Web Access Issue

[jc-chuckles]

I installed Netbox yesterday on a clean Ubunutu 24.04.2 VM and the latest Netbox release.

The Dev test worked fine and following the configuration of the HTTP side was able to connect for about 3 mintes before it dropped the connection and refused to connect after that. Thankfully I had been keeping snapshots of the VM at various stages of the installation so rolled it back to before config of the HTTP reconfigured and exactly the same thing happened.

The only deviation from the offical Netbox Installation documentation I made was changed from using https to http.

The error that I get in Chrome is refused to connect which I would possibly expect to get if its expecting an https connection and I'm trying to connect using http.

Can anyone give me any guidance on how I can get round this issue other than using certificates and https?

Thanks

Jon

[pheus]

Hi Jon,

Sorry to hear you're having trouble setting up your NetBox instance - it can definitely be frustrating when things work briefly and then stop unexpectedly.

From what you described, it sounds like the issue might be related to the HTTP/HTTPS configuration in your web server. The official installation guide assumes you'll be serving NetBox over HTTPS, so if you've opted to use plain HTTP instead, there are a few adjustments you'll need to make manually.

To help you better, could you share a bit more detail about your setup?

• Are you using Gunicorn (as recommended in the docs) or uWSGI?
• Which web server are you using - Nginx or Apache?
• Did you use the provided configuration files, or modify them yourself?

If you’re avoiding HTTPS for now (e.g., for internal testing or simplicity), you'll need to update the web server config to listen on port 80 and remove any SSL/TLS directives that expect certificates. For example, in Nginx, that would mean:

• Changing the listen 443 ssl; to listen 80;
• Removing any ssl_certificate and ssl_certificate_key lines

Let us know which server you're using and we can help tailor the config changes you’ll need.

Hope that helps!

[jc-chuckles]

Martin Thanks for the info below, this is a POC so want to get it up and running as quick as possible with the need for certs. * Are you using Gunicorn (as recommended in the docs) or uWSGI? Gunicorn * Which web server are you using - Nginx or Apache? Nginx * Did you use the provided configuration files, or modify them yourself? I used the provided configuration file for nginx and removed references to certs and replaced with listen 80; Thanks Jon From: Martin Hauser ***@***.***> Sent: 06 June 2025 12:00 To: netbox-community/netbox ***@***.***> Cc: HILL, Jon (LINCOLNSHIRE COMMUNITY AND HOSPITALS NHS GROUP - RWD) ***@***.***>; Author ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [netbox-community/netbox] Web Access Issue (Discussion #19663) You don't often get email from ***@***.******@***.***>. Learn why this is important<https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification> This message originated from outside of NHSmail. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe. Hi Jon, Sorry to hear you're having trouble setting up your NetBox instance - it can definitely be frustrating when things work briefly and then stop unexpectedly. From what you described, it sounds like the issue might be related to the HTTP/HTTPS configuration in your web server. The official installation guide assumes you'll be serving NetBox over HTTPS, so if you've opted to use plain HTTP instead, there are a few adjustments you'll need to make manually. To help you better, could you share a bit more detail about your setup? * Are you using Gunicorn (as recommended in the docs) or uWSGI? * Which web server are you using - Nginx or Apache? * Did you use the provided configuration files, or modify them yourself? If you're avoiding HTTPS for now (e.g., for internal testing or simplicity), you'll need to update the web server config to listen on port 80 and remove any SSL/TLS directives that expect certificates. For example, in Nginx, that would mean: * Changing the listen 443 ssl; to listen 80; * Removing any ssl_certificate and ssl_certificate_key lines Let us know which server you're using and we can help tailor the config changes you'll need. Hope that helps! - Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#19663 (comment)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BTJJ2TW5JFFJZX53HROYWHD3CFYDNAVCNFSM6AAAAAB6XRALA6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTGMZYHEYTKOI>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.******@***.***>> ************************************************************************************** ****************************** This message may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient please: i) inform the sender that you have received the message in error before deleting it; and ii) do not disclose, copy or distribute information in this e-mail or take any action in relation to its content (to do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful). Thank you for your co-operation. NHSmail is the secure email, collaboration and directory service available for all NHS staff in England. NHSmail is approved for exchanging patient data and other sensitive information with NHSmail and other accredited email services. For more information and to find out how you can switch visit Joining NHSmail - NHSmail Support<https://support.nhs.net/article-categories/joining-nhsmail/>

[pheus]

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the additional info!

