IP address of ubuntu server running on EE leads to the router web interface?

[lbevan_64]

Hi, I'm currently running a Home server on my EE Home Broadband (Ubuntu Server 22), and when I try to access the public IPv4 address, it leads to the web interface of the router? Note, it times out whilst trying to connect via an outside network, but I'm rather confused on why it's taking me to the web interface of the router?

Thanks in advance

[XRaySpeX]

@lbevan_64 : Your Ubuntu server needs some ports opened by Port Forwarding to be accessible remotely. On your LAN the router's public IP only leads to the router itself; to address the server from within your LAN you need to use its private internal IP.

[lbevan_64]

@XRaySpeX 

Hi Ray, I am able to "access" the ubuntu machine from outside the network (For example, there is currently a terraria server running from there which is accessable from outside of the network).

My issue is, I have a web server (Caddy) setup on the machine, and it should be hosting a website on the default http port, but when I go to the ip in my browser using local network, it just takes me to the web interface. This is quite confusing because it works for a terraria server, but not a web server?

When I was previously with Virgin Media, I just had to open the port(s) and go to the device's ip address in a browser, but now I'm not really sure what's happening with EE - does each device not have their own public ipv4 address?

[XRaySpeX · Accepted solution]

You are confusing the router by having 1 of your servers on the same port, 80 the default HTTP port, as the router's own GUI. You should put Caddy server on a different port.

No, 1 router only has 1 public IP 

[lbevan_64]

Ahh that makes sense, thank you!

[XRaySpeX]

Thank you. You're welcome! 

An alternative way of looking at it is:

• When accessing your server remotely using the public IP, it hits the Firewall 1st which implements your Port Forwarding rules and directs it to the correct server 
• When accessing from within your LAN using the public IP, it bypasses the Firewall and so skips any Port Forwarding rules ending up in a "loopback" situation by being directed at the router's admin pages.