Internet access (port 81)

Troubleshooting
1

I’d like to access my BrewPi from outside my local wifi network.
I see that now it is possible with Username/Password protection on port 81 (Docker edition).
Unfortunately I’ve a busy local network, where 80,81,82,83 ports are already taken.

Is there a way to connect through another (possibly arbitrary) port?

2

You can change the port of the host machine that is forwarded to port 81 if the docker container by changing -p 81:81 to for example -p 8081:81.

Additionally, when you set up port forwarding on your router you can probably freely choose which public port is mapped to a certain machine and port.

3

Alcal, the more secure way is to set up a VPN to your home network. That way you don’t need to open a port to the outside world. Most routers/modems these days support OpenVPN and it’s not too hard to set up. That’s how I access my BrewPi when I’m away.

4

Thank you, it’s a good idea.
Unfortunately my router is property of my Internet provider and currently it doesn’t support VPN, however this may change soon

5

Thank you Elco, I’ll check both solutions you suggested

6

@Bob_Steers

What is the procedure to access the brewblox web interface externally using port forwarding like the original brewpi interface?

7

Unfortunately, password protected access is still on the to-do list, so we strongly advise against directly port-forwarding brewblox in your router.

There are some alternative approaches to safely access devices on a local network (brewblox) externally.

You can set up a VPN in either your router, or some other computer in your home network. Make it accessible (with password/auth protection) from the internet. Instructions here are very dependent on which VPN application you want to be using.

You can use an SSH tunnel.

  • In your router, forward a port to your Pi port 22
    • Don’t use port 22 externally, but some high number. I normally pick something in the 8 000 - 20 000 range.
    • Make sure you changed the password on the Pi.
  • https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~xuanluo/sshproxywin.html seems like a decent guide on how to set up and use the tunnel on the client side. It’s based on Putty.