While we can certainly keep troubleshooting the HTTP setup, I'd suggest considering generating self-signed certificates using the command provided in the NetBox documentation. It only takes a minute, aligns with the installation guide, gives you basic encryption, and tends to work reliably with the default config.

That said, if you want to stick with HTTP for this proof of concept, here are a few things to check:

Nginx

Did you also remove the HTTP → HTTPS redirect block from the default Nginx config? This is usually included in the provided config and will block HTTP connections if not removed.

Django

Django itself doesn’t strictly require HTTPS, but certain settings can break or block HTTP if they’re enabled — especially when running with DEBUG = False.

In your netbox/netbox/configuration.py (or wherever your settings.py is located), check that these settings are either removed or explicitly set to False for HTTP to work:

SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = False
CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = False
SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = False

[jc-chuckles]

Martin Thanks for your help, in the end I’ve gone with your suggestion of using the self-signed cert so at least in the future when we go to a full CA cert all the config is in place to allow this. Thanks Jon From: Martin Hauser ***@***.***> Sent: 06 June 2025 14:45 To: netbox-community/netbox ***@***.***> Cc: HILL, Jon (LINCOLNSHIRE COMMUNITY AND HOSPITALS NHS GROUP - RWD) ***@***.***>; Author ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [netbox-community/netbox] Web Access Issue (Discussion #19663) You don't often get email from ***@***.******@***.***>. Learn why this is important<https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification> This message originated from outside of NHSmail. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe. Hi Jon, Thanks for the additional info! While we can certainly keep troubleshooting the HTTP setup, I'd suggest considering generating self-signed certificates using the command provided in the NetBox documentation. It only takes a minute, aligns with the installation guide, gives you basic encryption, and tends to work reliably with the default config. That said, if you want to stick with HTTP for this proof of concept, here are a few things to check: Nginx Did you also remove the HTTP → HTTPS redirect block from the default Nginx config? This is usually included in the provided config and will block HTTP connections if not removed. Django Django itself doesn’t strictly require HTTPS, but certain settings can break or block HTTP if they’re enabled - especially when running with DEBUG = False. In your netbox/netbox/configuration.py (or wherever your settings.py is located), check that these settings are either removed or explicitly set to False for HTTP to work: SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = False CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = False SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = False - Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#19663 (comment)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BTJJ2TUXHXJTENCUM54AICT3CGLMDAVCNFSM6AAAAAB6XRALA6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTGMZZGA3TQMA>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.******@***.***>> ************************************************************************************** ****************************** This message may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient please: i) inform the sender that you have received the message in error before deleting it; and ii) do not disclose, copy or distribute information in this e-mail or take any action in relation to its content (to do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful). Thank you for your co-operation. NHSmail is the secure email, collaboration and directory service available for all NHS staff in England. NHSmail is approved for exchanging patient data and other sensitive information with NHSmail and other accredited email services. For more information and to find out how you can switch visit Joining NHSmail - NHSmail Support<https://support.nhs.net/article-categories/joining-nhsmail/>

[jc-chuckles]

Martin Very odd, even after following the self cert path I’m still having the same issue as before. Work in the GUI for 3 or so minutes and then it bombs out and continually shows the below. Thanks Jon ***@***.*** From: Martin Hauser ***@***.***> Sent: 06 June 2025 14:45 To: netbox-community/netbox ***@***.***> Cc: HILL, Jon (LINCOLNSHIRE COMMUNITY AND HOSPITALS NHS GROUP - RWD) ***@***.***>; Author ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [netbox-community/netbox] Web Access Issue (Discussion #19663) You don't often get email from ***@***.******@***.***>. Learn why this is important<https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification> This message originated from outside of NHSmail. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe. Hi Jon, Thanks for the additional info! While we can certainly keep troubleshooting the HTTP setup, I'd suggest considering generating self-signed certificates using the command provided in the NetBox documentation. It only takes a minute, aligns with the installation guide, gives you basic encryption, and tends to work reliably with the default config. That said, if you want to stick with HTTP for this proof of concept, here are a few things to check: Nginx Did you also remove the HTTP → HTTPS redirect block from the default Nginx config? This is usually included in the provided config and will block HTTP connections if not removed. Django Django itself doesn’t strictly require HTTPS, but certain settings can break or block HTTP if they’re enabled - especially when running with DEBUG = False. In your netbox/netbox/configuration.py (or wherever your settings.py is located), check that these settings are either removed or explicitly set to False for HTTP to work: SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = False CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = False SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = False - Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#19663 (comment)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BTJJ2TUXHXJTENCUM54AICT3CGLMDAVCNFSM6AAAAAB6XRALA6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTGMZZGA3TQMA>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.******@***.***>> ************************************************************************************** ****************************** This message may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient please: i) inform the sender that you have received the message in error before deleting it; and ii) do not disclose, copy or distribute information in this e-mail or take any action in relation to its content (to do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful). Thank you for your co-operation. NHSmail is the secure email, collaboration and directory service available for all NHS staff in England. NHSmail is approved for exchanging patient data and other sensitive information with NHSmail and other accredited email services. For more information and to find out how you can switch visit Joining NHSmail - NHSmail Support<https://support.nhs.net/article-categories/joining-nhsmail/>

