GuideOct 15, 2026 · 8 min
How to access a server behind NAT
A server behind NAT can make outbound connections but not accept inbound ones. The four ways around that, what each one exposes, and how to set up the one that needs no open ports.
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Field notes on building a security-first mesh network.
Engineering write-ups, product launches, and the occasional essay on how network operators actually work.
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- Oct 15, 2026Guide
How encrypted remote access works
Encrypted tunnels, handshakes, session keys and authenticated encryption, explained for people who run servers. Plus the question that matters most: who in the middle could read your traffic?
Peerlify team·Engineering·9 min read
- Oct 15, 2026Guide
How mesh VPNs work: architecture, coordination and data paths
A mesh VPN splits a VPN into two planes: a coordination service that knows who belongs, and encrypted tunnels that run directly between devices. How the pieces fit, and what each one is responsible for.
Peerlify team·Engineering·9 min read
- Oct 15, 2026Guide
How NAT traversal works: STUN, hole punching and relays
Two devices behind NAT can often talk directly, and sometimes can’t. How STUN, UDP hole punching and router port mapping work, why symmetric NAT breaks them, and what a relay is for.
Peerlify team·Engineering·10 min read
- Oct 15, 2026Guide
Peer-to-peer VPNs explained: direct connections for remote access
In a peer-to-peer VPN, devices send traffic straight to each other instead of through a central server. What makes that possible, when it isn’t, and why it matters for remote access.
Peerlify team·Engineering·7 min read
- Oct 15, 2026Guide
How to build a private network between servers in different locations
Servers in two clouds, a colo and an office can share one private network. The options, from VPC peering to site-to-site VPN to a mesh VPN, and how to set up the last one with auth keys.
Peerlify team·Engineering·8 min read
- Oct 15, 2026Guide
How to securely access a remote server
The questions that decide whether remote server access is secure, and how public SSH, bastions, gateway VPNs and mesh VPNs answer them.
Peerlify team·Engineering·9 min read
- Oct 15, 2026Guide
SSH without port forwarding or a public IP
Port 22 on the open internet gets scanned within minutes. How to reach a server over SSH without forwarding a port or giving it a public address, and how to make sure SSH only listens where it should.
Peerlify team·Engineering·8 min read
- Oct 15, 2026Guide
What is CGNAT, and why does it break remote access?
Carrier-grade NAT puts a second NAT, run by your provider, between your router and the internet. Here is how to recognise it, why it breaks port forwarding, and what still works.
Peerlify team·Engineering·7 min read
- Jul 22, 2026Product
Launch: the Peerlify API and webhooks — on every plan
A scoped REST API over every network resource, and signed webhooks for the events that matter. Automate enrollment, manage access policy from code, and stream device and membership events into your own systems — included from free Personal through Enterprise.
Ivan Vyshniak·Product·5 min read
- Apr 10, 2026Engineering
Why ACL versioning belongs in your network tool, not in Git
Network policy is code, but it is not application code. The failure modes are different, the reviewers are different, and the rollback surface is different. Here is how we built versioning that matches how operators actually work.
Ivan Vyshniak·Co-founder·8 min read
- Mar 22, 2026Security
The identity-aware mesh: what it means and why it matters
Traditional network access asks "is this IP allowed?". An identity-aware mesh asks "is this person allowed, on this device?". The difference turns a class of incidents into an audit-log lookup.
Ivan Vyshniak·Co-founder·6 min read
- Mar 15, 2026Product
Launch: seven roles for network administration
Owner, Admin, Network Admin, IT Admin, Billing Admin, Auditor and Member. A fixed role model, enforced server-side, so you can delegate device, policy and billing work without handing out full admin.
Peerlify team·Product·4 min read
- Jan 8, 2026Company
Hello, Peerlify
Why we're building private networking that behaves like a security control room instead of a tunnel dashboard. Our founding principles and the problems we want to solve first.
Ivan Vyshniak·Co-founder·5 min read