add header auth cache to proxy

## Describe your changes

The UI shells out to xdg-open to launch the external browser for the SSO
verification page, which the embedded webview cannot open inline, and to
reveal the debug bundle in the file manager.

client/ui/build/linux/nfpm/nfpm.yaml lists xdg-utils for every package
format, but the released packages are built from the goreleaser configs,
where it was missing: the GTK and WebKitGTK dependencies carried over
and xdg-utils did not. Add it to all four nfpm dependency lists.

## Issue ticket number and link

<!--
Required for anything that changes behavior. Link the issue (or the
validated
discussion it came from) that the NetBird team already agreed on. See

https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#ticket-first-pr-second
-->

## Stack

<!-- branch-stack -->

### Checklist
- [x] Is it a bug fix
- [ ] Is a typo/documentation fix
- [ ] Is a feature enhancement
- [ ] It is a refactor
- [ ] Created tests that fail without the change (if possible)
- [ ] I ran and tested this change locally — I did not rely on CI to
find out whether it works
- [ ] This PR has a single purpose (not a fix + refactor + feature in
one)
- [ ] This change is a trivial fix, **OR** it links an issue the NetBird
team agreed on beforehand. Changes to the public API, gRPC protocols,
functionality behavior, CLI / service flags, or new features always need
that agreement first. See
[CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#ticket-first-pr-second).

> By submitting this pull request, you confirm that you have read and
agree to the terms of the [Contributor License
Agreement](https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/blob/main/CONTRIBUTOR_LICENSE_AGREEMENT.md).

## Documentation
Select exactly one:

- [ ] I added/updated documentation for this change
- [x] Documentation is **not needed** for this change (explain why)

### Docs PR URL (required if "docs added" is checked)
Paste the PR link from https://github.com/netbirdio/docs here:

https://github.com/netbirdio/docs/pull/__


<!-- This is an auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai
-->

## Summary by CodeRabbit

* **Bug Fixes**
* Added required desktop integration support to Debian and RPM packages.
* Ensured GTK3 packages include the same runtime support for opening
links and files through the system.

<!-- end of auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai -->

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -475,6 +475,132 @@ jobs:
           path: dist/
           retention-days: 3
 
+  release_ui_gtk3:
+    # Legacy GTK3/WebKit2GTK 4.1 UI build for distros without WebKitGTK 6.0
+    # (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, RHEL 9, Fedora <=39). Runs on ubuntu-22.04 so
+    # the binary links against the oldest supported glibc.
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
+    outputs:
+      release_ui_gtk3_artifact_url: ${{ steps.upload_release_ui_gtk3.outputs.artifact-url }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@9c091bb21b7c1c1d1991bb908d89e4e9dddfe3e0 # v7.0.0
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0 # It is required for GoReleaser to work properly
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Parse semver string
+        id: semver_parser
+        uses: netbirdio/shared-actions/actions/parse-semver@be5df6047383da2236e02243cceb857d8567c27e # v0.0.2
+
+      - name: Set snapshot flag
+        if: ${{ !startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v') }}
+        run: |
+          echo "flags=--snapshot" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Set build vars
+        if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v') }}
+        run: |
+          if [[ "x-${{ steps.semver_parser.outputs.prerelease }}" == "x-" && "x-${{ github.repository }}" == "x-netbirdio/netbird" ]]; then
+            echo "x-${{ github.repository }}"
+            echo "x-${{ steps.semver_parser.outputs.prerelease }}"
+            echo "SKIP_PUBLISH=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          else
+            echo "x-${{ github.repository }}"
+            echo "x-${{ steps.semver_parser.outputs.prerelease }}"
+          fi
+
+      - name: Set up Go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@924ae3a1cded613372ab5595356fb5720e22ba16 # v6.5.0
+        with:
+          go-version-file: "go.mod"
+          cache: false
+      - name: Cache Go modules
+        # Restore-only from the release_ui cache written by trusted runs; the
+        # module cache is identical (same go.sum) and stale build-cache
+        # entries just miss.
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@2c8a9bd7457de244a408f35966fab2fb45fda9c8 # v6.0.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/go/pkg/mod
+            ~/.cache/go-build
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-ui-go-releaser-${{ hashFiles('**/go.sum') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            ${{ runner.os }}-ui-go-releaser-
+
+      - name: Install modules
+        run: go mod tidy
+
+      - name: check git status
+        run: git --no-pager diff --exit-code
+
+      - name: Set up Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@49933ea5288caeca8642d1e84afbd3f7d6820020 # v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '22'
+
+      - name: Set up pnpm
+        uses: pnpm/action-setup@a3252b78c470c02df07e9d59298aecedc3ccdd6d # v3.0.0
+        with:
+          version: 11
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y -q libgtk-3-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev
+
+      - name: Decode GPG signing key
+        if: github.event_name != 'pull_request' || github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository
+        env:
+          GPG_RPM_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.GPG_RPM_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+        run: |
+          echo "$GPG_RPM_PRIVATE_KEY" | base64 -d > /tmp/gpg-rpm-signing-key.asc
+          echo "GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE=/tmp/gpg-rpm-signing-key.asc" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Install wails3 CLI
+        # Version derived from go.mod so the binding generator always matches
+        # the wails runtime the binary links against.
+        # -tags gtk3: the CLI links the wails runtime's cgo packages, and the
+        # default tags request gtk4/webkitgtk-6.0 pkg-config entries that do
+        # not exist on ubuntu-22.04.
+        run: |
+          WAILS_VERSION=$(go list -m -f '{{.Version}}' github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3)
+          go install -tags gtk3 github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3/cmd/wails3@$WAILS_VERSION
+
+      - name: Run GoReleaser
+        uses: goreleaser/goreleaser-action@5daf1e915a5f0af01ddbcd89a43b8061ff4f1a89 # v7.2.2
+        with:
+          version: ${{ env.GORELEASER_VER }}
+          args: release --config .goreleaser_ui_gtk3.yaml --clean ${{ env.flags }}
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          UPLOAD_DEBIAN_SECRET: ${{ secrets.PKG_UPLOAD_SECRET }}
+          UPLOAD_YUM_SECRET: ${{ secrets.PKG_UPLOAD_SECRET }}
+          GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE: ${{ env.GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE }}
+          NFPM_NETBIRD_UI_RPM_GTK3_PASSPHRASE: ${{ secrets.GPG_RPM_PASSPHRASE }}
+          SKIP_PUBLISH: ${{ env.SKIP_PUBLISH }}
+      - name: Verify RPM signatures
+        run: |
+          docker run --rm -v $(pwd)/dist:/dist fedora:41 bash -c '
+            dnf install -y -q rpm-sign curl >/dev/null 2>&1
+            curl -sSL https://pkgs.netbird.io/yum/repodata/repomd.xml.key -o /tmp/rpm-pub.key
+            rpm --import /tmp/rpm-pub.key
+            echo "=== Verifying RPM signatures ==="
+            for rpm_file in /dist/*.rpm; do
+              [ -f "$rpm_file" ] || continue
+              echo "--- $(basename $rpm_file) ---"
+              rpm -K "$rpm_file"
+            done
+          '
+      - name: Clean up GPG key
+        if: always()
+        run: rm -f /tmp/gpg-rpm-signing-key.asc
+      - name: upload non tags for debug purposes
+        id: upload_release_ui_gtk3
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a #v7.0.1
+        with:
+          name: release-ui-gtk3
+          path: dist/
+          retention-days: 3
+
   release_ui_darwin:
     runs-on: macos-latest
     outputs:
@@ -688,7 +814,7 @@ jobs:
   comment_release_artifacts:
     name: Comment release artifacts
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [release, release_ui, release_ui_darwin]
+    needs: [release, release_ui, release_ui_gtk3, release_ui_darwin]
     if: ${{ always() && github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository }}
     permissions:
       contents: read
@@ -700,12 +826,14 @@ jobs:
         env:
           RELEASE_RESULT: ${{ needs.release.result }}
           RELEASE_UI_RESULT: ${{ needs.release_ui.result }}
+          RELEASE_UI_GTK3_RESULT: ${{ needs.release_ui_gtk3.result }}
           RELEASE_UI_DARWIN_RESULT: ${{ needs.release_ui_darwin.result }}
           RELEASE_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release.outputs.release_artifact_url }}
           LINUX_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release.outputs.linux_packages_artifact_url }}
           WINDOWS_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release.outputs.windows_packages_artifact_url }}
           MACOS_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release.outputs.macos_packages_artifact_url }}
           RELEASE_UI_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release_ui.outputs.release_ui_artifact_url }}
+          RELEASE_UI_GTK3_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release_ui_gtk3.outputs.release_ui_gtk3_artifact_url }}
           RELEASE_UI_DARWIN_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release_ui_darwin.outputs.release_ui_darwin_artifact_url }}
           GHCR_IMAGES_MARKDOWN: ${{ needs.release.outputs.ghcr_images }}
         with:
@@ -728,6 +856,7 @@ jobs:
               ['Windows packages', process.env.WINDOWS_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_RESULT],
               ['macOS packages', process.env.MACOS_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_RESULT],
               ['UI artifacts', process.env.RELEASE_UI_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_UI_RESULT],
+              ['UI GTK3 artifacts', process.env.RELEASE_UI_GTK3_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_UI_GTK3_RESULT],
               ['UI macOS artifacts', process.env.RELEASE_UI_DARWIN_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_UI_DARWIN_RESULT],
             ];
 
@@ -784,7 +913,7 @@ jobs:
 
   trigger_signer:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [release, release_ui, release_ui_darwin, test_windows_installer]
+    needs: [release, release_ui, release_ui_gtk3, release_ui_darwin, test_windows_installer]
     if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
     steps:
       - name: Trigger binaries sign pipelines

.github/workflows/test-infrastructure-files.yml

@@ -257,6 +257,15 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Verify fresh-install session cookie key hardening
+        run: |
+          grep -Fxq '  SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 32)' infrastructure_files/getting-started.sh
+          grep -Fxq '    sessionCookieEncryptionKey: "$SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY"' infrastructure_files/getting-started.sh
+          grep -Fxq '  install -m 600 /dev/null config.yaml' infrastructure_files/getting-started.sh
+          grep -Fxq '  openssl rand -base64 32' infrastructure_files/getting-started-enterprise.sh
+          grep -Fxq '  NETBIRD_SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(rand_b64_key)' infrastructure_files/getting-started-enterprise.sh
+          grep -Fxq '    sessionCookieEncryptionKey: "${NETBIRD_SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY}"' infrastructure_files/getting-started-enterprise.sh
+
       - name: Verify Dex retirement notice
         run: |
           if infrastructure_files/getting-started-with-dex.sh >stdout.txt 2>stderr.txt; then

