Device web hosting

Wormhole lets you host a website or web service from a Linux device at https://<yourdevice>.dataplicity.io/ - no port forwarding, firewall exceptions, or dynamic DNS.

The example below uses NGINX on a Linux device, but the same steps apply to any web server on a supported Linux device.

Before you start

• The device has internet access and the Dataplicity agent installed
• Port 80 (or your chosen port) is available
• You can run privileged commands - see Using sudo

Install a web server

sudo apt install -y nginx

NGINX starts automatically after installation on Debian-based systems.

Enable Wormhole

1. Open the device in your Dataplicity dashboard
2. Enable Wormhole in the device options
3. Copy the Wormhole URL (similar to https://ABCD-EFGH-1234-device.dataplicity.io/)

Open the URL in your browser. The NGINX default page is served from the device - wherever it is on the network.

The site moves with the device. Take it to a customer site, a lab, or a hackathon - the URL stays the same.

Security considerations

❗️ Enabling Wormhole exposes the web service on your device to the internet. That is the point - but secure the application itself.

• Wormhole listens on localhost; you do not need port 80 open to the wider internet
• Use application-level authentication for anything beyond a demo
• Consider a host firewall as defence in depth
• Read Wormhole security

When to use this

• Device-hosted control panel or configuration UI
• REST API reachable from automation scripts
• Demo or prototype web interface during development

Related

• Wormhole concept
• How it works