNS-only behavior for the broker hostname when required, while retaining the proxy choice appropriate for other service names.

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