.goreleaser_ui.yaml

@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ nfpms:
       - netbird (>= 0.75.0)
       - libgtk-4-1 (>= 4.14)
       - libwebkitgtk-6.0-4
+      - xdg-utils
 
   - maintainer: Netbird <dev@netbird.io>
     description: Netbird client UI.
@@ -119,6 +120,7 @@ nfpms:
       - netbird >= 0.75.0
       - (gtk4 >= 4.14 or libgtk-4-1 >= 4.14)
       - (webkitgtk6.0 or libwebkitgtk-6_0-4)
+      - xdg-utils
 
     rpm:
       signature:

.goreleaser_ui_gtk3.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+version: 2
+env:
+  - SKIP_PUBLISH={{ if index .Env "SKIP_PUBLISH" }}{{ .Env.SKIP_PUBLISH }}{{ else }}true{{ end }}
+project_name: netbird-ui
+
+before:
+  hooks:
+    # Bindings are gitignored; regenerate before the frontend build so
+    # the @wailsio/runtime Vite plugin can resolve them (vite refuses to
+    # build without them).
+    # -f '-tags gtk3': the generator type-checks client/ui, whose cgo imports
+    # would otherwise resolve gtk4/webkitgtk-6.0 pkg-config entries that do
+    # not exist on ubuntu-22.04.
+    - sh -c 'cd client/ui && wails3 generate bindings -clean=true -ts -f "-tags gtk3"'
+    - sh -c 'cd client/ui/frontend && pnpm install --frozen-lockfile && pnpm build'
+
+builds:
+  # Legacy GTK3 / WebKit2GTK 4.1 build for distros without WebKitGTK 6.0
+  # (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, RHEL 9, Fedora <=39). The gtk3 tag flips the
+  # Wails Linux backend to the GTK3 stack and swaps our GTK4-only XEmbed
+  # tray host for the pure-Go stub (client/ui/xembed_host_gtk3_linux.go).
+  # Must be built on the oldest supported glibc (ubuntu-22.04 runner).
+  - id: netbird-ui-gtk3
+    dir: client/ui
+    binary: netbird-ui
+    env:
+      - CGO_ENABLED=1
+    goos:
+      - linux
+    goarch:
+      - amd64
+    ldflags:
+      - -s -w -X github.com/netbirdio/netbird/version.version={{.Version}} -X main.commit={{.Commit}} -X main.date={{.CommitDate}} -X main.builtBy=goreleaser
+    mod_timestamp: "{{ .CommitTimestamp }}"
+    tags:
+      - production
+      - gtk3
+
+archives:
+  - id: linux-gtk3-arch
+    name_template: "{{ .ProjectName }}-linux-gtk3_{{ .Version }}_{{ .Os }}_{{ .Arch }}"
+    builds:
+      - netbird-ui-gtk3
+
+nfpms:
+  # Same package_name as the GTK4 packages -- the two are mutually-exclusive
+  # alternatives served from separate repo paths (see uploads below); a given
+  # distro points at exactly one of them. The file names must still differ:
+  # the Debian pool is shared storage keyed by file name, so a default-named
+  # gtk3 .deb would overwrite the stable one.
+  - maintainer: Netbird <dev@netbird.io>
+    description: Netbird client UI.
+    homepage: https://netbird.io/
+    license: BSD-3-Clause
+    vendor: NetBird
+    id: netbird_ui_deb_gtk3
+    package_name: netbird-ui
+    file_name_template: "{{ .PackageName }}-gtk3_{{ .Version }}_{{ .Os }}_{{ .Arch }}"
+    builds:
+      - netbird-ui-gtk3
+    formats:
+      - deb
+    scripts:
+      postinstall: "release_files/ui-post-install.sh"
+    contents:
+      - src: client/ui/build/linux/netbird.desktop
+        dst: /usr/share/applications/org.wails.netbird.desktop
+      - src: client/ui/build/appicon.png
+        dst: /usr/share/pixmaps/netbird.png
+    dependencies:
+      - netbird (>= 0.75.0)
+      - libgtk-3-0
+      - libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0
+      - xdg-utils
+
+  - maintainer: Netbird <dev@netbird.io>
+    description: Netbird client UI.
+    homepage: https://netbird.io/
+    license: BSD-3-Clause
+    vendor: NetBird
+    id: netbird_ui_rpm_gtk3
+    package_name: netbird-ui
+    file_name_template: "{{ .PackageName }}-gtk3_{{ .Version }}_{{ .Os }}_{{ .Arch }}"
+    builds:
+      - netbird-ui-gtk3
+    formats:
+      - rpm
+    scripts:
+      postinstall: "release_files/ui-post-install.sh"
+    contents:
+      - src: client/ui/build/linux/netbird.desktop
+        dst: /usr/share/applications/org.wails.netbird.desktop
+      - src: client/ui/build/appicon.png
+        dst: /usr/share/pixmaps/netbird.png
+    dependencies:
+      - netbird >= 0.75.0
+      - (gtk3 or libgtk-3-0)
+      - (webkit2gtk4.1 or libwebkit2gtk-4_1-0)
+      - xdg-utils
+
+    rpm:
+      signature:
+        key_file: '{{ if index .Env "GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE" }}{{ .Env.GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE }}{{ end }}'
+
+# The GTK4 UI job shares project_name, so the default checksum file name would
+# collide with it on the shared GitHub release.
+checksum:
+  name_template: "{{ .ProjectName }}_gtk3_checksums.txt"
+
+changelog:
+  disable: true
+
+uploads:
+  # The gtk3 packages reuse the netbird-ui package name, so they live in
+  # dedicated repo paths (deb distribution `gtk3`, yum path `yum-gtk3`) that
+  # legacy distros point their repo config at.
+  #
+  # GoReleaser derives the credential env var from the upload name, so these
+  # would look for UPLOAD_DEBIAN-GTK3_SECRET / UPLOAD_YUM-GTK3_SECRET. The
+  # release workflow only exports UPLOAD_DEBIAN_SECRET / UPLOAD_YUM_SECRET, and
+  # a missing secret is a silent skip rather than a failure -- the packages
+  # reached the GitHub release but never the package repositories. Point
+  # `password` at the exported vars so both uploads authenticate.
+  - name: debian-gtk3
+    skip: "{{ .Env.SKIP_PUBLISH }}"
+    ids:
+      - netbird_ui_deb_gtk3
+    mode: archive
+    target: https://pkgs.wiretrustee.com/debian/pool/{{ .ArtifactName }};deb.distribution=gtk3;deb.component=main;deb.architecture={{ if .Arm }}armhf{{ else }}{{ .Arch }}{{ end }};deb.package=
+    username: dev@wiretrustee.com
+    password: "{{ .Env.UPLOAD_DEBIAN_SECRET }}"
+    method: PUT
+
+  - name: yum-gtk3
+    skip: "{{ .Env.SKIP_PUBLISH }}"
+    ids:
+      - netbird_ui_rpm_gtk3
+    mode: archive
+    target: https://pkgs.wiretrustee.com/yum-gtk3/{{ .Arch }}{{ if .Arm }}{{ .Arm }}{{ end }}
+    username: dev@wiretrustee.com
+    password: "{{ .Env.UPLOAD_YUM_SECRET }}"
+    method: PUT

AGENTS.md

@@ -14,20 +14,22 @@ in this file, not duplicated there.
 
 ## Contents
 
-- [NetBird Agent Guidelines](#netbird-agent-guidelines)
-  - [Contents](#contents)
-  - [STOP and ask the user before](#stop-and-ask-the-user-before)
-  - [Quick reference](#quick-reference)
-  - [Structure](#structure)
-  - [Where to look](#where-to-look)
-  - [Repo-wide principles](#repo-wide-principles)
-  - [Error handling](#error-handling)
-  - [Comments](#comments)
-  - [Testing](#testing)
-  - [Pitfalls](#pitfalls)
-  - [Commits, PRs, releases](#commits-prs-releases)
-  - [After you push: CI and review bots](#after-you-push-ci-and-review-bots)
-  - [Discussion and support](#discussion-and-support)
+- [STOP and ask the user before](#stop-and-ask-the-user-before)
+- [Quick reference](#quick-reference)
+- [Structure](#structure)
+- [Where to look](#where-to-look)
+- [Security](#security)
+- [Agent conventions](#agent-conventions)
+- [Repo-wide principles](#repo-wide-principles)
+- [Type safety](#type-safety)
+- [Concurrency and lifecycle](#concurrency-and-lifecycle)
+- [Error handling](#error-handling)
+- [Comments](#comments)
+- [Testing](#testing)
+- [Pitfalls](#pitfalls)
+- [Commits, PRs, releases](#commits-prs-releases)
+- [After you push: CI and review bots](#after-you-push-ci-and-review-bots)
+- [Discussion and support](#discussion-and-support)
 
 ## STOP and ask the user before
 
@@ -157,11 +159,125 @@ netbird/
 | LLM routing / Agent Network | `proxy/internal/llm/`, `agent-network/`                      |
 | End-to-end tests            | `e2e/`                                                       |
 
