Accessing Projects Remotely

This page provides an overview of different methods to access your Ignition Vision and Perspective projects from a remote location. Once created, Perspective and Vision projects can be opened without additional configuration by using the Gateway's IP address. If you want more secure options, you can connect to your Gateway’s local network using a VPN, expose specific ports to the internet via port forwarding, or use a reverse proxy for an additional layer of security.

Using URLs - Perspective Only

Open your web browser and navigate to your Ignition Gateway using the Gateway's IP address: http://<local-gateway-ip>:8088.

Project Examples

HTTP

http://<local-gateway-ip>:8088/data/perspective/client/YourPerspectiveProject

HTTPS

https://<local-gateway-ip>:8043/data/perspective/client/YourPerspectiveProject

For more details on launching Perspective Sessions, refer to Perspective Sessions and Ignition Perspective App - Launch a Perspective Session.

Using VPN

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows you to securely connect to your Gateway's local network from a remote location.

Set Up a VPN Server

1. Install and configure a VPN server on your network. Common options include OpenVPN, WireGuard, or a built-in VPN server on your router.

2. Ensure the VPN server is properly configured to allow remote connections and has the necessary firewall rules to permit traffic.

Connect to the VPN

1. Install the VPN client software on your remote device.

2. Configure the VPN client with the server's address and the necessary authentication details.

3. Connect to the VPN. Once connected, your remote device will be part of your Gateway's local network.

Using Port Forwarding

Port forwarding allows you to expose the specific ports of your Gateway's local network to the internet.

Configure Port Forwarding on Your Router

1. Log in to your router's admin interface.

2. Locate the port forwarding section and create rules to forward the Ignition Gateway ports to the internal IP address of your Ignition Gateway server.

   • Port 8088 for HTTP
   • Port 8043 for HTTPS

External Port: 8088 -> Internal IP: <local-gateway-ip> -> Internal Port: 8088
External Port: 8043 -> Internal IP: <local-gateway-ip> -> Internal Port: 8043

Using Reverse Proxy

A reverse proxy can provide an additional layer of security and simplify access to your Ignition projects.

Set Up a Reverse Proxy

1. Install a reverse proxy server on your network. Common options include Nginx, Apache, or HAProxy.
2. Configure the reverse proxy to forward requests to your Gateway.

Example Nginx configuration

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name <your-domain>;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://<local-gateway-ip>:8088;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name <your-domain>;

    ssl_certificate /path/to/your/certificate.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/your/certificate.key;

    location / {
        proxy_pass https://<local-gateway-ip>:8043;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}