Make your node accessible from outside

Your Umbrel node now only runs locally (http://umbrel.local). How do you reach it safely from your phone or laptop when you’re not at home?

Below are the best methods, from simple to advanced.

Overview of methods

Method	Difficulty	Speed	Privacy / Security	Best for	Setup time
Tor Onion (start)	★☆☆☆☆	Slow	Maximum	Maximum privacy, no account	2 minutes
Tailscale HTTP	★★☆☆☆	Fast	High (WireGuard)	Daily use, Nextcloud sync	5–10 minutes
Tailscale HTTPS	★★★★☆	Fast	Very high	Apps that require HTTPS, green padlock	15–30 minutes

Recommendation: Start with Tor. Upgrade to Tailscale when you want speed and convenience.

Option 1: Tor Onion – easiest & most private method

Why Tor?
No account, no port forwarding, works everywhere.

Steps (2 minutes):

Open Umbrel dashboard (http://umbrel.local)
Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Remote Access
Enable Tor
Copy the generated .onion link

Access:

Android: Tor Browser
iPhone: Onion Browser or Orbot
Laptop: Tor Browser (torproject.org)

Nextcloud: http://your-onion-link/nextcloud (in Tor Browser).

Option 2: Tailscale HTTP – fast for daily use

Steps:

Umbrel App Store → search Tailscale → install
Open Tailscale → log in with Google/Apple/GitHub
Enable Tailscale on your node
Install Tailscale on your phone/laptop and log in with the same account
Copy the Magic DNS name (e.g. umbrel.abcdef123.ts.net)
Open in browser: http://umbrel.abcdef123.ts.net

Nextcloud: http://umbrel.abcdef123.ts.net/nextcloud

Option 3: Tailscale HTTPS – green padlock (advanced)

Steps:

Install Tailscale (see Option 2)
In Umbrel Terminal: tailscale serve 8080 (or correct port)
Configure trusted domains in Nextcloud via occ commands (see below)

Common errors & fixes:

“Access through untrusted domain” → add domain with:
sudo docker exec --user www-data nextcloud_web_1 php occ config:system:set trusted_domains 1 --value="umbrel.abcdef123.ts.net"
sudo docker exec --user www-data nextcloud_web_1 php occ config:system:set overwriteprotocol --value="https"
sudo docker exec --user www-data nextcloud_web_1 php occ config:system:set overwrite.cli.url --value="https://umbrel.abcdef123.ts.net/nextcloud"
Restart container: sudo docker restart nextcloud_web_1

Your node is now accessible from anywhere. Next step: practical applications (Nextcloud sync, Immich, wallets) and redundancy.

⚠️ Disclaimer

Alle guides worden door de community voorgesteld en door het OIM-coreteam gecontroleerd voordat ze live gaan.

Toch blijft het uitvoeren van technische stappen jouw eigen verantwoordelijkheid.
Het Open Internet Manifest is niet aansprakelijk voor schade, dataverlies of andere problemen die kunnen ontstaan door het volgen van een guide.

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