A site is a connection to a remote network that allows Pangolin to establish a tunnel to that network. Sites are the foundation for exposing resources because all resources exist on a site. Newt is the software connector that facilitates the connection and addresses the targets on the remote networks.

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How Sites Work

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The Connection Process

  1. Site Creation: You create a site in Pangolin’s dashboard
  2. Newt Registration: Newt registers with Pangolin using the site credentials
  3. Tunnel Establishment: Newt establishes a WireGuard tunnel to the remote network
  4. Resource Exposure: Resources on the remote network become accessible through the tunnel

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Why Sites Matter

Sites are the first step to exposing resources with Pangolin because:
  • Resources exist on sites: All resources must be associated with a site
  • Newt addresses targets: Newt is what actually connects to the targets on remote networks
  • Tunnel enables access: The tunnel allows Pangolin to expose resources without opening ports or needing a public IP
  • Secure communication: All traffic flows through encrypted WireGuard tunnels

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Site Types

Pangolin supports three different types of sites, each designed for different use cases and deployment scenarios.

Newt Tunnel (Recommended)

This site allows you to expose resources on a remote network via a fully managed tunnel. This requires the Newt connector to be running on the remote network. It’s the easiest to use and requires the least amount of setup. No NAT configuration required.

Local Site

Use this if you want to expose resources on the same host as the Pangolin server (this is for self-hosted Pangolin only). No tunnels are created. Ports must be opened on the host running Pangolin (this has to happen anyway for Pangolin to work).

Basic WireGuard

This is self-hosted only. This uses a raw WireGuard connection without Newt, thus there is no websocket connection, requiring more manual management. These sites require NAT to address targets running on other hosts on the remote network. Otherwise, you can only expose resources on the remote WireGuard peer itself.

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Adding a Site

1

Navigate to Sites

In the Pangolin dashboard, go to the Sites section and click Add Site.
2

Configure site details

Configure the basic information:
  • Site Name: A descriptive name for your site
3

Choose site type

Select the appropriate site type based on your needs:
  • Newt Tunnel: For remote networks with Newt connector
  • Local Site: For resources on the same host as Pangolin
  • Basic WireGuard: For direct WireGuard connections
4

Generate Newt credentials

Pangolin will generate:
  • Newt ID: Unique identifier for the Newt client
  • Secret: Authentication secret for secure connection
  • Endpoint: The Pangolin server endpoint
5

Install Site

Use the generated credentials to configure the site on the remote network. See Install Site for detailed instructions on how to install Newt.
6

Verify connection

Once Newt is running, the site status should show as “Online” in the dashboard. Sometimes it takes a few moments for the status to update.

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Notes

  • Sites require Newt to be running on the remote network
  • Each site can host multiple resources
  • Connection status is monitored automatically