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Sign in to a lab host

The desktop and web apps work through endpoints: one per lab host. Sign in once per endpoint and the explorer shows all of them side by side.

You need a lab host running clab-api-server, and a Linux account on it that is in the clab_api or clab_admins group.

Add your first endpoint

On first launch the app shows Add Endpoint:

Add Endpoint Add Endpoint

Field Fill in
API Endpoint The API server URL, for example https://lab1.example.com:8090
Label A short name for the explorer, for example lab1
Username, Password Your Linux account on the lab host
Keep me signed in How long the session lasts: 24h, 7d, 1h30m

The password goes to the API server once, in exchange for a session token. The app keeps the token, not the password.

Several lab hosts

Add more endpoints from the endpoint settings. Each one keeps its own session, so you can, say, work on a shared lab server and your own VM at the same time.

  • The explorer groups labs and files by endpoint.
  • An action runs on the endpoint that owns the lab or file. When that is unclear, the app asks.
  • Node templates are stored per endpoint and per user, under ~/.clab on the lab host. Templates you create on lab1 stay on lab1.

Move endpoints to another machine

Under Endpoint profiles, Export your endpoint list and Import it in another desktop app or browser. The export contains URLs, labels, usernames, and session durations. It never contains passwords or tokens, so you sign in to each endpoint again after importing.

If sign-in fails

  1. Is the API server reachable from where the app runs? For the web app, that is the web app's container, not your browser.

    curl -k https://lab1.example.com:8090/health

  2. Is the service running?

    sudo systemctl status clab-api-server

  3. Is your user allowed? It must exist on the lab host and be in clab_api or clab_admins. Group changes apply to new sign-ins.

    id alice