About GateBeacon
About GateBeacon
What GateBeacon Is
GateBeacon is a multi-tenant reverse-tunnel gateway platform. It lets you take an application running on a private device — a laptop, a home server, a small office machine — and publish it to the public internet as a secure HTTPS URL, without opening any inbound firewall port and without a static public IP address.
Once a device is enrolled, it connects outbound only to GateBeacon's cloud tunnel infrastructure:
- Linux devices connect using a lightweight Rathole client.
- Windows devices connect using a native SSH reverse tunnel (
ssh -R).
From that point on, any local application you choose to publish is reachable through GateBeacon's edge, which terminates TLS and routes traffic back down the tunnel to your device.
Why It Exists
Traditionally, exposing a self-hosted application to the internet requires:
- A public IP address or port forwarding on your router.
- Manually obtaining and renewing a TLS certificate.
- Firewall changes that widen your attack surface.
- Extra effort if the device is behind CGNAT, a mobile hotspot, or a restrictive corporate network.
GateBeacon removes all of this. The device never accepts inbound connections — it only reaches out — so there is nothing new to open on your firewall, router, or ISP connection.
Key Benefits
| Benefit | Detail |
|---|---|
| No inbound firewall changes | The device only makes outbound connections to GateBeacon. |
| Automatic HTTPS | TLS certificates are issued and renewed by GateBeacon at the edge — you never touch a certificate. |
| Works behind NAT / CGNAT | No public IP or port forwarding required, including on mobile or carrier-grade NAT networks. |
| Cross-platform | Both Linux and Windows endpoints are supported. |
| One-click application catalog | Dozens of ready-to-run self-hosted applications (Nextcloud, Gitea, Grafana, and more) install with a single click. |
| Multi-tenant isolation | Each customer's devices, published applications, and data are logically isolated from every other customer. |
Who GateBeacon Is For
GateBeacon is built for individuals, teams, and small businesses who want to self-host applications on hardware they already control — and reach those applications securely from anywhere — without taking on cloud hosting costs, networking expertise, or certificate management.
Where to Go Next
- New to GateBeacon? Continue to Prerequisites and Supported Operating Systems to confirm your device is compatible.
- Ready to sign up? See Creating Your GateBeacon Account.
- Already have an account? Jump to Enrolling a Linux Device or Enrolling a Windows Device.