+## Security
+
+### Never fail open
+
+When a security check — access control, an IP restriction, an auth decision —
+hits an error such as an unparseable value, an unavailable lookup, or a state it
+does not recognize, it must **deny**. Never skip the check or allow the request
+through because the check itself failed, and make the `default` and unknown cases
+of a security-related `switch` deny rather than fall through.
+
+### Daemon RPC input is untrusted
+
+The agent runs as root (LocalSystem on Windows), so a daemon RPC crosses a
+privilege boundary: treat every field as untrusted input rather than as something
+the UI or CLI validated on the way in.
+
+When you add or change an RPC, ask what the handler does with caller input while
+running as root. If the answer touches a filesystem path, a URL or host, or a
+privileged state change, it needs a gate **in the handler** — a check in the client
+that normally calls it is not a check at all.
+
+- **A caller-supplied path the daemon opens.** Never `os.Open` it as root.
+  Constrain it, then open it *as the caller* with `ipcauth.OpenOwnedFile`, which
+  opens `O_NOFOLLOW`, requires a regular file, and refuses a file the caller does
+  not own — so a symlink or hardlink aimed at a root-only file is rejected.
+- **A caller-supplied URL or host the daemon fetches.** Restrict the scheme and
+  allow only known hosts for unprivileged callers. Prefer a lexical host
+  allowlist plus TLS verification over "resolve the host, then reject private
+  IPs": the resolve-then-trust pattern has a DNS-rebinding race (public IP at
+  check time, attacker IP at connect time), while a name allowlist has no IP
+  check to race. Never accept `http://` where `https://` is expected.
+- **A privileged state change** (SSH root login, management URL, deregistration)
+  gates on the caller identity from `ipcauth.CallerIdentity(ctx)`.
+
+Caller identity comes from the kernel — `SO_PEERCRED`, `LOCAL_PEERCRED`, or the
+named-pipe client token — and never from an RPC field. When
+`ipcauth.CallerIdentity` reports that it could not determine an identity, **deny**;
+do not fall back to treating the caller as the transport peer.
+
+## Agent conventions
+
+### Three networking modes
+
+Where packets actually flow depends on the mode the agent is running in. The
+three are not interchangeable, so establish which one a change applies to — and
+what it should do in the other two — before you write it.
+
+- **kernel mode** (Linux only): in-kernel WireGuard®. The kernel handles both
+  peer-to-peer and routed traffic, and ACLs are iptables or nftables rules. The
+  client programs kernel facilities but never sees the traffic itself.
+- **userspace mode** (wireguard-go with a TUN): wireguard-go runs in-process. The
+  kernel handles peer-to-peer traffic once it leaves the TUN, while routed traffic
+  — exit nodes and network routes — goes through the userspace forwarder, which
+  terminates the connection and re-establishes it over OS sockets. Used on
+  platforms without kernel WireGuard® or when the user opts out.
+- **netstack mode**: wireguard-go in-process with no TUN and no kernel
+  networking. The forwarder does all routing by stitching userspace sockets, and
+  listeners such as the embedded SSH and DNS servers bind on a gVisor netstack.
+  Used where the process cannot create a TUN device, such as the embedded client
+  (`client/embed/`) and the WASM build.
+
+### The overlay interface is not "WireGuard"
+
+Do not put "WireGuard" in identifiers or comments unless the code is genuinely
+coupled to WireGuard® specifically — a wireguard-go call, a handshake field, a
+kernel WireGuard® netlink attribute. For the interface, the host, peers, or
+traffic in general, say "the NetBird interface", "the interface", or "the overlay".
+Most firewall, routing, and DNS code is transport-agnostic, so a WireGuard®
+reference there is simply inaccurate and rots as the transports change.
+
+### IPv6 is a soft feature
+
+The IPv6 overlay is opt-in dual-stack, and capability can change at runtime. Treat
+it as soft rather than a requirement:
+
+- Gate local v6 paths on the interface accessor (`wgIface.Address().HasIPv6()`),
+  not on raw state fields, and skip the v6 path when the host has no v6 rather
+  than returning an error.
+- Treat an empty or unparseable peer v6 address as "no v6 for that peer" and skip
+  it, keeping the v4 path working.
+- Never let a missing v6 break v4. Fail-closed is for security checks; a
+  capability mismatch skips the v6 work and carries on.
+
+### Environment variables
+
+Name the variable in a constant and parse booleans with `strconv.ParseBool` rather
+than comparing strings inline, so an unexpected value is logged instead of
+silently meaning false:
+
+```go
+const EnvDisableFeature = "NB_DISABLE_FEATURE"
+
+func isDisabledByEnv() bool {
+    val := os.Getenv(EnvDisableFeature)
+    if val == "" {
+        return false
+    }
+    disabled, err := strconv.ParseBool(val)
+    if err != nil {
+        log.Warnf("failed to parse %s: %v", EnvDisableFeature, err)
+        return false
+    }
+    return disabled
+}
+```
+
+### Validating against protocol specs
+
+When a change depends on what a protocol actually mandates, read the specification
+text from the [IETF datatracker](https://datatracker.ietf.org/) rather than a
+summary, and check that you have the current RFC — the widely cited one for a
+protocol is often superseded. Cite the section, not just the document, so a
+reviewer can jump straight to the rule.
+
 ## Repo-wide principles
 
 1. **Run `go fmt` on every modified Go file.** Formatting is not optional.
-2. **Zero unaddressed diagnostics.** Fix IDE and linter warnings on code you
-   touch, and delete imports, helpers, and parameters your refactor orphaned.
+2. **Zero unaddressed linter warnings.** Fix what `golangci-lint` reports on code
+   you touch, and delete imports, helpers, and parameters your refactor orphaned.
    Exception: unused parameters in shared code may be consumed by builds outside
    this repository — do not remove them, ask instead.
 3. **Function comments are mandatory for exported functions**, written as full
@@ -175,9 +291,12 @@ netbird/
 7. **Avoid LLM-slop tells:** em dashes, hedging narration, restating the diff in
    prose, trailing summaries. Defaults, not absolute bans. Applies to code,
    comments, commit messages, and PR descriptions alike.
-8. **Concurrency: do a two-pass race analysis after every change** that adds
-   shared state. Guard maps and slices with a mutex, keep critical sections
-   short, and run `go test -race` on the touched packages.
+8. **Concurrency: do a two-pass race analysis after every change** that touches
+   shared state, including reads of existing maps and slices. Guard them with a
+   mutex (or an atomic or channel where that fits better), keep critical
+   sections short, and run `go test -race` on the touched packages. See
+   [Concurrency and lifecycle](#concurrency-and-lifecycle) for the failure modes
+   to check for.
 9. **Cross-platform builds must keep working.** The agent targets Linux, macOS,
    Windows, FreeBSD, Android, and iOS. When you add a platform-specific file,
    add the counterpart or a build-tagged fallback for the others.
@@ -185,6 +304,93 @@ netbird/
 11. **Never log secrets** — private keys, setup keys, tokens, PAT values — and
     keep peer IPs and hostnames out of logs above debug level.
 
+## Type safety
+
+**No bare primitives for domain concepts.** A `string` parameter for an account
+ID next to a `string` parameter for a peer ID is two bugs waiting to happen,
+because the compiler cannot catch the swap. Declare the type once and use it
+throughout, converting only at the boundaries where data enters or leaves —
+protobuf, gRPC, HTTP, an external library.
+
+```go
+type ServiceID string
+type AccountID string
+
+// Internal: typed all the way through
+func (r *Router) RemoveRoute(host SNIHost, svcID ServiceID) { ... }
+
+// Proto boundary: convert once, on the way in and on the way out
+svcID := ServiceID(mapping.GetId())
+req.ServiceId = string(svcID)
+```
+
+- **IP addresses are `netip.Addr`**, not `string` and not `net.IP`. Parse at the
+  boundary and pass the typed value inward.
+- **Always `Unmap()`** after parsing an address, after converting from `net.IP`,
+  and after extracting one from `RemoteAddr()`. This normalizes a v4-mapped v6
+  address (`::ffff:10.1.2.3`) to plain v4 so IPv4 rules match it. A stored or
+  compared mapped address silently fails to match those rules.
+- **Ports are `uint16`** internally; use `int` only where a library forces it and
+  convert immediately.
+- **Enums are a typed string with constants**, so the valid set is discoverable
+  and a typo fails to compile.
+- **Map keys follow the same rule**, and must be a real type (`type ServiceID
+  string`) rather than an alias (`type serviceID = string`) — an alias silently
+  accepts bare strings.
+
+## Concurrency and lifecycle
+
+Beyond the mutex hygiene in the principles above, check for these failure
+modes.
+
+- **Never read a struct field inside a goroutine** when another goroutine may nil
+  or reassign it. Pass the value as a parameter, or capture it into a local before
+  launching. This matters most when `Stop()` nils a field without waiting for the
+  goroutine to finish.
+
+  ```go
+  go func(ifaceName string) {   // good: passed in, cannot be nilled underneath
+      m.Start(ctx, ifaceName)
+  }(iface.Name())
+  ```
+
+- **Never wait on a channel while holding a lock the sender needs.** Copy what you
+  need out from under the lock, release it, then wait.
+
+  ```go
+  func (m *Manager) Stop() {
+      m.mu.Lock()
+      cancel, done := m.cancel, m.done
+      m.mu.Unlock()
+      if cancel != nil {
+          cancel()
+          <-done
+      }
+  }
+  ```
+
+- **`Stop`/`Close` must be idempotent** — guard on an already-stopped flag or a
+  nil cancel — and must release the state they guarded. Clear maps and caches;
+  a cancelled goroutine holding a live map still pins that memory. Note that a
+  nil map only panics on writes; reads and iteration behave like an empty map,
+  so where post-close use must be rejected, check the stopped flag explicitly.
+- **Publish coupled state only after every fallible step succeeds.** When several
+  fields form an invariant, build them into locals and assign them to the receiver
+  at the end. Assigning as you go leaves the object half-initialized when a later
+  step fails, so a readiness predicate reports ready while a coupled field is nil.
+  If an earlier step already had an external side effect — a created chain, an
+  opened handle, an inserted rule — roll it back before returning the error.
+- **Clean up what you own on constructor error paths.** Once a constructor has
+  started something, every later error path must undo it: cancel a goroutine and
+  wait for it to exit, stop a ticker, close a watcher. The object is never
+  returned, so its `Close` will never run.
+- **A failed `Start` must undo everything it started.** When a component brings up
+  several subsystems in sequence — connection manager, watchers, routing, DNS,
+  flow, persisted state — a failure partway through has to tear down the ones
+  already running, not just close the handle the error came from. Put the
+  already-started guard *before* that teardown path, so a rejected second `Start`
+  cannot dismantle the one that is running.
+
 ## Error handling
 
 Use single-assignment form when the error is only needed inside the `if`:
@@ -248,6 +454,45 @@ Log the errors you choose not to act on:
 - Close errors may be ignored for read-only operations; log them at debug for
   writes.
 
+**Do not log and return the same error.** It gets reported twice, from two places,
+and the second reader cannot tell whether it happened once or twice. Return it and
+let the caller decide. The exception is an API handler that has already written a
+response. Internal helpers return errors rather than logging and swallowing them.
+
+**Never return a typed nil as an error.** A nil `*MyError` stored in an `error`
+interface is not nil, so `err != nil` is true and callers take the failure path on
+success. Return the error only where it is actually set:
+
+```go
+if _, err := conn.Write(buf); err != nil {   // good
+    return err
+}
+return nil
+```
+
+**Accumulate with `multierror` when an operation should continue past individual
+failures** — teardown, cleanup, or setup where partial success is acceptable.
+`client/errors.FormatErrorOrNil` returns nil for an empty accumulator, so callers
+still see a plain nil on full success:
+
+```go
+func (m *Manager) Cleanup() error {
+    var merr *multierror.Error
+    for _, r := range m.resources {
+        if err := r.Close(); err != nil {
+            merr = multierror.Append(merr, fmt.Errorf("close %s: %w", r.Name, err))
+        }
+    }
+    return nberrors.FormatErrorOrNil(merr)
+}
+```
+
+| Scenario              | Approach              | Why                                       |
+| --------------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
+| Cleanup / teardown    | Accumulate            | Clean up as much as possible              |
+| Setup with rollback   | Abort on first error  | Partial state is invalid; undo what stuck |
+| Setup with partial OK | Accumulate            | Degraded operation is still useful        |
+
 ## Comments
 
 Comment the **why**, never the **what**. Default to no comment, and add one only
@@ -269,10 +514,14 @@ checksum = updateChecksum(checksum, oldPort, newPort)
 
 ### Length budget
 
-- **90 characters per line.** Wrap the comment, do not run past it.
-- **250 characters per comment**, roughly three wrapped lines. Doc comments on
-  exported identifiers may exceed it when the API genuinely needs the
-  explanation; inline comments inside a function body may not.
+Neither of these is linter-enforced, so they are conventions the surrounding code
+mostly follows rather than hard limits:
+
+- **Around 90 characters per line.** Wrap the comment rather than running well past
+  it.
+- **Roughly 250 characters per comment**, about three wrapped lines. Doc comments
+  on exported identifiers may exceed it when the API genuinely needs the
+  explanation; inline comments inside a function body rarely should.
 
