Overview #
Accessing your machines securely over the internet usually requires configuring a VPN client compatible with your home network. Once connected, you still need to manage a VNC or RDP session to interact with your system. This approach often comes with complexity, overhead, and potential misconfigurations that increase the attack surface.
Portado eliminates the need for a traditional VPN by providing direct, secure, browser-based access to your homelab machines. Through a combination of Cloudflare Tunnel, Nginx reverse proxy, and Apache Guacamole, Portado delivers clientless RDP, SSH, and VNC over HTTPS.
Key Features of Portado #
- Zero Trust Architecture – All VMs live inside a DMZ with no internal LAN access except Guacamole communication.
- VPN-Free Secure Access – Access machines directly from any internet-enabled device.
- Clientless RDP, SSH & VNC – No extra software needed; everything runs in the browser.
- Strong Security Boundary – OPNsense firewall enforces filtering and routing.
- Cloudflare Tunnel Integration – Services are securely exposed without opening inbound ports.
- Scalability – Easily extend access to more VMs while maintaining isolation.
- Dockerized Deployment – Uses docker-compose for portability and easy setup.
