Network Tools

A powerful SSH tunnel manager with SSL certificate generation and server management capabilities, featuring a modern web interface with real-time monitoring.

Features

• SSH Tunnel Management: Create and manage SSH tunnels with local port forwarding
• SSL Server Profiles: Save and reuse SSH server configurations
• SSL Certificate Generation: Create self-signed certificates for development
• Reverse Proxy: Dynamic reverse proxy with support for API and streaming routes
• SSH Terminal: Interactive SSH terminal in the browser
• Real-Time Monitoring: Live logs via WebSocket connection
• Modern Web Interface: Responsive design with intuitive controls

Quick Start

Installation

Global Installation (Recommended)

# Install from npm
npm install -g network-tools

# Or install from a .tgz file
npm install -g network-tools-1.0.1.tgz

Verify Installation

network-tools --version

Usage

Start the application:

network-tools

Then open your browser at: http://localhost:3001

Configuration

You can customize the application using environment variables:

# Change the port
PORT=8080 network-tools

# Set custom SSH key path
SSH_KEY_PATH=~/.ssh/custom_key network-tools

Or create a .env file:

PORT=3001
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:3000
SSH_KEY_PATH=~/.ssh/id_rsa

Using the Application

1. Creating an SSH Tunnel

1. Open http://localhost:3001
2. Click "New Tunnel"
3. Fill in the tunnel configuration:
   • Name: Descriptive name for your tunnel
   • SSH Host: Your SSH server address
   • SSH Port: SSH port (default: 22)
   • SSH User: Your username
   • Authentication: Password or SSH key path
   • Local Port: Port on your machine
   • Remote Host: Target host (e.g., localhost, database.internal)
   • Remote Port: Target port
4. Click "Create Tunnel"

Example: Access a remote web server locally

Name: Remote Web Server
SSH Host: server.example.com
Local Port: 8080
Remote Host: localhost
Remote Port: 80

Access via: http://localhost:8080

2. Managing SSL Server Profiles

Save frequently used SSH servers for quick tunnel creation:

1. Go to the "SSL Servers" tab
2. Click "New Server"
3. Configure:
   • Server Name: e.g., "Production Server"
   • Host: IP or domain
   • Port: 22 (default)
   • User: SSH username
   • Authentication: Password or SSH key
   • Description: Optional notes
4. Click "Add Server"

When creating tunnels, you can now select a saved server and all SSH fields will auto-fill!

3. Generating SSL Certificates

Create self-signed certificates for development:

1. Go to "SSL Certificates" tab
2. Click "Generate Certificate"
3. Configure:
   • Common Name: Domain or hostname (e.g., localhost, myapp.local)
   • Country, State, City: Location information
   • Organization: Your company/team name
   • Validity: Days until expiration
4. Click "Generate Certificate"
5. Download the certificate and private key

Use Cases:

• Local HTTPS servers
• Development environments
• Testing SSL/TLS functionality

4. Reverse Proxy Routes

Configure dynamic reverse proxy routes to backend services:

1. Go to "Reverse Proxy Manager" module from home
2. Click "New Route"
3. Configure:
   • Path: Route path (e.g., /api-auth)
   • Target: Backend URL (e.g., http://backend.example.com)
   • Type:
     • API for REST APIs (uses Axios)
     • Stream for file downloads, WebSocket, streaming (uses http-proxy-middleware)
   • Proxy: Optional proxy server (e.g., http://proxy:3128)
   • Headers: Custom HTTP headers
4. Click "Create"
5. Copy the Internal URL (e.g., http://localhost:3001/api-auth)
6. Use it in your applications!

Features:

• Dynamic route creation without restart
• Support for proxy servers
• Custom headers per route
• Enable/disable routes on the fly
• Test connectivity before creation
• Copy internal URL with one click

Documentation: See Reverse Proxy Module section in ARCHITECTURE.md for detailed information

5. SSH Terminal

Interactive SSH terminal directly in your browser:

1. Go to "SSH Terminal" tab
2. Connect to any SSH server
3. Execute commands in real-time
4. Multiple terminal sessions support

6. Real-Time Logs

Monitor all tunnel activity in the "Logs" tab:

• Connection status updates
• Error messages
• Configuration changes
• Auto-scroll to newest logs

Common Use Cases

Database Access Through Jump Server

SSH Host: jump-server.com
SSH User: admin
Local Port: 5432
Remote Host: postgres.internal
Remote Port: 5432

Connect your database client to localhost:5432

Accessing Internal Web Services

SSH Host: bastion.company.com
Local Port: 8080
Remote Host: internal-app.local
Remote Port: 80

Access internal app via http://localhost:8080

Secure HTTPS Tunnel

SSH Host: gateway.example.com
Local Port: 8888
Remote Host: secure-api.internal
Remote Port: 443

Access API via https://localhost:8888

Reverse Proxy Use Case

Path: /github-api
Target: https://api.github.com
Type: API
Proxy: http://corporate-proxy:8080
Headers: Authorization: token ghp_xxxxx

Access GitHub API via http://localhost:3001/github-api/users/octocat

Benefits:

• Bypass CORS restrictions
• Centralize authentication
• Route through corporate proxy
• Add custom headers automatically

Authentication Methods

Using SSH Keys (Recommended)

1. Generate a key if needed:

   ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/my_key

2. Copy to server:

   ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/my_key.pub [email protected]

3. In the app, set:

   • SSH Key Path: ~/.ssh/my_key
   • SSH Password: (leave empty)

Using Password

Simply enter your SSH password in the SSH Password field.

Troubleshooting

Command Not Found

# Check npm global bin path
npm config get prefix

# Add to PATH (Linux/macOS)
export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"

# Windows
set PATH=%PATH%;%APPDATA%\npm

Port Already in Use

# Find process using the port
lsof -i :3001

# Kill the process
kill -9 <PID>

# Or use a different port
PORT=8080 network-tools

Tunnel Connection Issues

1. Verify SSH access:

   ssh user@host -p port

2. Check SSH key permissions:

   chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa

3. Review logs in the application's Logs tab

WebSocket Connection Issues

• Check if proxies/firewalls are blocking WebSocket connections
• Try disabling VPN temporarily
• Check browser console (F12) for errors

CLI Options

# Start with custom port
PORT=8080 network-tools

# Specify SSH key path
SSH_KEY_PATH=~/.ssh/custom_key network-tools

# Show version
network-tools --version

# Show help
network-tools --help

Requirements

• Node.js >= 14.x
• npm >= 6.x
• SSH access to target servers
• Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

Security Best Practices

1. Use SSH keys instead of passwords when possible
2. Set correct permissions on SSH keys: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa
3. Never commit SSH keys or passwords to version control
4. Use self-signed certificates for development only
5. Regularly update the package: npm update -g network-tools

Documentation

Main Documentation

• README.md: This file - Getting started guide
• ARCHITECTURE.md: Complete technical architecture and detailed documentation

Reverse Proxy Module

All reverse proxy documentation is now consolidated in ARCHITECTURE.md under the Reverse Proxy Module section:

• Complete reverse proxy documentation
• Usage guide with examples (curl, JavaScript, Python)
• Visual examples and workflow
• Feature summary and changelog
• Quick start guide (30-second setup)
• Use cases and best practices
• Troubleshooting guide

Testing

• test-reverse-proxy.sh: Automated test script for reverse proxy

Support

• Documentation: See documentation files above for detailed information
• Issues: Report bugs or request features via your package repository
• Logs: Check the real-time logs in the application for debugging

License

MIT

Author

Pape Samba Ndour

Ready to manage your SSH tunnels with ease!