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Remote Nodes

The Remote Nodes feature lets you connect multiple 3DPrintForge instances together so you can view and control all printers from one central interface — regardless of whether they are on the same network or at different locations.

Go to: https://localhost:3443/#settings → Integrations → Remote Nodes

Use cases​

  • Home + office — View printers at both locations from the same dashboard
  • Makerspace — Central dashboard for all instances in the room
  • Guest instances — Give customers limited visibility without full access

Architecture​

Primary instance (your PC)
  ├── Printer A (local MQTT)
  ├── Printer B (local MQTT)
  └── Remote node: Secondary instance
        ├── Printer C (MQTT at remote location)
        └── Printer D (MQTT at remote location)

The primary instance polls remote nodes via REST API and aggregates data locally.

Adding a remote node​

Step 1: Generate API key on the remote instance​

  1. Log in to the remote instance (e.g. https://192.168.2.50:3443)
  2. Go to Settings → API Keys
  3. Click New key → give it the name "Primary node"
  4. Set permissions: Read (minimum) or Read + Write (for remote control)
  5. Copy the key

Step 2: Connect from the primary instance​

  1. Go to Settings → Remote Nodes
  2. Click Add remote node
  3. Fill in:
    • Name: e.g. "Office" or "Garage"
    • URL: https://192.168.2.50:3443 or external URL
    • API key: the key from step 1
  4. Click Test connection
  5. Click Save
Self-signed certificate

If the remote instance uses a self-signed certificate, enable Ignore TLS errors — but only do this for internal network connections.

Aggregated view​

After connecting, remote printers appear in:

  • Fleet overview — labeled with the remote node's name and a cloud icon
  • Statistics — aggregated across all instances
  • Filament inventory — combined overview

Remote control​

With Read + Write permission you can control remote printers directly:

  • Pause / Resume / Stop
  • Add to print queue (job is sent to the remote instance)
  • View camera stream (proxied through the remote instance)
Latency

Camera stream via remote node may have noticeable delay depending on network speed and distance.

Access control​

Restrict what data the remote node shares:

  1. On the remote instance: go to Settings → API Keys → [Key name]
  2. Restrict access:
    • Specific printers only
    • No camera stream
    • Read-only

Health and monitoring​

Status for each remote node is shown in Settings → Remote Nodes:

  • Connected — last poll successful
  • Disconnected — cannot reach the remote node
  • Authentication error — API key invalid or expired
  • Last sync — timestamp of last successful data synchronization

Cloudflare Tunnel​

As an alternative to remote nodes and port forwarding, 3DPrintForge has built-in support for Cloudflare Tunnel to expose your dashboard securely over the internet.

Go to: Settings > System > Remote Access

What is Cloudflare Tunnel?​

Cloudflare Tunnel creates an encrypted outbound connection from your server to Cloudflare's network. No inbound ports need to be opened on your firewall or router. Traffic is routed through Cloudflare's global network, providing DDoS protection and TLS termination.

Setup​

  1. Go to Settings > System > Remote Access
  2. Click Enable Cloudflare Tunnel
  3. Enter your Cloudflare Tunnel token (from the Cloudflare Zero Trust dashboard)
  4. Configure the public hostname (e.g. forge.yourdomain.com)
  5. Click Save and connect

The tunnel status indicator shows whether the connection is active.

Requirements​

  • A Cloudflare account (free tier works)
  • A domain managed by Cloudflare DNS
  • The cloudflared binary (installed automatically if not present)

Security​

  • All traffic is encrypted end-to-end
  • Cloudflare Access policies can restrict who can reach the dashboard
  • No ports exposed on your local network
  • Works behind CGNAT and strict firewalls
Cloudflare Access

For additional security, configure Cloudflare Access policies to require authentication (email OTP, SSO, or service tokens) before users can reach your dashboard.