Gateways

A gateway is a network interface that connects your server to the Internet. Your router is the default gateway — it is always present. You can add additional gateways using WireGuard configuration files. All gateways are managed under System > Gateways.

Gateway Types

Every gateway routes outbound traffic from your server to the Internet. Some gateways also accept inbound connections. StartOS automatically detects the type:

• Inbound/outbound — routes outbound traffic and accepts inbound connections. Your home router and StartTunnel (a virtual private router running on a VPS) are inbound/outbound gateways. These are used for inbound VPN access and clearnet hosting.

• Outbound only — routes outbound traffic but does not accept inbound connections. Commercial VPN providers (Mullvad, ProtonVPN, etc.) are outbound-only gateways. These are used as outbound VPNs.

Note

If you are running StartOS on a VPS with a public IP address, there is no router gateway. Your server’s network interface is directly exposed to the Internet.

Warning

If your ISP uses CGNAT, your router cannot accept inbound connections, even with port forwarding configured. This means your router gateway is effectively outbound-only: it cannot be used for clearnet hosting, public IP access, or inbound VPN. Use a StartTunnel gateway instead.

Adding a Gateway

1. Navigate to System > Gateways and click “Add”.

2. Upload or paste a WireGuard configuration file from your VPN provider or StartTunnel instance.

   StartOS will automatically detect the gateway type:

   • StartTunnel config files are recognized and marked as inbound/outbound gateways.
   • All other WireGuard configs are marked as outbound-only gateways.