Manual Servers

Written By charan

Last updated About 3 hours ago

Learn how to add and configure manual servers in dFlow using Public or Tailscale setup.

dFlow allows you to add and manage your own servers that are not provisioned directly through dFlow or cloud providers.

You can connect manual servers using two methods:

This flexibility ensures you can connect any server into your dFlow projects securely and reliably.

Public Setup

The Public Setup method uses your server's public IP address and an SSH key for authentication.

  1. Navigate to Servers → Add Server → Public.

  2. Provide the following details:

    • Name → Unique identifier for the server.

    • Description → Short description for reference.

    • SSH Key → Select or add an SSH key for authentication.

    • IP Address → Public IP address of the server.

    • Port → Default is 22 (can be customized if different).

    • Username → User with SSH access (e.g., ubuntu, root).

  3. Click Test Connection to verify connectivity.

  4. Once validated, click Add Server.

Tailscale Setup

The Tailscale Setup method connects your server securely over a private Tailscale network.

  1. Navigate to Servers → Add Server → Tailscale.

  2. Fill in the required details:

    • Name → A unique identifier for the server.

    • Description → Short description for internal reference.

    • Hostname → Auto-generated by dFlow (used as a private identifier).

    • Username → SSH user (commonly root).

  3. Generate a Tailscale Auth Key from the setup screen.

  4. Copy the Generated Commands:

    • Step 1: Install Tailscale

      curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh

    • Step 2: Connect to Network

      sudo tailscale up --authkey=<generated-key> --hostname=<auto-generated-hostname> --ssh --advertise-tags tag:customer-machine

  5. After running the commands, return to dFlow and click Test Connection to verify secure connectivity.

  6. Once the connection is successful, click Create Server to finalize setup.

Public vs Tailscale Setup

Feature

Public Setup

Tailscale Setup

Connectivity

Uses public IP over the internet (SSH)

Uses private Tailscale mesh VPN

Security

Exposed to internet (restrict via firewall)

Encrypted private network by default

Ease of Setup

Requires server’s public IP & open SSH port

Auto-generated hostname & key-based auth

Best For

Publicly accessible servers

Private/internal infrastructure

Authentication

SSH key authentication

Tailscale Auth Key

Use Case

VPS, cloud servers with static IP

On-prem servers, private VPC, restricted servers

Best Practices

  • Use Public Setup only when your server has a fixed public IP and proper firewall rules.

  • Use Tailscale Setup for better security when dealing with private or internal servers.

  • Always test connection before finalizing to ensure smooth deployment.

Recommendation

Prefer Tailscale Setup whenever possible for enhanced security and simplified private networking.