[pheus]

Hi Jon,

That’s definitely unexpected. I’ve followed the official NetBox installation instructions multiple times on both Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 without issues, so something unusual might be going on in your environment.

It’s possible that either a small but crucial step was missed, or one of the changes made during troubleshooting is now interfering with the setup.

One common issue I’ve seen is related to the ALLOWED_HOSTS setting in Django. If this isn’t configured correctly, it can lead to intermittent or outright failed access. Make sure your server’s IP or hostname is included in that list:

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['your-server-ip', 'your.domain.com', 'localhost']

Without specific error messages or logs, it’s difficult to diagnose this precisely. If possible, check your Nginx and Gunicorn logs for clues when the issue occurs.

If this continues to block your progress, you might consider:

• Starting fresh and carefully following the official installation guide
• Using the Docker deployment
• Trying the free NetBox Cloud instance for your proof of concept

[jc-chuckles]

Martin Finally got it working using Apache. In the GUI under system status maintenance banner - Netbox is currently in maintenance mode. Functionality may be limited. I can't find anywhere in the GUI to take Netbox out of maintenance mode, there's a few posts for older versions of Netbox showing this but nothing for v4.3.2. Thanks for you help. Jon From: Martin Hauser ***@***.***> Sent: 11 June 2025 06:11 To: netbox-community/netbox ***@***.***> Cc: HILL, Jon (LINCOLNSHIRE COMMUNITY AND HOSPITALS NHS GROUP - RWD) ***@***.***>; Author ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [netbox-community/netbox] Web Access Issue (Discussion #19663) You don't often get email from ***@***.******@***.***>. Learn why this is important<https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification> This message originated from outside of NHSmail. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe. Hi Jon, That's definitely unexpected. I've followed the official NetBox installation instructions multiple times on both Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 without issues, so something unusual might be going on in your environment. It's possible that either a small but crucial step was missed, or one of the changes made during troubleshooting is now interfering with the setup. One common issue I've seen is related to the ALLOWED_HOSTS setting in Django. If this isn't configured correctly, it can lead to intermittent or outright failed access. Make sure your server's IP or hostname is included in that list: ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['your-server-ip', 'your.domain.com', 'localhost'] Without specific error messages or logs, it's difficult to diagnose this precisely. If possible, check your Nginx and Gunicorn logs for clues when the issue occurs. If this continues to block your progress, you might consider: * Starting fresh and carefully following the official installation guide<https://netboxlabs.com/docs/netbox/installation/> * Using the Docker deployment * Trying the free NetBox Cloud instance for your proof of concept - Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#19663 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BTJJ2TXSKBYRQ2YYRJMN5NT3C625DAVCNFSM6AAAAAB6XRALA6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTGNBSHA2TAMQ>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.******@***.***>> ************************************************************************************** ****************************** This message may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient please: i) inform the sender that you have received the message in error before deleting it; and ii) do not disclose, copy or distribute information in this e-mail or take any action in relation to its content (to do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful). Thank you for your co-operation. NHSmail is the secure email, collaboration and directory service available for all NHS staff in England. NHSmail is approved for exchanging patient data and other sensitive information with NHSmail and other accredited email services. For more information and to find out how you can switch visit Joining NHSmail - NHSmail Support<https://support.nhs.net/article-categories/joining-nhsmail/>