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Configuration

Tunnel Whisperer uses a single YAML file for all settings. The same file structure is used on both server and client -- only the relevant sections are read depending on the configured mode.

Config file paths

Platform Path
Linux /etc/tw/config/config.yaml
macOS /etc/tw/config/config.yaml
Windows C:\ProgramData\tw\config\config.yaml

Override with environment variable

Set TW_CONFIG_DIR to use a custom directory:

export TW_CONFIG_DIR=/opt/myapp/tw
# Config file becomes /opt/myapp/tw/config.yaml

Full annotated config

# Operating mode: "server" or "client".
# Determines which commands are available and which services start.
mode: server

# Log verbosity: debug, info, warn, error.
# Can also be set with --log-level flag (persisted on use).
log_level: info

# Log output format: "text" (default, human-readable) or "json".
# JSON maps attributes to OpenTelemetry semantic-convention names.
# Can also be set with --log-format flag (persisted on use).
log_format: text

# Outbound proxy for all connections (Xray, SSH, Terraform).
# Supported formats:
#   socks5://host:port
#   socks5://user:pass@host:port
#   http://host:port
#   http://user:pass@host:port
# Leave empty for direct connections.
proxy: ""

# Shared transport layer (used by both server and client).
xray:
  # Xray client UUID — unique per user, generated during user creation.
  uuid: "xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx"

  # Domain or IP of the relay server.
  relay_host: relay.example.com

  # Port for the HTTPS/WebSocket connection to the relay.
  relay_port: 443

  # WebSocket path used by Xray.
  path: /tw

  # X.509 client certificate presented to the relay's mutual-TLS gate.
  # Auto-populated at runtime from <config-dir>/client.{crt,key} when present,
  # so you normally leave these empty. See Security → Relay Authentication.
  client_cert_path: ""
  client_key_path: ""

# Server-only settings (ignored in client mode).
server:
  # Port the internal SSH server listens on.
  ssh_port: 2222

  # Port the gRPC API listens on (CLI-to-daemon communication).
  api_port: 50051

  # Port the web dashboard listens on.
  dashboard_port: 8080

  # SSH port on the relay server (for the reverse tunnel).
  relay_ssh_port: 22

  # SSH user on the relay server.
  relay_ssh_user: ubuntu

  # Remote port on the relay that maps back to the local SSH port.
  remote_port: 2222

  # Local port the embedded Xray instance listens on. Optional; leave 0
  # to use the built-in default.
  xray_port: 0

  # Port used for temporary Xray tunnel during relay config updates
  # (user creation, user registration). Change if 59000 is in use.
  temp_xray_port: 59000

  # Application templates — reusable port mapping bundles.
  # Used when creating or editing users to pre-fill port mappings.
  applications:
    - name: "web-app"
      mappings:
        - { client_port: 3000, server_port: 3000 }
        - { client_port: 5432, server_port: 5432 }

# Bandwidth analytics (opt-in, works in both modes).
analytics:
  enabled: true
  history_size: 720  # snapshots to keep (default 720 = 1h at 5s intervals)

# Client-only settings (ignored in server mode).
client:
  # SSH user to authenticate as on the server.
  ssh_user: tunnel

  # SSH port on the server (matches server.ssh_port via the tunnel).
  server_ssh_port: 2222

  # Local port the embedded Xray dokodemo-door listens on (default 54001).
  xray_port: 54001

  # Local interface forwarded tunnels bind to.
  # 127.0.0.1 = local only (default); 0.0.0.0 = all interfaces (required
  # when running tw inside a container that publishes ports to the host).
  listen_address: 127.0.0.1

  # Port forwarding rules — each entry creates a local listener.
  tunnels:
    - local_port: 3389
      remote_host: 127.0.0.1
      remote_port: 3389
    - local_port: 8443
      remote_host: 127.0.0.1
      remote_port: 443

Field reference

Top-level fields

Field Type Default Description
mode string (empty) Operating mode. Set to server or client.
log_level string info Log verbosity. One of debug, info, warn, error.
log_format string text Log output format. text (human-readable) or json (OpenTelemetry semantic-convention attribute names). Also set via --log-format.
proxy string (empty) Outbound proxy URL for all connections.

xray section

Field Type Default Description
uuid string (empty) Xray VLESS UUID. Generated per user during creation.
relay_host string (empty) Relay server domain or IP address.
relay_port int 443 HTTPS/WebSocket port on the relay.
path string /tw WebSocket path for the Xray transport.
client_cert_path string (empty) Path to the X.509 client certificate (PEM) presented to the relay's mutual-TLS gate. Auto-derived at runtime from <config-dir>/client.crt when present; rarely set by hand. See Relay Authentication.
client_key_path string (empty) Path to the private key (PEM) for client_cert_path. Auto-derived from <config-dir>/client.key.

server section

Field Type Default Description
ssh_port int 2222 Local SSH server listen port.
api_port int 50051 gRPC API listen port.
dashboard_port int 8080 Web dashboard listen port. Set to 0 to disable.
relay_ssh_port int 22 SSH port on the relay for the reverse tunnel.
relay_ssh_user string ubuntu SSH user on the relay server.
remote_port int 2222 Remote port on the relay forwarded back to local SSH.
xray_port int (empty) Local port the embedded Xray instance listens on. Optional; leave unset to use the built-in default.
temp_xray_port int 59000 Port for the temporary Xray tunnel used during relay config updates (user creation/registration). Change if 59000 is already in use on your system.
applications list (empty) Application templates — reusable port mapping bundles for user creation.

applications[] entry

Field Type Description
name string Unique name for the application template (alphanumeric, dashes, underscores).
mappings list Port mapping rules. Each entry has client_port and server_port.

applications[].mappings[] entry

Field Type Description
client_port int Port the client listens on locally (1-65535).
server_port int Port on the server to forward to (1-65535).

analytics section

Field Type Default Description
enabled bool false Enable bandwidth statistics collection. Opt-in.
history_size int 720 Number of snapshots in the ring buffer. At the default 5-second interval, 720 = 1 hour of history.

Analytics works in both server and client modes. In server mode, stats are tracked per user per port. In client mode, stats are tracked per local port. Changes via the dashboard take effect immediately without a restart.

client section

Field Type Default Description
ssh_user string tunnel SSH user to authenticate as on the server side.
server_ssh_port int 2222 SSH port on the server (reached via the tunnel).
xray_port int 54001 Local port the embedded Xray dokodemo-door listens on.
listen_address string 127.0.0.1 Local interface forwarded tunnels bind to. Set to 0.0.0.0 to expose tunnels on all interfaces — required when tw runs inside a container that publishes ports to the host.
tunnels list (empty) Port forwarding rules. Each entry has local_port, remote_host, remote_port.

tunnels[] entry

Field Type Description
local_port int Port to listen on locally (client machine).
remote_host string Target host on the server side (usually 127.0.0.1).
remote_port int Target port on the server side.

Config change detection

Tunnel Whisperer computes a SHA-256 hash of the config file at startup. While the daemon is running, the dashboard periodically compares the current file hash against the startup hash.

If they differ, the dashboard displays a notification indicating that the configuration has changed and the server or client needs a restart for the changes to take effect.

Two hashing methods

  • Structured hash (Config.Hash()) -- serializes the parsed config back to YAML and hashes the result. Detects changes to known fields.
  • File hash (FileHash()) -- hashes the raw file bytes on disk. Detects all changes including comments, formatting, and unknown fields.

The file hash is the one used for change detection, so even cosmetic edits will trigger the notification.