NetSmartApp is designed to put several common network services into one Docker image and one web-based administration panel. Instead of setting up DNS, DHCP, directory users, mail services, WireGuard VPN, logs, and diagnostics as separate projects, small and medium-sized companies, labs, and developers can manage them from one simpler package.
The goal is to minimize the complexity of deploying these services. NetSmartApp does not try to replace every specialized enterprise platform; it focuses on making common infrastructure services easier to run, inspect, and maintain in self-hosted environments.
Central web panel
NetSmartApp provides a single browser-based dashboard for service status, configuration, logs, and user administration. Administrators can sign in to the panel, manage application users, reset passwords, assign roles, and control access policies from one interface.
Recent user-management features include search, manual lock and unlock, activate and deactivate actions, failed-login lockout, a 30-day password-change policy, and complex-password policy enforcement. These controls help administrators manage access consistently across the web panel, Directory users, and mailboxes.
DNS management
The DNS service supports local DNS records, forwarders, cache inspection, and query logs. Administrators can create and manage records from the UI, review resolver activity, and troubleshoot name-resolution behavior without directly editing zone files.
NetSmartApp also includes DNS-over-HTTPS support at /dns-query, allowing the same DNS records, forwarders, and cache behavior to be exposed through a secure HTTPS proxy.
DHCP gateway service
The DHCP service can assign client IP addresses from a configured pool and provide gateway and DNS settings to network clients. Administrators can define the DHCP server address, pool start and end, gateway address, and DNS behavior.
When configured to use NetSmart DNS, DHCP clients receive the NetSmart server address as their DNS resolver. A custom DNS server can also be supplied when another resolver should be advertised.
Directory service
NetSmartApp includes an LDAP-style Directory service with users, organizational units, distinguished names, and bind validation. It supports directory user creation, editing, password reset, and administrative flags for directory searches.
Directory users support search, manual lock and unlock, activation controls, password policy assignment, failed-login lockout, automatic unlock, and complex-password enforcement. These policies are enforced during LDAP bind authentication.
Mail server
The Mail service supports multiple domains and standard mail protocols: SMTP on port 25, Submission on port 587, SMTPS on port 465, POP3 on port 110, and IMAP on port 143.
Administrators can create mail domains, create mailboxes, link mailboxes to Directory users, reset mailbox passwords, and review mail logs. Mailboxes support search, lock and unlock, activation controls, password policy assignment, and authentication policy enforcement across SMTP, POP3, and IMAP.
For domain identity, NetSmartApp can generate DKIM keys, show DKIM TXT records, and create DNS records for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in NetSmart DNS.
WireGuard VPN
The WireGuard dashboard helps administrators configure a VPN server, manage peers, generate server configuration, and download client configuration files.
It supports peer management, endpoint settings, DNS settings, allowed IPs, persistent keepalive, NAT configuration, live interface checks, handshakes, RX/TX counters, and connection-transition logging.
Assistant integration
NetSmartApp includes an assistant interface for operational help and troubleshooting. It can connect to Ollama, LM Studio, or an OpenAI-compatible API provider. The Docker Compose example includes Ollama support and can pull a small local model for offline assistance.
Docker-ready deployment
NetSmartApp is distributed as a Docker image and includes a Docker Compose example for running the app with MySQL and optional Ollama support. The app stores persistent configuration and data in MySQL, writes service logs to persistent volumes, and persists ASP.NET data-protection keys so login cookies remain valid across container recreation.
Version 0.0.12 uses the patched ASP.NET/.NET 10.0.7 runtime on Ubuntu Noble and refreshes security packages, including libgnutls30, to address recent image vulnerability findings.
docker pull ssiroos/netsmartapp:0.0.12
docker pull ssiroos/netsmartapp:latest
Typical use cases
- Home lab network administration
- Small office DNS and DHCP management
- Private LDAP-style user directory
- Internal mail testing or small-domain mail hosting
- WireGuard VPN access for administrators or clients
- Self-hosted service diagnostics and logging
Summary
NetSmartApp brings several infrastructure services into one manageable Docker-based package. Instead of maintaining separate setup paths for DNS, DHCP, directory users, mailboxes, WireGuard peers, and logs, administrators and developers can manage the stack through one interface backed by persistent MySQL storage.
Before using NetSmartApp on any real network, change all default passwords and review exposed ports, firewall rules, and access policies.