 The budget is a smell detector, not a rule to game. Do not compress a needed
 explanation into cryptic shorthand to fit — if a block of code needs more than
@@ -329,6 +578,19 @@ up, and the 250-character budget does not apply to them.
   otherwise.
 - **Message guidance:** optional for `NoError`/`Error`; always give context for
   comparison, boolean, and collection assertions.
+- **Reproduce a bug before fixing it.** Write the test, watch it fail *for the
+  reason you expect* — a test that fails for an unrelated reason proves nothing —
+  then apply the fix and confirm it passes. Add the thin surrounding cases while
+  you are there.
+- **Use `t.Setenv`** rather than `os.Setenv` so the previous value is restored on
+  cleanup. To test the unset case, call `t.Setenv` first to register the restore,
+  then `os.Unsetenv`.
+- **Prefer `t.Cleanup` over `defer`** in any test with parallel subtests: the
+  parent function returns, running its `defer`s, while parallel subtests are
+  still suspended. Sequential subtests finish inside `t.Run`, so `defer` is safe
+  there, but `t.Cleanup` works in both cases.
+- **Explanatory comments in tests are welcome.** Describe the scenario being set
+  up; the comment budget below does not apply to them.
 
 ```go
 server, err := StartTestServer()
@@ -380,7 +642,8 @@ assert.Equal(t, expectedResult, result, "Result should match expected")
   than replacing it with your own summary: describe the change, link the issue,
   tick the checklist honestly (including "ran locally" and "single purpose"),
   and complete the documentation section. Do not tick a box you have not
-  verified, and do not delete rows that do not apply.
+  verified, and do not delete rows that do not apply — the docs gate in CI reads
+  that section and fails when it is missing.
 
 - **Keep the PR description short.** Under 1000 words on top of the template's
   own text, and usually far less — a few paragraphs. Reviewers read the diff;
@@ -439,6 +702,12 @@ assert.Equal(t, expectedResult, result, "Result should match expected")
   on their own. Propose that split to the user rather than opening one large PR
   and hoping.
 
+  Prefer GitHub's stacked pull requests for such a sequence, rather than
+  hand-managing base branches: open each PR against the branch below it instead of
+  `main`, so every PR's diff shows only its own change. Merging a layer retargets
+  the PRs above it, and branch protections and required checks on the base branch
+  still apply to each one.
+
 - **User-facing changes need a docs PR** in
   [netbirdio/docs](https://github.com/netbirdio/docs), linked from the PR
   description.

client/android/client.go

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 
+	nbAnonymize "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/iface/device"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/debug"
@@ -32,6 +33,13 @@ import (
 	types "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/upload-server/types"
 )
 
+// AnonymizeLevelDefault and AnonymizeLevelStrict are the accepted
+// anonymizeLevel values for DebugBundle.
+const (
+	AnonymizeLevelDefault = nbAnonymize.LevelDefaultString
+	AnonymizeLevelStrict  = nbAnonymize.LevelStrictString
+)
+
 // ConnectionListener export internal Listener for mobile
 type ConnectionListener interface {
 	peer.Listener
@@ -278,8 +286,10 @@ func (c *Client) GetTunSettings() (*TunSettings, error) {
 }
 
 // DebugBundle generates a debug bundle, uploads it, and returns the upload key.
-// It works both with and without a running engine.
-func (c *Client) DebugBundle(platformFiles PlatformFiles, anonymize bool) (string, error) {
+// It works both with and without a running engine. anonymizeLevel is "default"
+// or "strict"; strict also anonymizes internal IP ranges, peer names, and
+// WireGuard public keys, and implies anonymize.
+func (c *Client) DebugBundle(platformFiles PlatformFiles, anonymize bool, anonymizeLevel string) (string, error) {
 	cfg, cacheDir, cc := c.stateSnapshot()
 
 	// If the engine hasn't been started, load config from disk
@@ -298,6 +308,7 @@ func (c *Client) DebugBundle(platformFiles PlatformFiles, anonymize bool) (strin
 		InternalConfig: cfg,
 		StatusRecorder: c.recorder,
 		TempDir:        cacheDir,
+		StatePath:      platformFiles.StateFilePath(),
 	}
 
 	if cc != nil {
@@ -321,6 +332,7 @@ func (c *Client) DebugBundle(platformFiles PlatformFiles, anonymize bool) (strin
 		deps,
 		debug.BundleConfig{
 			Anonymize:         anonymize,
+			AnonymizeLevel:    nbAnonymize.ParseLevel(anonymizeLevel),
 			IncludeSystemInfo: true,
 		},
 	)

client/android/profile_state_test.go

@@ -16,17 +16,17 @@ func TestProfileAccountPathFor(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name:       "default profile",
 			configPath: "/data/data/io.netbird.client/files/netbird.cfg",
-			want:       "/data/data/io.netbird.client/files/netbird.account.json",
+			want:       filepath.FromSlash("/data/data/io.netbird.client/files/netbird.account.json"),
 		},
 		{
 			name:       "id profile",
 			configPath: "/data/data/io.netbird.client/files/profiles/4c5f5c8198c3989cffb5b5394f5a7ae0.json",
-			want:       "/data/data/io.netbird.client/files/profiles/4c5f5c8198c3989cffb5b5394f5a7ae0.account.json",
+			want:       filepath.FromSlash("/data/data/io.netbird.client/files/profiles/4c5f5c8198c3989cffb5b5394f5a7ae0.account.json"),
 		},
 		{
 			name:       "legacy name-keyed profile is handled the same way",
 			configPath: "/data/data/io.netbird.client/files/profiles/work.json",
-			want:       "/data/data/io.netbird.client/files/profiles/work.account.json",
+			want:       filepath.FromSlash("/data/data/io.netbird.client/files/profiles/work.account.json"),
 		},
 		{
 			name:       "empty path is rejected",

client/anonymize/anonymize.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package anonymize
 
 import (
 	"crypto/rand"
+	"encoding/base64"
 	"fmt"
 	"math/big"
 	"net"
@@ -15,13 +16,88 @@ import (
 
 const anonTLD = ".domain"
 
+// Level selects how much the anonymizer redacts. Levels are ordered: a higher
+// level redacts strictly more. On the wire (protos, flags) levels travel as
+// their string form.
+type Level int
+
+const (
+	// LevelDefault anonymizes public IP addresses, IPv6 ULA, domains, and MAC
+	// addresses. Internal IPv4 ranges (RFC 1918, CGNAT, link-local) are
+	// preserved so support can reason about the real topology.
+	LevelDefault Level = iota
+	// LevelStrict additionally anonymizes internal IP ranges, peer names, and
+	// WireGuard public keys.
+	LevelStrict
+)
+
+// LevelDefaultString and LevelStrictString are the wire forms of the levels,
+// for boundaries that pass levels as strings (flags, protos, mobile bindings).
+const (
+	LevelDefaultString = "default"
+	LevelStrictString  = "strict"
+)
+
+// ParseLevel maps s to a Level. Empty means LevelDefault; anything
+// unrecognized maps to LevelStrict so an unknown request never yields less
+// anonymization than intended.
+func ParseLevel(s string) Level {
+	switch strings.ToLower(s) {
+	case "", LevelDefaultString:
+		return LevelDefault
+	default:
+		return LevelStrict
+	}
+}
+
+// String returns the wire form of the level: "default" or "strict".
+func (l Level) String() string {
+	if l >= LevelStrict {
+		return LevelStrictString
+	}
+	return LevelDefaultString
+}
+
+// protectedDomains are NetBird-operated suffixes that stay recognizable in an
+// anonymized bundle. At LevelStrict the labels in front of them (the peer
+// name) are still replaced, except under netbird.io, which only hosts
+// NetBird infrastructure (api, signal, flow), never peer names.
+var protectedDomains = []string{"netbird.io", "netbird.selfhosted", "netbird.cloud", "netbird.stage"}
+
+const infraDomain = "netbird.io"
+
+var (
+	macColonRegex = regexp.MustCompile(`\b[0-9a-fA-F]{2}(?::[0-9a-fA-F]{2}){5}\b`)
+	macDashRegex  = regexp.MustCompile(`\b[0-9a-fA-F]{2}(?:-[0-9a-fA-F]{2}){5}\b`)
+	wgKeyRegex    = regexp.MustCompile(`\b[A-Za-z0-9+/]{43}=`)
+)
+
 type Anonymizer struct {
 	ipAnonymizer     map[netip.Addr]netip.Addr
 	domainAnonymizer map[string]string
-	currentAnonIPv4  netip.Addr
-	currentAnonIPv6  netip.Addr
-	startAnonIPv4    netip.Addr
-	startAnonIPv6    netip.Addr
+	// domainOrder caches the keys of domainAnonymizer sorted longest-first
+	// for AnonymizeString; it is rebuilt when the map gains entries.
+	domainOrder     []string
+	labelAnonymizer map[string]string
+	labelAnonymized map[string]struct{}
+	labelCounter    uint32
+	macAnonymizer   map[string]string
+	macCounter      uint32
+	wgKeyAnonymizer map[string]string
+	wgKeyAnonymized map[string]struct{}
+	currentAnonIPv4 netip.Addr
+	currentAnonIPv6 netip.Addr
+	startAnonIPv4   netip.Addr
+	startAnonIPv6   netip.Addr
+
+	// LevelStrict also anonymizes internal ranges (RFC 1918, CGNAT,
+	// link-local), replacing them from the dedicated internal pools below so
+	// a reader can still tell an internal address from a public one.
+	level                   Level
+	currentAnonInternalIPv4 netip.Addr
+	currentAnonInternalIPv6 netip.Addr
+	startAnonInternalIPv4   netip.Addr
+	startAnonInternalIPv6   netip.Addr
 
 	domainKeyRegex *regexp.Regexp
 }
@@ -32,25 +108,50 @@ func DefaultAddresses() (netip.Addr, netip.Addr) {
 	return netip.AddrFrom4([4]byte{198, 51, 100, 0}), netip.MustParseAddr("2001:db8:ffff::")
 }
 
+// InternalAddresses returns the pool starts used in strict mode for internal
+// ranges. Both are reserved ranges that cannot collide with real addressing:
+// 198.18.0.0 (RFC 2544 benchmarking), 2001:db8:1:: (RFC 3849 documentation).
+func InternalAddresses() (netip.Addr, netip.Addr) {
+	return netip.AddrFrom4([4]byte{198, 18, 0, 0}), netip.MustParseAddr("2001:db8:1::")
+}
+
 func NewAnonymizer(startIPv4, startIPv6 netip.Addr) *Anonymizer {
+	internalIPv4, internalIPv6 := InternalAddresses()
 	return &Anonymizer{
 		ipAnonymizer:     map[netip.Addr]netip.Addr{},
 		domainAnonymizer: map[string]string{},
+		labelAnonymizer:  map[string]string{},
+		labelAnonymized:  map[string]struct{}{},
+		macAnonymizer:    map[string]string{},
+		wgKeyAnonymizer:  map[string]string{},
+		wgKeyAnonymized:  map[string]struct{}{},
 		currentAnonIPv4:  startIPv4,
 		currentAnonIPv6:  startIPv6,
 		startAnonIPv4:    startIPv4,
 		startAnonIPv6:    startIPv6,
 
+		level:                   LevelDefault,
+		currentAnonInternalIPv4: internalIPv4,
+		currentAnonInternalIPv6: internalIPv6,
+		startAnonInternalIPv4:   internalIPv4,
+		startAnonInternalIPv6:   internalIPv6,
+
 		domainKeyRegex: regexp.MustCompile(`\bdomain=([^\s,:"]+)`),
 	}
 }
 
