NetBird VPN Setup

Install the NetBird client and connect to the company network.

1 Install NetBird

Desktop app (recommended)

Install the GUI app via Homebrew:

brew install --cask netbirdio/tap/netbird-ui

Or download the installer directly:

Apple Silicon (.pkg) Intel (.pkg)
or

CLI only (headless / servers)

brew install netbirdio/tap/netbird
sudo netbird service install
sudo netbird service start
2 Connect

Desktop app

Open NetBird from Applications, click the tray icon, go to Settings, and set the Management URL to:

https://vpn.krafteq.de

Then click Connect.

or

CLI

netbird up --management-url https://vpn.krafteq.de
3 Sign in

A browser window will open. Sign in with your company credentials to complete the connection.

1 Install NetBird

Desktop app (recommended)

Download and run the installer:

Download NetBird (.exe)
or

CLI only (headless / servers)

Download the MSI installer for unattended deployments:

Download NetBird (.msi)
2 Connect

Desktop app

Open NetBird from the Start Menu, click the tray icon, go to Settings, and set the Management URL to:

https://vpn.krafteq.de

Then click Connect.

or

CLI (PowerShell)

netbird up --management-url https://vpn.krafteq.de
3 Sign in

A browser window will open. Sign in with your company credentials to complete the connection.

1 Install NetBird

Quick install (CLI only)

curl -fsSL https://pkgs.netbird.io/install.sh | sh
or

With desktop app (Debian / Ubuntu)

curl -fsSL https://pkgs.netbird.io/install.sh | sh
sudo apt install netbird-ui

With desktop app (Fedora / RHEL)

curl -fsSL https://pkgs.netbird.io/install.sh | sh
sudo dnf install netbird-ui
2 Connect

Desktop app

Open NetBird, click the tray icon, go to Settings, and set the Management URL to:

https://vpn.krafteq.de

Then click Connect.

or

CLI

netbird up --management-url https://vpn.krafteq.de
3 Sign in

A browser window will open. Sign in with your company credentials to complete the connection.

1 Install NetBird

Download from the Google Play Store:

Get it on Google Play

Or download the APK from GitHub Releases.

2 Set management server

On first launch, the app will show the default server. Tap the menu icon, select Change Server, and enter:

https://vpn.krafteq.de

Tap Change to apply.

3 Connect

Tap the NetBird logo to connect. Allow the VPN permission when prompted, then sign in with your company credentials.

1 Install NetBird

Download from the App Store:

Download on the App Store
2 Set management server

Open the app, tap Settings, and set the Management URL to:

https://vpn.krafteq.de
3 Connect

Tap Connect. Allow the VPN configuration when prompted, then sign in with your company credentials.

1 Run NetBird container

Docker run

docker run -d --name netbird \
  --cap-add NET_ADMIN --cap-add SYS_ADMIN --cap-add SYS_RESOURCE \
  -e NB_MANAGEMENT_URL=https://vpn.krafteq.de \
  -e NB_SETUP_KEY=<SETUP_KEY> \
  -v netbird-client:/var/lib/netbird \
  netbirdio/netbird:latest
or

Docker Compose

services:
  netbird:
    image: netbirdio/netbird:latest
    container_name: netbird
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
      - SYS_ADMIN
      - SYS_RESOURCE
    environment:
      - NB_MANAGEMENT_URL=https://vpn.krafteq.de
      - NB_SETUP_KEY=<SETUP_KEY>
    volumes:
      - netbird-client:/var/lib/netbird
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  netbird-client:
Replace <SETUP_KEY> with a setup key from the NetBird dashboard. For rootless operation, use the netbirdio/netbird:rootless-latest image.
2 Verify
docker exec netbird netbird status
1 Get a setup key

Create a one-off setup key from the NetBird dashboard, or ask your administrator for one.

2 Run the install script

SSH into the server and run:

curl -fsSL https://vpn.krafteq.de/install-server.sh | sudo bash -s -- --setup-key <SETUP_KEY>
Replace <SETUP_KEY> with the key from step 1. The script is idempotent — safe to re-run on servers that already have NetBird installed.
3 Verify

Check the connection status:

sudo netbird status

You should see Management: Connected and Signal: Connected.

✓ What the script does

The install script performs three things:

  • Installs the NetBird client (if not already present)
  • Connects to the management server using the provided setup key
  • Installs a watchdog cron job that runs every minute — if the management connection drops (e.g. after a server restart), it automatically runs netbird down && netbird up to restore connectivity

Watchdog logs are available via:

journalctl -t netbird-watchdog