# Configuration Reference This document describes the JSON configuration files used by Vacuum Wall to manage each subsystem. All persistent configuration is stored in the `config/` directory as declarative JSON. Runtime artifacts and generated files live in `data/`. The application renders these declarations into the format expected by each underlying service. ## DHCP/DNS Configuration **File**: `config/dnsmasq/config.json` This file defines all DHCP server settings and DNS resolution behavior for the dnsmasq service. The application renders it into `/etc/dnsmasq.d/vacuum-wall.conf`. ```json { "dhcp": { "ranges": [ { "interface": "eth1", "start": "192.168.2.100", "end": "192.168.2.200", "lease_time": "12h", "gateway": "192.168.2.1", "dns": "192.168.2.1" } ], "static_leases": [ { "mac": "aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff", "ip": "192.168.2.50", "hostname": "printer" } ] }, "dns": { "upstreams": ["8.8.8.8", "1.1.1.1"], "domain": "lan", "custom_records": [ { "name": "nas.lan", "address": "192.168.2.10", "hostname": "nas" } ] } } ``` ### DHCP Fields | Field | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `ranges` | array | No | One or more DHCP address pools. Each range defines a subnet from which addresses are leased. Default: `[]`. | | `ranges[].interface` | string | Yes | Network interface on which to serve this DHCP range (e.g., `eth1`). | | `ranges[].start` | string | Yes | First IP address in the pool. | | `ranges[].end` | string | Yes | Last IP address in the pool. | | `ranges[].lease_time` | string | No | DHCP lease duration. Accepts values like `12h`, `1d`, `30m`. Default: `12h`. | | `ranges[].gateway` | string | No | Default gateway advertised to DHCP clients. Typically the router's LAN IP. | | `ranges[].dns` | string | No | DNS server address advertised to DHCP clients. Typically the Vacuum Wall host's LAN IP. | | `static_leases` | array | No | Fixed IP assignments tied to MAC addresses. Clients with matching MACs always receive the specified IP. Default: `[]`. | | `static_leases[].mac` | string | Yes | MAC address of the client (colon-separated lowercase hex). | | `static_leases[].ip` | string | Yes | The IP address to assign to this MAC. Must be outside the dynamic pool ranges. | | `static_leases[].hostname` | string | No | Hostname to associate with the lease. Used for reverse DNS and mDNS. | ### DNS Fields | Field | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `upstreams` | array | Yes | Upstream DNS servers to forward unresolved queries to. Supports IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. Default: `["8.8.8.8", "1.1.1.1"]`. | | `domain` | string | No | Local domain suffix. Hostnames without a FQDN are resolved within this domain (e.g., `printer` becomes `printer.lan`). Default: `null`. | | `custom_records` | array | No | Static DNS A records for internal services and devices. Default: `[]`. | | `custom_records[].name` | string | Yes | Fully qualified domain name (e.g., `nas.lan`). | | `custom_records[].address` | string | Yes | The IP address to resolve the name to. | | `custom_records[].hostname` | string | No | Short hostname without the domain suffix. Adds a reverse DNS entry as well. | Additional dnsmasq directives can be appended verbatim by placing plain-text files in `data/dnsmasq/fragments/`. Each file's contents are concatenated into the generated config. This is useful for advanced options not covered by the JSON schema (e.g., `bogus-priv`, `cache-size`, `log-queries`). ## Nginx Configuration **File**: `config/nginx/config.json` This file defines reverse proxy domains, the management interface, and global SSL settings. The application renders it into per-domain server block files in `data/nginx/sites-enabled/` and into the shared SSL snippet at `/etc/nginx/snippets/vacuum-wall-ssl.conf`. ```json { "domains": { "app.example.com": { "backend": { "host": "192.168.2.50", "port": 8080, "proto": "http" }, "force_ssl": true, "cert": "acme", "headers": { "X-Forwarded-Proto": "https", "X-Real-IP": "$remote_addr" } } }, "management": { "domain": "vacuum-wall.local", "backend": { "host": "127.0.0.1", "port": 9090, "proto": "http" }, "auth": { "user": "admin", "htpasswd": "/home/wall/vacuum-wall/data/nginx/.htpasswd" } }, "ssl": { "protocols": "TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3", "ciphers": "ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-ECDSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305:ECDHE-RSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305", "prefer_server_ciphers": false } } ``` ### Domain Entries The `domains` object maps domain names (keys) to proxy configurations. Each entry produces a separate nginx `server` block. | Field | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `backend` | object | Yes | The upstream service that receives proxied traffic. | | `backend.host` | string | Yes | IP address or hostname of the backend service. | | `backend.port` | integer | Yes | Port the backend service is listening