+// SetLevel selects the anonymization level. The zero value of a new
+// Anonymizer is LevelDefault.
+func (a *Anonymizer) SetLevel(level Level) {
+	a.level = level
+}
+
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeIP(ip netip.Addr) netip.Addr {
+	// Normalize 4-in-6 addresses so ::ffff:192.168.1.1 classifies and maps
+	// like 192.168.1.1.
+	ip = ip.Unmap()
+
 	if ip.IsLoopback() ||
-		ip.IsLinkLocalUnicast() ||
-		ip.IsLinkLocalMulticast() ||
-		ip.IsInterfaceLocalMulticast() ||
-		(ip.Is4() && ip.IsPrivate()) ||
 		ip.IsUnspecified() ||
 		ip.IsMulticast() ||
 		isWellKnown(ip) ||
@@ -59,18 +160,100 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeIP(ip netip.Addr) netip.Addr {
 		return ip
 	}
 
+	if isInternal(ip) && a.level < LevelStrict {
+		return ip
+	}
+
 	if _, ok := a.ipAnonymizer[ip]; !ok {
-		if ip.Is4() {
-			a.ipAnonymizer[ip] = a.currentAnonIPv4
-			a.currentAnonIPv4 = a.currentAnonIPv4.Next()
-		} else {
-			a.ipAnonymizer[ip] = a.currentAnonIPv6
-			a.currentAnonIPv6 = a.currentAnonIPv6.Next()
-		}
+		a.ipAnonymizer[ip] = a.nextAnonIP(ip)
 	}
 	return a.ipAnonymizer[ip]
 }
 
+func (a *Anonymizer) nextAnonIP(ip netip.Addr) netip.Addr {
+	// At the strict level, internal addresses (including IPv6 ULA, matched
+	// by IsPrivate) come from the internal pools so they remain recognizable
+	// as internal without disclosing the real values.
+	if a.level >= LevelStrict && (isInternal(ip) || ip.IsPrivate()) {
+		if ip.Is4() {
+			anon := a.currentAnonInternalIPv4
+			a.currentAnonInternalIPv4 = a.currentAnonInternalIPv4.Next()
+			return anon
+		}
+		anon := a.currentAnonInternalIPv6
+		a.currentAnonInternalIPv6 = a.currentAnonInternalIPv6.Next()
+		return anon
+	}
+
+	if ip.Is4() {
+		anon := a.currentAnonIPv4
+		a.currentAnonIPv4 = a.currentAnonIPv4.Next()
+		return anon
+	}
+	anon := a.currentAnonIPv6
+	a.currentAnonIPv6 = a.currentAnonIPv6.Next()
+	return anon
+}
+
+// AnonymizeMAC replaces a MAC address with a consistent placeholder from the
+// locally administered range starting at 02:00:00:00:00:01, at every
+// anonymization level. Broadcast, multicast, all-zero, and already assigned
+// placeholder addresses are preserved. The colon and dash spellings of the
+// same address share one placeholder; the output keeps the input's separator.
+func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeMAC(mac string) string {
+	hw, err := net.ParseMAC(mac)
+	if err != nil || len(hw) != 6 {
+		return mac
+	}
+
+	if isWellKnownMAC(hw) || a.isAnonymizedMAC(hw) {
+		return mac
+	}
+
+	key := hw.String()
+	anon, ok := a.macAnonymizer[key]
+	if !ok {
+		a.macCounter++
+		anon = fmt.Sprintf("02:00:00:%02x:%02x:%02x", byte(a.macCounter>>16), byte(a.macCounter>>8), byte(a.macCounter))
+		a.macAnonymizer[key] = anon
+	}
+
+	if strings.Contains(mac, "-") {
+		anon = strings.ReplaceAll(anon, ":", "-")
+	}
+	return anon
+}
+
+// isAnonymizedMAC reports whether hw is a placeholder this anonymizer already
+// handed out, so a second pass over anonymized output leaves it unchanged.
+func (a *Anonymizer) isAnonymizedMAC(hw net.HardwareAddr) bool {
+	if hw[0] != 0x02 || hw[1] != 0 || hw[2] != 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+	value := uint32(hw[3])<<16 | uint32(hw[4])<<8 | uint32(hw[5])
+	return value <= a.macCounter
+}
+
+// AnonymizeWGKey replaces a WireGuard public key with a consistent random
+// placeholder of the same shape. Keys are only anonymized at LevelStrict;
+// placeholders already handed out pass through unchanged.
+func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeWGKey(key string) string {
+	if a.level < LevelStrict || !looksLikeWGKey(key) {
+		return key
+	}
+	if _, ok := a.wgKeyAnonymized[key]; ok {
+		return key
+	}
+
+	anon, ok := a.wgKeyAnonymizer[key]
+	if !ok {
+		anon = generateAnonymousKey()
+		a.wgKeyAnonymizer[key] = anon
+		a.wgKeyAnonymized[anon] = struct{}{}
+	}
+	return anon
+}
+
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeUDPAddr(addr net.UDPAddr) net.UDPAddr {
 	// Convert IP to netip.Addr
 	ip, ok := netip.AddrFromSlice(addr.IP)
@@ -89,12 +272,12 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeUDPAddr(addr net.UDPAddr) net.UDPAddr {
 
 // isInAnonymizedRange checks if an IP is within the range of already assigned anonymized IPs
 func (a *Anonymizer) isInAnonymizedRange(ip netip.Addr) bool {
-	if ip.Is4() && ip.Compare(a.startAnonIPv4) >= 0 && ip.Compare(a.currentAnonIPv4) <= 0 {
-		return true
-	} else if !ip.Is4() && ip.Compare(a.startAnonIPv6) >= 0 && ip.Compare(a.currentAnonIPv6) <= 0 {
-		return true
+	if ip.Is4() {
+		return inPoolRange(ip, a.startAnonIPv4, a.currentAnonIPv4) ||
+			inPoolRange(ip, a.startAnonInternalIPv4, a.currentAnonInternalIPv4)
 	}
-	return false
+	return inPoolRange(ip, a.startAnonIPv6, a.currentAnonIPv6) ||
+		inPoolRange(ip, a.startAnonInternalIPv6, a.currentAnonInternalIPv6)
 }
 
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeIPString(ip string) string {
@@ -118,14 +301,17 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeDomain(domain string) string {
 		baseDomain = domain[:len(domain)-1]
 	}
 
-	if strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "netbird.io") ||
-		strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "netbird.selfhosted") ||
-		strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "netbird.cloud") ||
-		strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "netbird.stage") ||
-		strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, anonTLD) {
+	if strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, anonTLD) {
 		return domain
 	}
 
+	if suffix := protectedSuffix(baseDomain); suffix != "" {
+		if a.level < LevelStrict || baseDomain == suffix || suffix == infraDomain {
+			return domain
+		}
+		return withTrailingDot(a.anonymizePeerName(baseDomain, suffix), hasDot)
+	}
+
 	parts := strings.Split(baseDomain, ".")
 	if len(parts) < 2 {
 		return domain
@@ -141,12 +327,53 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeDomain(domain string) string {
 	}
 
 	result := strings.Replace(baseDomain, baseForLookup, anonymized, 1)
-	if hasDot {
-		result += "."
+	if a.level >= LevelStrict && len(parts) > 2 {
+		prefix := strings.TrimSuffix(baseDomain, "."+baseForLookup)
+		result = a.anonymizeLabels(prefix, "host") + "." + anonymized
+		// The full mapping feeds AnonymizeString so seeded FQDNs are caught
+		// in log lines as a whole, labels included.
+		a.domainAnonymizer[baseDomain] = result
+	}
+	return withTrailingDot(result, hasDot)
+}
+
+// anonymizePeerName replaces the labels in front of a protected suffix with
+// numbered peer placeholders, keeping the suffix, and records the full
+// mapping for string replacement in logs. The numbering keeps a peer
+// recognizable across the whole bundle without disclosing its name.
+func (a *Anonymizer) anonymizePeerName(baseDomain, suffix string) string {
+	prefix := strings.TrimSuffix(baseDomain, "."+suffix)
+	result := a.anonymizeLabels(prefix, "peer") + "." + suffix
+	if result != baseDomain {
+		a.domainAnonymizer[baseDomain] = result
 	}
 	return result
 }
 
+// anonymizeLabels replaces each dot-separated label with a consistent
+// numbered placeholder ("<placeholder>-<n>"). Wildcard labels and
+// placeholders already handed out pass through unchanged.
+func (a *Anonymizer) anonymizeLabels(prefix, placeholder string) string {
+	labels := strings.Split(prefix, ".")
+	for i, label := range labels {
+		if label == "*" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if _, ok := a.labelAnonymized[label]; ok {
+			continue
+		}
+		anon, ok := a.labelAnonymizer[label]
+		if !ok {
+			a.labelCounter++
+			anon = fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d", placeholder, a.labelCounter)
+			a.labelAnonymizer[label] = anon
+			a.labelAnonymized[anon] = struct{}{}
+		}
+		labels[i] = anon
+	}
+	return strings.Join(labels, ".")
+}
+
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeURI(uri string) string {
 	u, err := url.Parse(uri)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -181,16 +408,70 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeString(str string) string {
 	str = ipv4Regex.ReplaceAllStringFunc(str, a.AnonymizeIPString)
 	str = ipv6Regex.ReplaceAllStringFunc(str, a.AnonymizeIPString)
 
-	for domain, anonDomain := range a.domainAnonymizer {
-		str = strings.ReplaceAll(str, domain, anonDomain)
+	for _, domain := range a.sortedDomains() {
+		str = strings.ReplaceAll(str, domain, a.domainAnonymizer[domain])
 	}
 
 	str = a.AnonymizeSchemeURI(str)
 	str = a.AnonymizeDNSLogLine(str)
 
+	// MAC handling runs after the IP passes so preserved IPv6 addresses are
+	// already out of the way; the separator guard skips matches embedded in a
+	// longer colon- or dash-separated sequence (such as an IPv6 tail).
+	str = a.anonymizeMACsInString(str, macColonRegex, ':')
+	str = a.anonymizeMACsInString(str, macDashRegex, '-')
+
+	if a.level >= LevelStrict {
+		str = wgKeyRegex.ReplaceAllStringFunc(str, a.AnonymizeWGKey)
+	}
+
 	return str
 }
 
+// sortedDomains returns the domain mappings longest-first, so a full-FQDN
+// mapping (strict level) is applied before the base-domain mapping it
+// contains. The order is rebuilt only when domainAnonymizer has grown.
+func (a *Anonymizer) sortedDomains() []string {
+	if len(a.domainOrder) == len(a.domainAnonymizer) {
+		return a.domainOrder
+	}
+
+	a.domainOrder = a.domainOrder[:0]
+	for domain := range a.domainAnonymizer {
+		a.domainOrder = append(a.domainOrder, domain)
+	}
+	slices.SortFunc(a.domainOrder, func(x, y string) int {
+		if d := len(y) - len(x); d != 0 {
+			return d
+		}
+		return strings.Compare(x, y)
+	})
+	return a.domainOrder
+}
+
+// anonymizeMACsInString replaces MAC addresses matched by re, skipping
+// matches that directly adjoin another sep so a six-group run inside a longer
+// separated sequence is left alone.
+func (a *Anonymizer) anonymizeMACsInString(str string, re *regexp.Regexp, sep byte) string {
+	matches := re.FindAllStringIndex(str, -1)
+	if len(matches) == 0 {
+		return str
+	}
+
+	var b strings.Builder
+	last := 0
+	for _, m := range matches {
+		if (m[0] > 0 && str[m[0]-1] == sep) || (m[1] < len(str) && str[m[1]] == sep) {
+			continue
+		}
+		b.WriteString(str[last:m[0]])
+		b.WriteString(a.AnonymizeMAC(str[m[0]:m[1]]))
+		last = m[1]
+	}
+	b.WriteString(str[last:])
+	return b.String()
+}
+
 // AnonymizeSchemeURI finds and anonymizes URIs with ws, wss, rel, rels, stun, stuns, turn, and turns schemes.
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeSchemeURI(text string) string {
