This guide helps you diagnose and resolve networking problems in Phala Cloud.

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Connection Refused

Your service isn’t responding on the expected port.

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Quick Checks

# 1. SSH into CVM (development OS only)
ssh my-cvm

# 2. Check if container is running
docker ps

# 3. Check container logs for errors
docker logs <container-name> --tail 50

# 4. Test local connectivity
curl http://localhost:8080

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Common Causes

Port not exposed in docker-compose.yml: 
services:
  app:
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"  # Add this
Service binding to localhost instead of all interfaces: 
// Wrong - only localhost can connect
app.listen(3000, '127.0.0.1');

// Right - accepts external connections
app.listen(3000, '0.0.0.0');
Container crashed on startup: 
# Check exit code and reason
docker ps -a
docker logs <container-name>

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Connection Timeout

The connection hangs without immediate response.

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Diagnosis Steps

# 1. Test if gateway is reachable
curl -I https://<app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network

# 2. Check TLS handshake
openssl s_client -connect <app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network:443

# 3. Inside CVM, check if service is listening
netstat -tulpn | grep 8080

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Common Causes

Service still starting: Some applications take time to initialize. Check logs for startup progress. Wrong URL format: 
# Correct - always use port 443 externally
https://<app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network

# Wrong - don't add port to URL
https://<app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network:8080

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TLS/Certificate Errors

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TLS Handshake Failed

For default mode (TLS termination): 
# Test the connection
curl -v https://<app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network

# Check certificate details
openssl s_client -connect <app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network:443 \
  -servername <app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network
For passthrough mode (s suffix): 
# Your service must handle TLS
# Inside CVM, verify TLS is configured
curl https://localhost:8080

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Certificate Hostname Mismatch

In passthrough mode, you have two options: Option 1: Use a custom domain with dstack-ingress 
# Your certificate CN should match your custom domain
openssl x509 -in server.crt -text -noout | grep CN
# Should show: CN=your-domain.com
Option 2: Configure your service to ignore hostname validation 
// For development only - accepts any certificate
const server = https.createServer({
  key: fs.readFileSync('server.key'),
  cert: fs.readFileSync('server.crt'),
  // Don't verify hostname
  requestCert: false
});
Note: You cannot get a valid certificate for *.phala.network domains. Use passthrough mode primarily with custom domains or for protocols that handle certificates differently (like some databases).

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Custom Domain Issues

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DNS Not Resolving

# Check if DNS records exist
dig CNAME your-domain.com

# Check TXT record for app identification
dig TXT your-domain.com

# View ingress container logs
docker logs <dstack-ingress-container>

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Certificate Not Issued

For custom domains using dstack-ingress: 
# Check certificate evidence
curl https://your-domain.com/evidences/

# Files available:
# - acme-account.json
# - cert.pem
# - sha256sum.txt
# - quote.json
DNS propagation takes:
  • Cloudflare: ~2 minutes
  • Linode: ~5 minutes
  • Namecheap: ~2 minutes

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CAA Record Blocking Certificate

If you previously used SET_CAA=true and then wiped certificates/account, old CAA records may block new certificate issuance: 
# Check existing CAA records
dig CAA your-domain.com

# If you see old accounturi values, they need to be removed
# Example output that would block:
# your-domain.com. 300 IN CAA 128 issue "letsencrypt.org;accounturi=https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/acct/123456789"
Solution options:
  1. Wait for dstack-ingress to update CAA: If SET_CAA=true, it will attempt to replace old CAA records, but DNS propagation may cause initial failures.
  2. Manually remove old CAA records: Use your DNS provider’s control panel to delete CAA records before redeploying.
  3. Disable CAA temporarily: Set SET_CAA=false to avoid CAA checks during certificate issuance.
Note: Namecheap doesn’t support CAA records via API, so this issue won’t occur with Namecheap as DNS provider.

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gRPC Connection Failed

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HTTP/2 Not Available

# Must use 'g' suffix for gRPC
grpcurl <app-id>-50051g.dstack-prod5.phala.network:443 list

# Without 'g' suffix, HTTP/2 isn't enabled
grpcurl <app-id>-50051.dstack-prod5.phala.network:443 list  # Will fail

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Testing gRPC Service

# From outside
grpcurl <app-id>-50051g.dstack-prod5.phala.network:443 list

# Inside CVM (without TLS)
grpcurl -plaintext localhost:50051 list

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SSH Access Denied

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Development OS Required

SSH only works with development OS images. Production images have SSH disabled.

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Check Configuration

# Verify environment variables are set
DSTACK_ROOT_PASSWORD=yourpassword
# OR
DSTACK_ROOT_PUBLIC_KEY=ssh-rsa AAAA...

# Test connection
ssh -v my-cvm

# Test ProxyCommand directly
openssl s_client -connect <app-id>-22.dstack-prod5.phala.network:443

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macOS OpenSSL Issue

macOS uses LibreSSL which may cause issues: 
# Install OpenSSL via Homebrew
brew install openssl

# Update SSH config
ProxyCommand /opt/homebrew/bin/openssl s_client -quiet -connect %h:%p

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Debugging Commands

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From Outside CVM

# Test HTTPS endpoint
curl -v https://<app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network

# Check TLS certificate
openssl s_client -connect <app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network:443

# DNS lookup
dig <app-id>-8080.dstack-prod5.phala.network

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Inside CVM (SSH Required)

# Container status
docker ps -a

# Container logs
docker logs <container> --tail 100

# Network interfaces
ip addr show

# Port listeners
netstat -tulpn

# Test outbound connectivity
curl -I https://example.com

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Common Patterns

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Service Works Locally but Not Externally

  1. Check port is exposed in docker-compose.yml
  2. Verify service binds to 0.0.0.0, not 127.0.0.1
  3. Confirm URL format is correct (no port number in URL)

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Intermittent Connection Failures

Could indicate unhealthy instances if you have multiple replicas. The gateway removes unhealthy instances from rotation after 5 minutes without WireGuard handshake.

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Works with curl but Not Application

Check if your application:
  • Supports SNI (Server Name Indication)
  • Uses correct TLS version (1.2 or 1.3)
  • Handles redirects properly

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Getting Support

When reporting issues, provide:
  1. Application ID from your deployment
  2. Exact URL you’re trying to access
  3. Error message (complete output)
  4. Container logs: docker logs <container> --tail 100
  5. Test results from debugging commands above
The more specific information you provide, the faster issues can be resolved.