Apache Guacamole hosting: remote access without an open door.
You open a web page, sign in and sit behind the desktop of a server or workstation. There is nothing to install.
Short answer
Apache Guacamole gives remote access through the browser: a Windows desktop (RDP), or a Linux machine over SSH or VNC. You sign in with two-factor authentication and sessions can be recorded. On the device you work from, you need to install nothing. Jevana runs Guacamole on our own hardware in the Netherlands, as an alternative to an RDP port left open to the internet.
An open RDP port is an invitation
A common way to reach a server from outside is to open the RDP port to the internet. It works. It is also how many break-ins start, because that port is probed all day, and one stolen password is then enough.
With Guacamole you close that port. The server itself exposes nothing to the internet. Only one web page is open, with a login and two-factor authentication in front, and from there the connection runs inward.
A VPN can serve the same purpose in another way. Which of the two fits depends on who needs to get in and from which device.
VPN for your organisationHow a session goes
- 01
Sign in
You go to the address in your browser, sign in and confirm with a second step.
- 02
Pick a machine
You see only the machines you may reach. One click, and the desktop or terminal opens in the window.
- 03
Work
It works like sitting there remotely: mouse, keyboard, the clipboard. Nothing is stored on your own device.
- 04
Look back
If recording is switched on, you can check afterwards what was done in a session.
What it supports
Connections
- RDP, for Windows desktops
- SSH, for a terminal on Linux
- VNC, for other graphical environments
Access
- Decide per person or group which machines are visible
- Two-factor authentication at sign-in
- Signing in through existing accounts, if you set that up
What you need to know
- Replaces
- An RDP port left open to the internet, or a programme such as TeamViewer.
- What we do
- Install, keep up to date, backups, and set up the connection to your machines.
- Licence
- Apache 2.0. It is a project of the Apache Software Foundation. Jevana is not part of the project.
- Recording
- Optional. Whether sessions are recorded is up to you.
- Leaving
- Settings and users can be exported. You are not stuck.
Questions
Is Apache Guacamole safer than RDP straight on the internet?
Yes, in that the machine itself is no longer reachable directly. Only the Guacamole page is open, with login and two-factor authentication. Attackers who probe the RDP port now find nothing there. It remains a public address with a login, so the updates must be right. We keep those current.
Does the computer I sign in from need software?
No. Guacamole works in the browser, on a laptop, a tablet or a computer that is not yours. What you see there is the picture of the machine at the other end. That makes it handy for administrators on the road and for outside parties who need to look along briefly, without installing anything.
Can we have sessions recorded in Apache Guacamole?
Yes, if you want. Guacamole can record sessions so you can look back at what was done. That helps when an outside supplier works on your servers. It is also the processing of data about people, so you record who sees it, how long it is kept and that staff know about it.
Can Apache Guacamole replace TeamViewer?
For access to servers and workstations that are yours, yes. You decide which machines can be reached and who may get in. For helping a customer who sits at their own computer at home it works differently, because the machine must first be reachable from Guacamole. A programme with a session code fits that better.
Goes well with
-
authentik
One login for all your applications, with two-factor authentication, on a server we keep up to date.
-
Keycloak
Identity and access management for larger organisations and for software you build yourself.
-
Business VPN
An encrypted connection between home and office, or between two sites, only where it is still needed.
-
NetBox
The administration of your network in one place: IP addresses, VLANs, racks, devices and cables.
Tell us what you run.
An introduction costs nothing. You talk straight away to one of the two people who will actually do the work.
or email info@jevana.systems