on. | | `backend.proto` | string | No | Protocol for the backend connection: `http` or `https`. Default: `http`. | | `force_ssl` | boolean | No | Enable HTTPS redirect. HTTP requests to this domain receive a 301 redirect to HTTPS. Default: `true`. | | `headers` | object | No | Custom headers to set on proxied requests. Supports nginx variable interpolation (e.g., `$remote_addr`). | | `cert` | string | No | Certificate provisioning method. One of: `"acme"`, `"file"`, or `"selfsigned"`. Omit for domains that don't need a dedicated cert. | ### Certificate Types The `cert` field is a string that selects the provisioning method: | Value | Description | |---|---| | `acme` | Vacuum Wall uses acme.sh to request and renew an ACME certificate via the HTTP-01 challenge. The nginx configuration serves ACME challenge files at `/.well-known/acme-challenge/`. | | `file` | Use a pre-existing certificate and private key from the local file system. Vacuum Wall will not attempt to renew these certificates. | | `selfsigned` | Vacuum Wall generates a self-signed certificate and private key on first apply. Useful for internal domains or testing. The generated certificate is stored at `data/certs/`. | ### Management Domain The `management` block configures the Vacuum Wall admin interface itself. It follows the same structure as a domain entry but can include an `auth` block for HTTP Basic Authentication. | Field | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `domain` | string | Yes | The hostname used to access the management WebUI (e.g., `.local`). | | `backend` | object | Yes | Points to the Flask app at `127.0.0.1:9090`. | | `auth` | object | No | HTTP Basic Authentication configuration. Only created if `auth_user` is provided when setting the management proxy. | | `auth.user` | string | Yes | Username for the `.htpasswd` file. | | `auth.htpasswd` | string | Yes | Full path to the `.htpasswd` file containing the username and hashed password. | The application can create the `.htpasswd` file programmatically via `write_htpasswd()` (using passlib's `apache_passwd` with Apache-Round-12, falling back to SHA-256 crypt). Manual creation is also possible: ```bash htpasswd -bc data/nginx/.htpasswd admin yourpassword ``` ### Global SSL Settings The `ssl` block defines TLS parameters applied to all HTTPS server blocks via the shared snippet. | Field | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `protocols` | string | No | nginx `ssl_protocols` directive value. Default: `TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3`. | | `ciphers` | string | No | nginx `ssl_ciphers` directive value. Default is a curated AEAD-only cipher string. | | `prefer_server_ciphers` | boolean | No | Whether to prefer server cipher order. Default: `false`. | ## WireGuard Configuration **File**: `config/wireguard/config.json` This file defines the WireGuard server interface and all connected peers. The application renders it into `/etc/wireguard/wg0.conf` and applies it with `wg-quick`. The file is created automatically when `initialize()` generates the server key pair via `wg genkey` / `wg pubkey`. ```json { "interface": { "name": "wg0", "listen_port": 51820, "private_key": "", "public_key": "", "addresses": ["10.137.0.1/24"], "post_up": null, "post_down": null }, "peers": { "alice": { "public_key": "", "private_key": "", "endpoint": "203.0.113.1:51820", "allowed_ips": ["0.0.0.0/0"], "persistent_keepalive": 25, "preshared_key": null } } } ``` ### Interface Fields | Field | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `name` | string | No | WireGuard interface name. Default: `wg0`. | | `listen_port` | integer | No | Port the WireGuard interface listens on. Default: `51820`. Must be opened in the firewall. | | `private_key` | string | Yes (after init) | Base64-encoded private key for the server interface. Generated automatically by `initialize()` via `wg genkey`. | | `public_key` | string | Yes (after init) | Corresponding public key. Generated automatically by `initialize()` via `wg pubkey`. | | `addresses` | array | No | IP address(es) assigned to the server interface in CIDR notation (e.g., `10.137.0.1/24`). Default: `["10.137.0.1/24"]`. | | `post_up` | string | No | Shell command to run after the interface is brought up. Common uses: adding NAT rules, enabling IP forwarding for the tunnel. Set to `null` to omit. Default: `null`. | | `post_down` | string | No | Shell command to run after the interface is brought down. Used to clean up rules added by `post_up`. Set to `null` to omit. Default: `null`. | ### Peer Fields Peers are stored in an object keyed by a human-readable identifier (e.g., `alice`, `office-laptop`). Each peer entry defines a WireGuard peer configuration. When `add_peer()` is called, the peer's key pair is auto-generated. The `private_key` is stored for client configuration generation but stripped from all API responses. | Field | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `public_key` | string | Yes | The peer's public key. Auto-generated