 	re := regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)\b(wss?://|rels?://|stuns?:|turns?:|https?://)\S+\b`)
@@ -239,10 +520,79 @@ func isWellKnown(addr netip.Addr) bool {
 		"128.0.0.0", "8000::", // 2nd split subnet for default routes
 	}
 
-	if slices.Contains(wellKnown, addr.String()) {
+	return slices.Contains(wellKnown, addr.String())
+}
+
+// isInternal reports whether ip identifies a host only within the local
+// network: IPv4 private (RFC 1918), CGNAT (RFC 6598), and link-local (v4 and
+// v6). These are preserved at the default level so support can reason about
+// the real topology, and replaced from the internal pools at the strict
+// level. IPv6 ULA is deliberately not internal: its random global ID uniquely
+// fingerprints the network, so it is anonymized at every level.
+func isInternal(ip netip.Addr) bool {
+	return (ip.Is4() && ip.IsPrivate()) ||
+		ip.IsLinkLocalUnicast() ||
+		isCGNAT(ip)
+}
+
+func inPoolRange(ip, start, current netip.Addr) bool {
+	return ip.Compare(start) >= 0 && ip.Compare(current) <= 0
+}
+
+// isWellKnownMAC reports whether hw carries no stable host identity: all-zero
+// or a group address (broadcast and multicast).
+func isWellKnownMAC(hw net.HardwareAddr) bool {
+	if hw[0]&1 == 1 {
 		return true
 	}
+	for _, b := range hw {
+		if b != 0 {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
 
+// looksLikeWGKey reports whether s has the shape of a WireGuard key:
+// 44 base64 characters decoding to 32 bytes.
+func looksLikeWGKey(s string) bool {
+	if len(s) != 44 || s[43] != '=' {
+		return false
+	}
+	decoded, err := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(s)
+	return err == nil && len(decoded) == 32
+}
+
+func generateAnonymousKey() string {
+	buf := make([]byte, 32)
+	if _, err := rand.Read(buf); err != nil {
+		return strings.Repeat("A", 43) + "="
+	}
+	return base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(buf)
+}
+
+// protectedSuffix returns the protected NetBird suffix baseDomain ends with,
+// or empty. The match is label-anchored so an unrelated domain that merely
+// ends in the same characters is not preserved.
+func protectedSuffix(baseDomain string) string {
+	for _, d := range protectedDomains {
+		if baseDomain == d || strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "."+d) {
+			return d
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+func withTrailingDot(domain string, hasDot bool) string {
+	if hasDot {
+		return domain + "."
+	}
+	return domain
+}
+
+// isCGNAT reports whether addr is in 100.64.0.0/10 (RFC 6598), the range
+// NetBird assigns overlay peer addresses from.
+func isCGNAT(addr netip.Addr) bool {
 	cgnatRangeStart := netip.AddrFrom4([4]byte{100, 64, 0, 0})
 	cgnatRange := netip.PrefixFrom(cgnatRangeStart, 10)
 

client/anonymize/anonymize_test.go

@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 package anonymize_test
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/base64"
 	"net/netip"
 	"regexp"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
@@ -44,6 +47,301 @@ func TestAnonymizeIP(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestParseLevel(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		input  string
+		expect anonymize.Level
+	}{
+		{"", anonymize.LevelDefault},
+		{"default", anonymize.LevelDefault},
+		{"DEFAULT", anonymize.LevelDefault},
+		{"strict", anonymize.LevelStrict},
+		{"STRICT", anonymize.LevelStrict},
+		// Unknown values must never yield less anonymization than requested.
+		{"garbage", anonymize.LevelStrict},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run("input="+tc.input, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.expect, anonymize.ParseLevel(tc.input), "parsed level should match")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeIP_DefaultLevelInternalRanges(t *testing.T) {
+	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		ip     string
+		expect string
+	}{
+		{"RFC1918 10/8", "10.1.2.3", "10.1.2.3"},
+		{"RFC1918 172.16/12", "172.16.5.5", "172.16.5.5"},
+		{"RFC1918 192.168/16", "192.168.1.1", "192.168.1.1"},
+		{"CGNAT", "100.64.0.5", "100.64.0.5"},
+		{"IPv4 link-local", "169.254.1.1", "169.254.1.1"},
+		{"IPv6 link-local", "fe80::1", "fe80::1"},
+		// ULA is anonymized even at the default level: its random global ID
+		// uniquely fingerprints the network, unlike shared RFC 1918 space.
+		{"IPv6 ULA", "fd12:3456:789a::1", "2001:db8:ffff::"},
+		// 4-in-6 addresses classify like their unmapped IPv4 form.
+		{"4-in-6 RFC1918", "::ffff:192.168.1.1", "192.168.1.1"},
+		{"4-in-6 CGNAT", "::ffff:100.64.0.5", "100.64.0.5"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := anonymizer.AnonymizeIP(netip.MustParseAddr(tc.ip))
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.expect, result.String(), "default level should preserve internal ranges except ULA")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeIP_StrictLevel(t *testing.T) {
+	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+	anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
+
+	// Order matters: internal pool addresses are assigned sequentially.
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		ip     string
+		expect string
+	}{
+		{"RFC1918 192.168/16", "192.168.1.1", "198.18.0.0"},
+		{"Second RFC1918", "192.168.1.2", "198.18.0.1"},
+		{"Repeated RFC1918", "192.168.1.1", "198.18.0.0"},
+		{"RFC1918 10/8", "10.1.2.3", "198.18.0.2"},
+		{"RFC1918 172.16/12", "172.16.5.5", "198.18.0.3"},
+		{"CGNAT", "100.64.0.5", "198.18.0.4"},
+		{"IPv4 link-local", "169.254.1.1", "198.18.0.5"},
+		{"Public IPv4 uses public pool", "1.2.3.4", "198.51.100.0"},
+		{"IPv6 link-local", "fe80::1", "2001:db8:1::"},
+		{"IPv6 ULA", "fd12:3456:789a::1", "2001:db8:1::1"},
+		{"Public IPv6 uses public pool", "2607:f8b0:4005:805::200e", "2001:db8:ffff::"},
+		{"Loopback IPv4", "127.0.0.1", "127.0.0.1"},
+		{"Loopback IPv6", "::1", "::1"},
+		{"Unspecified", "0.0.0.0", "0.0.0.0"},
+		{"Multicast", "224.0.0.251", "224.0.0.251"},
+		{"Well known resolver", "8.8.8.8", "8.8.8.8"},
+		{"Well known split marker", "128.0.0.0", "128.0.0.0"},
+		{"In internal pool range", "198.18.0.3", "198.18.0.3"},
+		{"In public pool range", "198.51.100.0", "198.51.100.0"},
+		{"4-in-6 repeated RFC1918", "::ffff:192.168.1.1", "198.18.0.0"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := anonymizer.AnonymizeIP(netip.MustParseAddr(tc.ip))
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.expect, result.String(), "strict level should replace internal ranges from the internal pools")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeString_StrictInternalIPs(t *testing.T) {
+	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+	anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
+
+	input := "route 10.20.30.0/24 via 192.168.1.1 dev eth0 src 100.64.0.7"
+	firstPass := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(input)
+	secondPass := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(firstPass)
+
+	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "10.20.30.0", "private network address should be anonymized")
+	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "192.168.1.1", "private gateway should be anonymized")
+	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "100.64.0.7", "CGNAT address should be anonymized")
+	assert.Contains(t, firstPass, "/24", "prefix length should be preserved")
+	assert.Equal(t, firstPass, secondPass, "second pass should not further anonymize the string")
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeMAC(t *testing.T) {
+	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+
+	first := anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:0f")
+	assert.Equal(t, "02:00:00:00:00:01", first, "first MAC should get the first placeholder")
+	assert.Equal(t, first, anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:0f"), "repeated MAC should map to the same placeholder")
+	assert.Equal(t, first, anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:0F"), "case should not affect the mapping")
+	assert.Equal(t, "02-00-00-00-00-01", anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-0F"), "dash form should keep its separator but share the mapping")
+
+	second := anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("10:22:33:44:55:66")
+	assert.Equal(t, "02:00:00:00:00:02", second, "second distinct MAC should get the next placeholder")
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		mac  string
+	}{
+		{"Broadcast", "ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff"},
+		{"IPv4 multicast", "01:00:5e:00:00:fb"},
+		{"IPv6 multicast", "33:33:00:00:00:01"},
+		{"All zero", "00:00:00:00:00:00"},
+		{"Assigned placeholder", "02:00:00:00:00:01"},
+		{"Invalid", "not-a-mac"},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.mac, anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC(tc.mac), "should be preserved")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeString_MACAddresses(t *testing.T) {
+	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		input  string
+		expect string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:   "nftables ether rule",
+			input:  "ether saddr aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff drop",
+			expect: "ether saddr 02:00:00:00:00:01 drop",
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "Windows dash form",
+			input:  "Physical Address : AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF",
+			expect: "Physical Address : 02-00-00-00-00-01",
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "IPv6 address tail is not treated as MAC",
+			input:  "addr fe80:0:11:22:33:44:55:66 scope link",
+			expect: "addr fe80:0:11:22:33:44:55:66 scope link",
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "broadcast MAC preserved",
+			input:  "dst ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff type ARP",
+			expect: "dst ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff type ARP",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(tc.input)
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.expect, result, "MAC addresses should be anonymized at every level")
+			assert.Equal(t, result, anonymizer.AnonymizeString(result), "second pass should not change the result")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeWGKey(t *testing.T) {
+	key := base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(bytes.Repeat([]byte{0x42}, 32))
+
+	t.Run("default level preserves keys", func(t *testing.T) {
