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Remote access: LAN, Tailscale, SSH tunnel

· 2 min read
Justin Goheen
AI/ML Engineer

The app always runs on the Spark. Your browser can be on the Spark, on a laptop on the same Wi‑Fi, or on a machine joined to a tailnet. The only thing that changes is the URL and whether you need a tunnel.

Ports​

ModeURL on the SparkFrom another host
make devhttp://localhost:3000http://<spark-ip>:3000
Docker (make up)http://localhost (port 80)http://<spark-ip>

nginx in Docker terminates port 80 and proxies to the frontend and /api/ to FastAPI. Dev mode skips nginx and exposes Next directly on 3000 and the API on 8000 (proxied by Next for browser calls).

Spark-side TCP exposure (planning firewalls)
Counts are a firewall checklist, not a performance metric.

Same LAN​

On the Spark:

hostname -I

Use the relevant address from your Mac or other client:

http://<spark-ip>:3000    # development
http://<spark-ip>         # Docker / nginx on :80

No extra software if routing and firewalls allow it.

Tailscale​

Install Tailscale on the Spark and on the client, authenticate both to the same tailnet, then use the Spark’s Tailscale hostname or IP from tailscale status:

http://<spark-tailscale-hostname>:3000   # dev
http://<spark-tailscale-hostname>        # production/docker

The README also describes tailscale serve for HTTPS-style URLs on your tailnet and tailscale ssh for shell access — useful when you need to restart make dev or inspect logs without physical access.

SSH local forward​

If Tailscale is not an option and you can SSH to the Spark:

# On your Mac or laptop
ssh -L 3000:localhost:3000 -L 8000:localhost:8000 <user>@<spark-ip>

Then open http://localhost:3000 locally. Keep the session open; when it drops, the tunnel drops.

Security posture (stated plainly)​

DGX Lab is meant for private networks. The backend uses permissive CORS because the expected clients are your own devices, not arbitrary internet origins. Do not expose port 80 or 3000 to the public internet without putting something in front that you trust.

Further reading​