Gateway Deployment

Complete guide to deploying Infisical Gateways including network configuration and firewall requirements

Infisical Gateways enables secure communication between your private resources and the Infisical platform without exposing inbound ports in your network. This guide covers everything you need to deploy and configure Infisical Gateways.

Deployment Steps

1. Set Up a Relay Server

   Ensure a relay server is running and accessible before you deploy any gateways. You have two options:

   • Managed relay (Infisical Cloud, US/EU only): If you are using Infisical Cloud in the US or EU regions, you can use the provided managed relay.
   • Self-hosted relay: For all other cases, you must deploy your own relay server. See the Relay Deployment Guide.
2. Create the Gateway in the UI

   1. Navigate to Organization Settings > Networking > Gateways.
   2. Click Create Gateway.
   3. Enter a name for your gateway and select a relay (or use “Auto Select Relay”).
   4. Choose your deployment method (CLI or systemd).
   5. Copy the generated CLI command. The command includes a one-time enrollment token that expires in 1 hour.
3. Install the Infisical CLI

   Make sure the Infisical CLI is installed on the target machine. See the CLI Installation Guide for instructions.

4. Configure Network & Firewall

   Ensure your network and firewall settings allow the gateway to connect to all required services. All connections are outbound only; no inbound ports need to be opened.

   Protocol	Destination	Port	Purpose
   TCP	Relay Server IP/Hostname	2222	SSH reverse tunnel establishment
   TCP	Infisical instance host (US/EU, other)	443	API communication and certificate requests

   For managed relays, allow outbound traffic to the provided relay server IP/hostname. For self-hosted relays, allow outbound traffic to your own relay server address.

   If you are in a corporate environment with strict egress filtering, ensure outbound TCP 2222 to relay servers and outbound HTTPS 443 to Infisical API endpoints are allowed.

5. Run the CLI Command

   Run the command you copied from the UI on the target machine. This single command enrolls the gateway and starts it immediately.

   Linux Server (Production)

   For production deployments on Linux, install as a systemd service:

   sudo infisical gateway systemd install <gateway-name> \
     --enroll-method=token \
     --token=<enrollment-token> \
     --domain=<your-infisical-domain>
   sudo systemctl start infisical-gateway
   

   The systemd install command requires a Linux operating system with root/sudo privileges.

   Development & Testing

   For development or testing, run directly in the foreground:

   infisical gateway start my-gateway \
     --enroll-method=token \
     --token=<enrollment-token> \
     --domain=<your-infisical-domain>
   

   The enrollment token can only be used once and expires after 1 hour. If it expires, use the Re-enroll option in the gateway’s context menu to generate a new one.

   You can safely re-run the same command to restart the gateway. It will detect the token has already been used and skip enrollment automatically.

6. Verify Your Gateway Deployment

   After deployment, verify your gateway is working:

   1. Check logs for “Gateway started successfully” message.
   2. Verify registration in the Infisical UI. Navigate to Networking > Gateways and confirm the gateway shows a “Healthy” status.
   3. Test connectivity by creating a resource that uses the gateway to access a private service.

Re-enrollment

To move a gateway to a different machine or regenerate its credentials:

1. Click the context menu (three dots) next to the gateway and select Re-enroll.
2. Copy the new CLI command and run it on the new machine.
3. The existing gateway continues running until the new machine enrolls. Once the new machine connects, the old machine’s credentials are automatically revoked. This enables zero-downtime machine migrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to open any inbound ports on my firewall?

No inbound ports need to be opened for gateways. The gateway only makes outbound connections:

• Outbound SSH to relay servers on port 2222
• Outbound HTTPS to Infisical API endpoints on port 443
• SSH reverse tunnels handle all communication - no return traffic configuration needed

This design maintains security by avoiding the need for inbound firewall rules that could expose your network to external threats.

How do I test network connectivity from the gateway?

Test relay connectivity and outbound API access from the gateway:

1. Test SSH port to relay:

nc -zv <relay-ip> 2222

2. Test outbound API access (replace with your Infisical domain if different):

curl -I https://app.infisical.com

How do I troubleshoot relay connectivity issues?

If the gateway cannot connect to the relay:

1. Verify the relay server is running and accessible
2. Check firewall rules allow outbound connections on port 2222
3. Confirm the relay name matches exactly
4. Test SSH port to relay:

nc -zv <relay-ip> 2222

How do I troubleshoot authentication failures?

Ensure the enrollment token has not expired or already been used. If the gateway was re-enrolled, the old machine’s credentials are no longer valid. You can generate a new enrollment token using the Re-enroll option in the gateway’s context menu.

Where can I find gateway logs?

Check gateway logs for detailed error information:

• systemd service:
  sudo journalctl -u infisical-gateway -f
  
• Local installation: Logs appear in the terminal where you started the gateway

What happens if my enrollment token expires?

Enrollment tokens expire after 1 hour. If the token expires before you run the CLI command, click the context menu (three dots) next to the gateway and select Re-enroll to generate a new token.

Where are gateway credentials stored?

Each gateway’s access token and domain are saved to a config file scoped by gateway name:

• Running as root/sudo: /etc/infisical/gateways/<name>.conf
• Running as a regular user: ~/.infisical/gateways/<name>.conf

This allows multiple gateways to run on the same machine without conflicting. For systemd-based installations, the configuration is at /etc/infisical/gateway.conf. All config files are created with restricted permissions (0600) so only the owner can read them.

Can I run multiple gateways on the same machine?

Yes. Each gateway stores its credentials in a separate config file scoped by name (e.g., ~/.infisical/gateways/my-gateway.conf). You can enroll and start multiple gateways in separate terminal sessions using different names.

What happens if there is a network interruption?

The gateway is designed to handle network interruptions gracefully:

• Automatic reconnection: The gateway will automatically attempt to reconnect to relay servers if the SSH connection is lost
• Connection retry logic: Built-in retry mechanisms handle temporary network outages without manual intervention
• Persistent SSH tunnels: SSH connections are automatically re-established when connectivity is restored
• Certificate rotation: The gateway handles certificate renewal automatically during reconnection
• Graceful degradation: The gateway logs connection issues and continues attempting to restore connectivity

No manual intervention is typically required during network interruptions.