+		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+		assert.Equal(t, key, anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key), "default level should not touch WireGuard keys")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("strict level replaces keys", func(t *testing.T) {
+		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+		anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
+
+		anon := anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key)
+		assert.NotEqual(t, key, anon, "strict level should replace the key")
+		assert.Regexp(t, `^[A-Za-z0-9+/]{43}=$`, anon, "placeholder should keep the WireGuard key shape")
+		assert.Equal(t, anon, anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key), "repeated key should map to the same placeholder")
+		assert.Equal(t, anon, anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(anon), "an assigned placeholder should pass through unchanged")
+
+		assert.Equal(t, "not-a-key", anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey("not-a-key"), "non-key values should be preserved")
+	})
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeString_WGKeys(t *testing.T) {
+	key := base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(bytes.Repeat([]byte{0x42}, 32))
+	input := "peer " + key + " handshake completed"
+
+	t.Run("default level preserves keys", func(t *testing.T) {
+		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+		assert.Equal(t, input, anonymizer.AnonymizeString(input), "default level should not touch WireGuard keys in strings")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("strict level replaces keys", func(t *testing.T) {
+		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+		anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
+
+		firstPass := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(input)
+		assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, key, "the key should not survive strict anonymization")
+		assert.Equal(t, anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key), extractKey(t, firstPass), "string replacement should be consistent with AnonymizeWGKey")
+		assert.Equal(t, firstPass, anonymizer.AnonymizeString(firstPass), "second pass should not change the result")
+	})
+}
+
+func extractKey(t *testing.T, logLine string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	fields := strings.Fields(logLine)
+	require.Len(t, fields, 4, "log line should keep its structure")
+	return fields[1]
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeDomain_StrictLevel(t *testing.T) {
+	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+	anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
+
+	t.Run("netbird peer name", func(t *testing.T) {
+		result := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("my-laptop.netbird.cloud")
+		assert.Regexp(t, `^peer-\d+\.netbird\.cloud$`, result, "peer name should be anonymized, suffix kept")
+		assert.NotContains(t, result, "my-laptop", "the peer name should not survive")
+		assert.Equal(t, result, anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("my-laptop.netbird.cloud"), "repeated domain should map consistently")
+		assert.Equal(t, result, anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain(result), "an anonymized domain should pass through unchanged")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("bare netbird domain", func(t *testing.T) {
+		assert.Equal(t, "netbird.cloud", anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("netbird.cloud"), "the bare protected suffix should be preserved")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("netbird infrastructure preserved", func(t *testing.T) {
+		assert.Equal(t, "api.netbird.io", anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("api.netbird.io"),
+			"netbird.io hosts infrastructure, not peer names, and should stay readable")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("leading labels of other domains", func(t *testing.T) {
+		result := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("host1.corp.example.com")
+		assert.Regexp(t, `^host-\d+\.host-\d+\.anon-[a-zA-Z0-9]+\.domain$`, result, "every label should be anonymized")
+		for _, label := range []string{"host1", "corp", "example"} {
+			assert.NotContains(t, result, label, "no original label should survive")
+		}
+		assert.Equal(t, result, anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("host1.corp.example.com"), "repeated domain should map consistently")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("same label maps consistently across domains", func(t *testing.T) {
+		first := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("shared.one.com")
+		second := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("shared.two.com")
+		assert.Equal(t, strings.Split(first, ".")[0], strings.Split(second, ".")[0], "the shared host label should get one placeholder")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("wildcard label preserved", func(t *testing.T) {
+		result := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("*.example.com")
+		assert.Regexp(t, `^\*\.anon-[a-zA-Z0-9]+\.domain$`, result, "the wildcard label should stay a wildcard")
+	})
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeDomain_DefaultLevelKeepsPeerNames(t *testing.T) {
+	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "my-laptop.netbird.cloud", anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("my-laptop.netbird.cloud"),
+		"default level should preserve netbird FQDNs including the peer name")
+	assert.Regexp(t, `^sub\.anon-[a-zA-Z0-9]+\.domain$`, anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("sub.example.com"),
+		"default level should keep subdomain labels")
+}
+
+func TestAnonymizeString_StrictPeerNames(t *testing.T) {
+	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+	anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
+
+	// Seed like the bundle generator does from the status: base first, then
+	// the full FQDN, so replacement must prefer the longer mapping.
+	anonBase := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("example.com")
+	anonPeer := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("peer1.netbird.cloud")
+	anonHost := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("host1.example.com")
+
+	logLine := "connected to peer1.netbird.cloud via host1.example.com endpoint"
+	firstPass := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(logLine)
+	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "peer1", "the peer name should not survive in logs")
+	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "host1", "the host label should not survive in logs")
+	assert.Contains(t, firstPass, anonPeer, "the seeded peer mapping should be applied")
+	assert.Contains(t, firstPass, anonHost, "the seeded host mapping should be applied, not just the base mapping")
+	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "host1."+anonBase, "the base mapping must not preempt the longer FQDN mapping")
+	assert.Equal(t, firstPass, anonymizer.AnonymizeString(firstPass), "second pass should not change the result")
+}
+
 func TestAnonymizeDNSLogLine(t *testing.T) {
 	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(netip.Addr{}, netip.Addr{})
 	tests := []struct {

client/cmd/debug.go

@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ import (
 const errCloseConnection = "Failed to close connection: %v"
 
 var (
-	logFileCount        uint32
-	systemInfoFlag      bool
+	logFileCount             uint32
+	systemInfoFlag           bool
 	uploadBundleFlag         bool
 	uploadBundleURLFlag      string
 	uploadBundleInsecureFlag bool
@@ -156,6 +156,11 @@ func debugConfigDump(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 // request. Returns an error if the RPC fails or if the daemon reports
 // an upload failure reason.
 func debugBundle(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
+	anonymizeEnabled, anonymizeLevel, err := effectiveAnonymize()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	conn, err := getClient(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -168,10 +173,11 @@ func debugBundle(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 
 	client := proto.NewDaemonServiceClient(conn)
 	request := &proto.DebugBundleRequest{
-		Anonymize:    anonymizeFlag,
-		SystemInfo:   systemInfoFlag,
-		LogFileCount: logFileCount,
-		CliVersion:   version.NetbirdVersion(),
+		Anonymize:      anonymizeEnabled,
+		AnonymizeLevel: anonymizeLevel.String(),
+		SystemInfo:     systemInfoFlag,
+		LogFileCount:   logFileCount,
+		CliVersion:     version.NetbirdVersion(),
 	}
 	if uploadBundleFlag {
 		request.UploadURL = uploadBundleURLFlag
@@ -229,6 +235,11 @@ func runForDuration(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid duration format: %v", err)
 	}
 
+	anonymizeEnabled, anonymizeLevel, err := effectiveAnonymize()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	conn, err := getClient(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -368,10 +379,11 @@ func runForDuration(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	cmd.Println("Creating debug bundle...")
 
 	request := &proto.DebugBundleRequest{
-		Anonymize:    anonymizeFlag,
-		SystemInfo:   systemInfoFlag,
-		LogFileCount: logFileCount,
-		CliVersion:   version.NetbirdVersion(),
+		Anonymize:      anonymizeEnabled,
+		AnonymizeLevel: anonymizeLevel.String(),
+		SystemInfo:     systemInfoFlag,
+		LogFileCount:   logFileCount,
+		CliVersion:     version.NetbirdVersion(),
 	}
 	if uploadBundleFlag {
 		request.UploadURL = uploadBundleURLFlag

client/cmd/root.go

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
 
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	daddr "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/daemonaddr"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/profilemanager"
 )
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ var (
 	autoConnectDisabled     bool
 	extraIFaceBlackList     []string
 	anonymizeFlag           bool
+	anonymizeLevelFlag      string
 	dnsRouteInterval        time.Duration
 	// lazyConnEnabled is the parse target for the deprecated --enable-lazy-connection
 	// flag. The flag is inert; the value is no longer read (use NB_LAZY_CONN instead).
@@ -156,7 +158,8 @@ func init() {
 	rootCmd.MarkFlagsMutuallyExclusive("setup-key", "setup-key-file")
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&preSharedKey, preSharedKeyFlag, "", "Sets WireGuard PreSharedKey property. If set, then only peers that have the same key can communicate.")
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVarP(&hostName, "hostname", "n", "", "Sets a custom hostname for the device")
