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Open private pages securely

A web tab opens a page from inside a host’s network, such as a Grafana dashboard, in your own browser. Tunnels in the desktop app carry other ports the same way.

Updated

On this page
  1. How a web tab works
  2. Open a web page
  3. Save a page for everyone
  4. How a tunnel works
  5. Forward a port
  6. Three kinds of tunnel
  7. Without opening a port
  8. Good to know

How a web tab works

The page travels inside the SSH connection to the host, which fetches it from inside its own network. Nothing new is opened to the internet.

YOUR HOST’S NETWORKHTTPSSSHHTTP(S)Your browsera new tabGoTermchecks it’s you, on every requestYour hostover SSHThe page10.0.0.5:3000
Your browser asks GoTerm for the page over HTTPS; GoTerm checks it’s you, carries the request over SSH to your host, and the host fetches the page from inside its network.
  • Each tab has an address of its own, and only you can open yours.
  • Lose access to the host, and its tabs close with it.
  • A web tab carries web pages and their WebSockets, never other traffic.

Open a web page

  1. On Hosts, open a host’s … menu and choose Open web page….
  2. Type the page’s address as the host reaches it, such as 10.0.0.5:3000.
  3. Choose Open. The page opens in a new browser tab.

Tip: localhost in the address is the host itself.

The Open a web page through k8s-ctl dialog, with the saved pages Grafana and Prometheus and an address typed in.Open the full-size picture

Save a page for everyone

Whoever manages a host can save its pages, for everyone who can connect to it.

  1. Open Tunnels and choose Save a page.
  2. Give it a Name and an Address, and pick the host under Through the host.
  3. Choose Save page. It’s on Tunnels, and in the host’s menu.

Tip: A saved page keeps its address, so you can bookmark it.

The Tunnels page: saved web pages Grafana, Prometheus and a staging site, and two saved tunnels below.Open the full-size picture

How a tunnel works

A tunnel in the desktop app opens a port on your own computer that leads to a port behind a host, such as a database.

YOUR HOST’S NETWORKHTTPSSSHTCPYour computerpsql to localhost:15432GoTermchecks it’s youYour hostover SSHThe database127.0.0.1:5432
A database client on your computer connects to a local port; the desktop app carries it through GoTerm and over SSH to the host, which connects to the database.

Forward a port

  1. Open Tunnels and choose New tunnel.
  2. Pick Local, Dynamic or Remote, and give it a Name.
  3. Pick the host under Through the host, and a Port on this computer.
  4. Fill in Leads to, as the host reaches it, then choose Add tunnel.
  5. Start it in the GoTerm desktop app.
The New tunnel dialog: a local tunnel named Redis on db-01, through db-01, from port 16379 on this computer to 127.0.0.1:6379.Open the full-size picture

Three kinds of tunnel

  • Local: a port on your computer leads to one behind the host

    Through GoTerm
    Yes
    In Direct mode
    Yes

  • Dynamic: a SOCKS proxy that goes out through the host

    Through GoTerm
    Yes
    In Direct mode
    Yes

  • Remote: a port on the host leads back to your computer

    Through GoTerm
    No
    In Direct mode
    Yes
KindThrough GoTermIn Direct mode
Local: a port on your computer leads to one behind the hostYesYes
Dynamic: a SOCKS proxy that goes out through the hostYesYes
Remote: a port on the host leads back to your computerNoYes

Without opening a port

  • Connector for private networksRun a small agent inside your network and reach its servers without opening an inbound port.
YOUR NETWORKoutboundSSHGoTermthe gatewayThe connectordials out to GoTermYour serversno inbound port
The connector, inside your network, dials out to GoTerm; GoTerm reaches your servers through it, with no inbound port opened.

Good to know

  • An app that only answers to its own name? Fill in Name the app expects on the saved page.
  • A tunnel listens on 127.0.0.1 only, so nobody else on your network can use it.
  • Web tabs and tunnels open only for people who can connect to the host.
  • Hosts that ask for their password each time don’t offer web tabs.

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