Running NetBird as an app

Apps and Virtualization
1

Has anyone managed to get NetBird working in TrueNAS SCALE 24.10 (Electric Eel)?

I can install the app, via this YAML config

name: netbird
services:
    netbird:
        cap_add:
            - NET_ADMIN
        environment:
            - NB_SETUP_KEY=xxxxxxxxxxxx
        volumes:
            - /mnt/Tank/Docker/Data/netbird-client:/etc/netbird
        image: netbirdio/netbird:latest
volumes:
    netbird-client:
        external: true
        name: netbird-client

and get it to register with the NetBird service and reply to pings, but I’m unable to access the GUI or the shares on the box.

I have a few reasons to prefer NetBird over Tailscale for this particular deployment, but getting the former to work seems more difficult than the latter…

2

I think I got it:

You have to specify network_mode = host in the YAML file:

name: netbird
services:
    netbird:
        cap_add:
            - NET_ADMIN
        environment:
            - NB_SETUP_KEY=xxxxx
        volumes:
            - /mnt/Tank/Docker/Data/netbird-client:/etc/netbird
        image: netbirdio/netbird:latest
        network_mode: host
volumes:
    netbird-client:
        external: true
        name: netbird-client

This works.

However - and this is extreme nitpicking, of course - apparently you can’t have both NetBird and Tailscale running with host networking at the same time (in this specific server I’d use NetBird for user access and Tailscale for management).

I’ll investigate the issue further, but for now my immediate need has been addressed.

1 Like
3

Don’t forget the NB_MANAGEMENT_URL if you selfhost.

docker run --rm -d \
 --cap-add=NET_ADMIN \
 -e NB_SETUP_KEY=SETUP_KEY \
 -v netbird-client:/etc/netbird \
 -e NB_MANAGEMENT_URL=https://netbird.Domain.TDL \
 netbirdio/netbird:latest
1 Like
4

Could I get a step by step on how to do this using the Custom App button?

Thanks,

5

Apps → Discover Apps → click on the three vertical dots to the right of Custom App → Install via YAML, then paste this

name: netbird
services:
    netbird:
        cap_add:
            - NET_ADMIN
        environment:
            - NB_SETUP_KEY=[SETUP KEY CREATED VIA NETBIRD CONTROL PANEL]
        volumes:
            - /mnt/Tank/Docker/Data/netbird-client:/etc/netbird
        image: netbirdio/netbird:latest
        network_mode: host
        restart: always
volumes:
    netbird-client:
        external: true
        name: netbird-client

You may have to create the netbird-client folder inside your Docker dataset, I don’t recall if I had to (BTW, the whole /mnt/Tank/Docker/Data should be adjusted to your specific pool and datasets)

2 Likes
6

That was easy - works great.
Thanks a lot!

1 Like
9

I’m running netbird now without any problems.
I got one peer as an app under dockge:

services:
  netbird:
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
    container_name: netbird
    environment:
      - NB_SETUP_KEY=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
    image: netbirdio/netbird:latest
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - /mnt/diskpool/app_data/netbird/netbird-client:/etc/netbird
networks: {}

and one peer running on a adguard-lx-container installed in this ubuntu LXC with adding the netbird repository

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install ca-certificates curl gnupg -y
curl -sSL https://pkgs.netbird.io/debian/public.key | sudo gpg --dearmor --output /usr/share/keyrings/netbird-archive-keyring.gpg
echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/netbird-archive-keyring.gpg] https://pkgs.netbird.io/debian stable main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/netbird.list

Installing netbird

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install netbird
sudo apt-get install netbird-ui

Run NetBird and log in the browser

netbird up
10

The above App YAMLs did not work for me - had to use: /var/lib/netbird/ like the example below.

First make sure the path /mnt/<SomePool>/<SomeDataset>/netbird exists - create a dataset if needed.

name: netbird
services:
  netbird:
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
    environment:- 
      - NB_SETUP_KEY=<Generated using Setup-Keys>
      - NB_MANAGEMENT_URL=https://xxx.domain.tld
    image: netbirdio/netbird:latest
    network_mode: host
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - /mnt/<SomePool>/<SomeDataset>/netbird:/var/lib/netbird/

After running the app check the contents and you should see 4 files:
active_profile.json default.json resolv.conf state.json

If the above files exist - remove the - NB_SETUP_KEY line from the YAML and restart the App.

11

JFYI here is a Video from NetBird to get NetBird on TrueNAS:

12

After messing with my TrueNAS network config (through the UI). Nothing major, I think I changed the ethernet static IP address and then changed it back, maybe turned on and off the WiFi. Everything is back to the way it was (I think :smirk:).
I can’t use my TruNAS netbird as a Routing Peer anymore. It gets on netbird OK, shows as a connected Peer and I can add it to the Network. Policies are set. But it just doesn’t do the routing.

Any feedback for troubleshooting would be great.

Thanks.