when the peer is added. | | `private_key` | string | No | The peer's private key, stored for generating downloadable client configuration files. Auto-generated when the peer is added. Stripped from all API responses — the WebUI never exposes peer private keys over the network. | | `endpoint` | string | No | The peer's public endpoint (IP:port). Required for server-initiated connections (e.g., the server reaching out to a peer behind a firewall). Leave empty or `null` for peer-initiated connections where the peer connects to the server. Default: `null`. | | `allowed_ips` | array | No | CIDR blocks that traffic from this peer is allowed to route. Default: `[]` (no routing restrictions from the server side). `["0.0.0.0/0"]` allows all traffic. `["10.137.0.0/16"]` restricts traffic to the VPN subnet. | | `persistent_keepalive` | integer | No | Keepalive interval in seconds. `25` is recommended for peers behind NAT. Set to `0` or `null` to disable. Default: `null`. | | `preshared_key` | string | No | Optional pre-shared key for post-quantum resistance. Use `wg genpsk` to generate. Default: `null`. | ### Client Configuration Generation When a peer's `private_key` is set (which is the case when `add_peer()` auto-generates it), the WebUI can generate a complete WireGuard client configuration file that the user can download and import into their WireGuard client app. The generated config includes the peer's interface settings, the server as a `[Peer]` entry, and the appropriate `Endpoint` and `AllowedIPs` values. The `private_key` field is written into the client config file for download but is never returned by the API. `generate_client_conf()` computes the client IP address from the server's subnet and the peer's sorted index position. ### Applying Configuration When configuration is saved through the WebUI or API, the application: 1. Renders the `wg0.conf` file from the JSON configuration. 2. Writes the file to `/etc/wireguard/wg0.conf` with `600` permissions via `sudo cp`. 3. Runs `sudo wg-quick up ` to apply the configuration. 4. Returns success or error status to the caller. If the interface is already up, `wg-quick up` will reconfigure it in place without dropping existing connections. ## Firewall Configuration **File**: `config/firewall/config.json` This file defines the declarative firewalld zone configuration. The application compares it against the live firewalld state via `_compute_pending_changes()` and applies incremental changes. Runtime state backups are stored in `data/firewall/rules.json`. ```json { "zones": { "public": { "interfaces": ["eth0"], "services": ["dhcp", "dns", "https", "ssh"], "target": "DEFAULT", "masquerade": true, "forward_ports": [ { "id": "abc123", "port": 443, "proto": "tcp", "toaddr": "192.168.2.50", "toport": 8080 } ], "rich_rules": [ { "rule": "rule family=\"ipv4\" source address=\"10.0.0.0/8\" reject" } ] } } } ``` ### Zone Fields The `zones` object maps zone names (keys) to zone configurations. Each zone corresponds to a firewalld zone applied via `firewall-cmd`. | Field | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `interfaces` | array | No | Network interfaces assigned to this zone. Computed against live state to detect pending changes. Default: `[]`. | | `services` | array | No | Firewalld services to allow in this zone (e.g., `ssh`, `https`, `dns`, `dhcp`). Default: `[]`. | | `target` | string | No | Zone target policy. One of: `DEFAULT`, `ACCEPT`, `DROP`, `REJECT`. The code maps these to firewalld's canonical target values (`default`, `ACCEPT`, `DROP`, `REJECT`). Default: `DEFAULT`. | | `masquerade` | boolean | No | Enable IP masquerading (NAT) for this zone. Default: `false`. | | `forward_ports` | array | No | Port forwarding rules. Each entry has an auto-generated `id` field and the standard firewalld forward-port fields. Default: `[]`. | | `forward_ports[].id` | string | No | Auto-generated unique identifier for the port forwarding rule. Not user-settable. | | `forward_ports[].port` | integer | Yes | Destination port to forward. | | `forward_ports[].proto` | string | Yes | Protocol: `tcp` or `udp`. | | `forward_ports[].toaddr` | string | No | Internal IP address to forward to. Omit for broadcast forwarding. | | `forward_ports[].toport` | integer | No | Internal port to forward to. Omit to keep the same port. | | `rich_rules` | array | No | Rich rule entries for advanced firewall policies. Default: `[]`. | | `rich_rules[].rule` | string | Yes | The full firewalld rich rule string, e.g., `rule family="ipv4" source address="10.0.0.0/8" reject`. | ### Applying Firewall Configuration The `config_pending()` function compares the declarative config in `config/firewall/config.json` against the live firewalld state returned by the daemon (via `daemon.handlers.firewall.get_state()`). It returns a diff indicating which zones have pending changes for interfaces, services, target, masquerade, forward ports, and rich rules. Zones that exist live but not in config are reported as `unmanaged_zones`.