Networking ​

Understanding Ports in Swiftor ​

Because Swiftor runs your VMs in Docker containers, networking works differently than on your local computer. Let's understand how:

Local vs Container Networking ​

On your computer:

• Programs listen on ports directly
• Traffic routes straight to your programs
• localhost means your computer

In Swiftor:

• VMs run in isolated containers in a user-stack
• Each user-stack has its own network
• We need to map container ports to domains

Domain Mapping ​

When you create a subdomain mapping in Swiftor:

1. External domain → Container port
2. Example: myapp-vmid.swiftor.io → Container:5001

Managing Network Mappings ​

The Network Manager ​

Access the network manager through the workspace:

Components:

• Subdomain input
• Internal port selector
• VM dropdown
• Preview URL

Adding a Mapping ​

1. Enter your desired subdomain
2. Specify the internal port
3. Select target VM
4. Click Save

Example Mapping:
  Subdomain: myapp
  Internal Port: 5001
  VM: 228782df-e228-4b7a-b341-d267724c745e
  Result URL: myapp-228782df-e228-4b7a-b341-d267724c745e.swiftor.io

Managing Mappings ​

Your existing mappings appear in a table showing:

Common Use Cases ​

Web Applications ​

Subdomain: webapp
Internal Port: 3000
Use Case: React/Node.js apps

API Services ​

Subdomain: api
Internal Port: 8080
Use Case: Backend services

Database Admin ​

Subdomain: db
Internal Port: 8081
Use Case: phpMyAdmin

Security Considerations ​

Best Practices ​

1. Only expose necessary ports
2. Use descriptive subdomains
3. Monitor access logs
4. Implement authentication

Troubleshooting ​