Troubleshooting & FAQ

Common problems

My device doesn’t show up in the dashboard

Check: Is Rabtly running on the device?


# Linux
sudo systemctl status rabtly
 
# macOS — check if the process is running
ps aux | grep rabtly

If it’s stopped, start it with sudo rabtly up.

Check: Does the device have internet access?

Rabtly needs an internet connection to check in. Try opening a website from that device to confirm connectivity.

Check: Did you use the right sign-in?

Make sure you signed in with rabtly login on that device, using the same account as your dashboard.

Two devices show as Online but can’t reach each other

Check: Are both devices in the same network?

Each Rabtly network is fully isolated — devices in different networks can’t see each other at all. Make sure both devices were enrolled into the same network. If you manage more than one network, switch between them from Network Settings → Networks.

Check: Is access control blocking traffic?

Rabtly is default-deny: two devices can reach each other only if they’re in the same group, or if there’s an allow rule between their groups. Go to Access Control and:

Confirm both devices are in the same group (the Groups tab), or that a rule connects their groups (the Map, Matrix, or List tab).
Use Test reachability (top-right) to check whether the source group can reach the destination group.

Brand-new devices all land in the default group, which can always reach itself — so if connectivity broke after you started organising groups, check that the two devices’ groups are connected. See the Access Control tutorial.

Check: Is a firewall on the device blocking traffic?


# Ubuntu/Debian — temporarily disable ufw to test
sudo ufw disable
 
# Test connectivity, then re-enable
sudo ufw enable

The connection works but it feels slow

Rabtly first tries to connect devices directly (peer-to-peer). If that fails due to a strict firewall or NAT, it falls back through a relay server, which adds some latency.

To check your connection type:


rabtly status

If you see “relay” in the output, your network is preventing a direct connection. This is normal — the relay ensures things still work. For most tasks (SSH, browsing internal services) the latency is perfectly acceptable.

I forgot my dashboard password

Go to app.rabtly.cloud and click Forgot password on the sign-in page. A reset link will be sent to your email.

The dashboard shows an error after a browser update

Try a hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+R (macOS). If the problem persists, try clearing your browser cache or opening in a private/incognito window.

Rabtly doesn’t connect on Linux

Check the logs for details:


sudo journalctl -u rabtly -n 50

Common causes:

Permission denied: The daemon needs root access to create the VPN interface. Make sure you’re running sudo rabtly up.
Missing TUN device: On minimal/cloud images the tun module may not be loaded. Run sudo modprobe tun and reconnect.

Or let Rabtly diagnose it for you:


rabtly doctor

rabtly doctor checks connectivity, the control-plane connection, and the data plane, and points at the most likely cause.

Port ACLs not enforced (dashboard shows “Firewall: off”)

If the dashboard shows Firewall: off or rabtly status reports firewall_enforced=false, the device is missing the OS firewall tool that Rabtly needs. Your VPN still works, but port-level rules aren’t enforced on that device.

See the full Firewall Setup & Troubleshooting guide for step-by-step instructions per platform.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rabtly free?

Rabtly Cloud has a free plan that covers personal use. Paid plans are available for teams and heavier usage. See app.rabtly.cloud for current pricing.

Is my traffic encrypted?

Yes. All traffic between your devices is end-to-end encrypted. Traffic never passes through Rabtly’s servers unencrypted — it goes directly between your devices (or through an encrypted relay as a fallback).

Does Rabtly log my traffic?

No. Rabtly only tracks which devices are online and their network addresses. It never sees the contents of your traffic.

Can I use Rabtly on a mobile phone?

Mobile clients are on the roadmap. Today, Rabtly works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

How many devices can I connect?

Your plan’s device limit is shown in the dashboard under Settings → Billing. The free plan covers personal use with a handful of devices. Paid plans support larger teams.

What IP addresses does Rabtly use?

Rabtly assigns private IP addresses in the 100.64.x.x range. These don’t conflict with your home network (192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x).

Can devices be in different countries?

Yes. Rabtly works globally. Devices find each other regardless of where they are. If a direct connection isn’t possible, Rabtly’s relay servers bridge the gap automatically.

What happens if Rabtly’s servers are down?

Existing connections between your devices continue working — they don’t route through Rabtly’s servers. You won’t be able to add new devices or open the dashboard until service is restored.

Is there a command-line tool?

Yes. The rabtly CLI lets you connect, check status, and manage your network from the terminal. Run rabtly --help to see all commands, or see the full CLI Reference.

Still stuck?

Contact support at support@rabtly.cloud and include the output of rabtly status and your operating system version.