Twingate Private Access Setup

Why Use Twingate?

Twingate provides secure remote access to private resources without the need for a traditional VPN.
It’s fast, zero-trust, easy to set up, and ideal for internal services like self-hosted apps, admin panels, and dashboards.

Where I Used Twingate

I deployed Twingate on my Raspberry Pi 3 alongside other services like Pi-hole and Tailscale.
This allows me to access private services (e.g., internal dashboards, NAS, local web apps) from anywhere securely using my iPhone or laptop.

Key Features I Use

• Zero Trust Access — Services are only accessible after device authentication and policy validation.
• Split Tunneling — Only private traffic goes through Twingate; public traffic stays local.
• Mobile & Desktop Support — I use the iPhone and macOS clients to connect.
• No Port Forwarding Needed — My Pi remains hidden from the public internet.

How I Set It Up

1. Create a Free Twingate Account

   • Go to https://twingate.com and sign up.

2. Define Your Network

   • Add resources (e.g., 192.168.1.1, pi.local, etc.)
   • Create remote access groups and configure access policies.

3. Install Twingate Connector on Raspberry Pi
   Use Docker to deploy the connector:

   docker run -d \\
     --restart unless-stopped \\
     --name twingate-connector \\
     --network host \\
     -e TWINGATE_NETWORK=\"your-network\" \\
     -e TWINGATE_ACCESS_TOKEN=\"your-access-token\" \\
     -e TWINGATE_REFRESH_TOKEN=\"your-refresh-token\" \\
     -e TWINGATE_LABEL=\"raspberrypi\" \\
     twingate/connector:latest

4. Install the Client on Your Devices

   • Download the Twingate client for iOS, Android, Windows, or macOS
   • Log in using your organisation’s setup link

5. Test Access

   • Verify access to internal IPs or services like http://192.168.1.100:8000

Bonus: Running Alongside Pi-hole & Tailscale

• I run Pi-hole for DNS, Tailscale for VPN-like mesh, and Twingate for fine-grained access control.
• Twingate complements Tailscale well — I use one for full mesh access, the other for secure app-level access.