-	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVarP(&anonymizeFlag, "anonymize", "A", false, "anonymize IP addresses and non-netbird.io domains in logs and status output")
+	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVarP(&anonymizeFlag, "anonymize", "A", false, "anonymize public IP addresses, MAC addresses, and non-netbird.io domains in logs and status output; private, CGNAT, and link-local IP ranges are kept (see --anonymize-level strict)")
+	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&anonymizeLevelFlag, "anonymize-level", "", "anonymization level: \"default\" or \"strict\"; strict also anonymizes private, CGNAT, and link-local IP ranges, peer names, and WireGuard public keys. Setting this flag implies --anonymize")
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVarP(&configPath, "config", "c", profilemanager.DefaultConfigPath, "Overrides the default profile file location")
 
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(upCmd)
@@ -293,6 +296,19 @@ var CLIBackOffSettings = &backoff.ExponentialBackOff{
 	Clock:               backoff.SystemClock,
 }
 
+// effectiveAnonymize resolves the --anonymize and --anonymize-level flags:
+// setting a level implies anonymization, and an invalid level is rejected.
+func effectiveAnonymize() (bool, anonymize.Level, error) {
+	if anonymizeLevelFlag == "" {
+		return anonymizeFlag, anonymize.LevelDefault, nil
+	}
+	level := anonymize.ParseLevel(anonymizeLevelFlag)
+	if !strings.EqualFold(anonymizeLevelFlag, level.String()) {
+		return false, anonymize.LevelDefault, fmt.Errorf("invalid anonymize level %q: use %q or %q", anonymizeLevelFlag, anonymize.LevelDefault.String(), anonymize.LevelStrict.String())
+	}
+	return true, level, nil
+}
+
 func getSetupKey() (string, error) {
 	if setupKeyPath != "" && setupKey == "" {
 		return getSetupKeyFromFile(setupKeyPath)

client/cmd/status.go

@@ -121,8 +121,14 @@ func statusFunc(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		sessionExpiresAt = ts.AsTime().UTC()
 	}
 
+	anonymizeEnabled, anonymizeLevel, err := effectiveAnonymize()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	var outputInformationHolder = nbstatus.ConvertToStatusOutputOverview(resp.GetFullStatus(), nbstatus.ConvertOptions{
-		Anonymize:            anonymizeFlag,
+		Anonymize:            anonymizeEnabled,
+		AnonymizeLevel:       anonymizeLevel,
 		DaemonVersion:        resp.GetDaemonVersion(),
 		DaemonStatus:         nbstatus.ParseDaemonStatus(status),
 		StatusFilter:         statusFilter,

client/firewall/firewalld/firewalld.go

@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 // its wg interface into firewalld's "trusted" zone. This is required because
 // firewalld's nftables chains are created with NFT_CHAIN_OWNER on recent
 // versions, which returns EPERM to any other process that tries to insert
-// rules into them. The workaround mirrors what Tailscale does: let firewalld
-// itself add the accept rules to its own chains by trusting the interface.
+// rules into them. Trusting the interface makes firewalld itself add the
+// accept rules to its own chains instead.
 package firewalld
 
 // TrustedZone is the firewalld zone name used for interfaces whose traffic

client/iface/bind/ice_bind.go

@@ -22,6 +22,16 @@ import (
 	nbnet "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/net"
 )
 
+const (
+	// wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation is the lowest WireGuard message type.
+	wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation uint32 = 1
+	// wgMsgTypeTransport is the highest WireGuard message type.
+	wgMsgTypeTransport uint32 = 4
+	// wgMinMsgSize is the smallest WireGuard message: transport data with an empty
+	// payload, which is what a keepalive is.
+	wgMinMsgSize = 32
+)
+
 type receiverCreator struct {
 	iceBind *ICEBind
 }
@@ -216,8 +226,15 @@ func (s *ICEBind) createReceiverFn(pc wgConn.BatchReader, conn *net.UDPConn, rxO
 		for i := 0; i < numMsgs; i++ {
 			msg := &(*msgs)[i]
 
-			// todo: handle err
-			if ok, _ := s.filterOutStunMessages(msg.Buffers, msg.N, msg.Addr); ok {
+			if ok, err := s.filterOutStunMessages(msg.Buffers, msg.N, msg.Addr); ok {
+				if err != nil {
+					log.Debugf("failed to handle STUN packet from %s: %v", msg.Addr, err)
+				}
+				// WireGuard reuses sizes and eps across reads and only skips a slot
+				// whose size is below the minimum message size. Leaving a consumed
+				// slot untouched makes it process this buffer again under the
+				// previous packet's length and endpoint.
+				sizes[i] = 0
 				continue
 			}
 			sizes[i] = msg.N
@@ -271,11 +288,16 @@ func (s *ICEBind) createOrUpdateMux() {
 
 func (s *ICEBind) filterOutStunMessages(buffers [][]byte, n int, addr net.Addr) (bool, error) {
 	for i := range buffers {
-		if !stun.IsMessage(buffers[i]) {
+		if n > len(buffers[i]) {
+			continue
+		}
+		pkt := buffers[i][:n]
+
+		if isWireGuardMsg(pkt) || !stun.IsMessage(pkt) {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		msg, err := s.parseSTUNMessage(buffers[i][:n])
+		msg, err := s.parseSTUNMessage(pkt)
 		if err != nil {
 			buffers[i] = []byte{}
 			return true, err
@@ -347,18 +369,34 @@ func putMessages(msgs *[]ipv6.Message, msgsPool *sync.Pool) {
 	msgsPool.Put(msgs)
 }
 
-func isTransportPkg(buffers [][]byte, n int) bool {
-	// The first buffer should contain at least 4 bytes for type
-	if len(buffers[0]) < 4 {
-		return true
+// isWireGuardMsg reports whether the packet carries a WireGuard message header: a
+// little-endian uint32 message type in the range 1..4, which leaves the three bytes
+// after the type byte zero, in a packet long enough to hold any WireGuard message.
+//
+// A well formed STUN message cannot take that shape. Its length field sits in the two
+// bytes the type must leave zero, and for a message of at least wgMinMsgSize bytes that
+// field holds at least 12, so the two framings do not overlap. The test has to be this
+// tight because stun.IsMessage only looks at the magic cookie, which in a WireGuard
+// message overlaps the receiver index: a session whose index happens to equal the cookie
+// would otherwise have all of its inbound data misrouted to the STUN handler until the
+// next rekey.
+func isWireGuardMsg(pkt []byte) bool {
+	if len(pkt) < wgMinMsgSize {
+		return false
 	}
 
-	// WireGuard packet type is a little-endian uint32 at start
-	packetType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(buffers[0][:4])
-
-	// Check if packetType matches known WireGuard message types
-	if packetType == 4 && n > 32 {
-		return true
-	}
-	return false
+	msgType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(pkt[:4])
+	return msgType >= wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation && msgType <= wgMsgTypeTransport
+}
+
+// isTransportPkg reports whether the packet is WireGuard transport data carrying a
+// payload, which is what counts as peer activity. A keepalive holds no payload and is
+// exactly wgMinMsgSize bytes.
+func isTransportPkg(buffers [][]byte, n int) bool {
+	if n < 4 || n > len(buffers[0]) {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	msgType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(buffers[0][:4])
+	return msgType == wgMsgTypeTransport && n > wgMinMsgSize
 }

client/iface/bind/stun_filter_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,215 @@
+//go:build !js
+
+package bind
+
+import (
+	"encoding/binary"
+	"net"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/pion/stun/v3"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"golang.org/x/net/ipv4"
+	wgConn "golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/conn"
+)
+
+// magicCookieBytes is the STUN magic cookie as it appears on the wire. In a
+// WireGuard message the same offset holds the receiver (or sender) index, which is
+// a random uint32, so a session can draw exactly this value.
+var magicCookieBytes = []byte{0x21, 0x12, 0xA4, 0x42}
+
+const testBufSize = 1500
+
+// wgMsg builds a WireGuard message of the given type and size, with the index field
+// at bytes 4:8 set to index.
+func wgMsg(msgType uint32, size int, index []byte) []byte {
+	pkt := make([]byte, size)
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(pkt[:4], msgType)
+	copy(pkt[4:8], index)
+	return pkt
+}
+
+// intoBuffer copies pkt into a full-size receive buffer, the way the kernel read
+// does, so tests see the same buffer/length split as the hot path.
+func intoBuffer(pkt []byte) [][]byte {
+	buf := make([]byte, testBufSize)
+	copy(buf, pkt)
+	return [][]byte{buf}
+}
+
+func TestFilterOutStunMessages_PassesWireGuardWithCookieShapedIndex(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name    string
+		msgType uint32
+		size    int
+	}{
+		{"transport data", wgMsgTypeTransport, 128},
+		{"keepalive", wgMsgTypeTransport, wgMinMsgSize},
+		{"handshake initiation", wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation, 148},
+		{"handshake response", 2, 92},
+		{"cookie reply", 3, 64},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			pkt := wgMsg(tc.msgType, tc.size, magicCookieBytes)
+			require.True(t, stun.IsMessage(pkt), "precondition: pion sees this as STUN")
+
+			buffers := intoBuffer(pkt)
+			bind := &ICEBind{}
+
+			filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, tc.size, &net.UDPAddr{})
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.False(t, filtered, "WireGuard message must be handed to WireGuard, not the STUN handler")
+			assert.Len(t, buffers[0], testBufSize, "buffer must be left intact for WireGuard")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFilterOutStunMessages_FiltersRealSTUNMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	msg, err := stun.Build(stun.BindingRequest, stun.TransactionID, stun.Fingerprint)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	buffers := intoBuffer(msg.Raw)
+	bind := &ICEBind{}
+
+	filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, len(msg.Raw), &net.UDPAddr{})
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, filtered, "STUN message must be consumed by the STUN handler")
+	assert.Empty(t, buffers[0], "consumed buffer must be emptied so WireGuard does not see it")
+}
+
+// TestIsWireGuardMsg_DisjointFromSTUN locks the invariant the filter relies on: a
+// well formed STUN message long enough to be a WireGuard message always has a
+// non-zero length field, so it cannot be mistaken for a WireGuard header.
+func TestIsWireGuardMsg_DisjointFromSTUN(t *testing.T) {
+	types := []stun.MessageType{
+		stun.BindingRequest,
+		stun.BindingSuccess,
+		stun.BindingError,
+		{Method: stun.MethodBinding, Class: stun.ClassIndication},
+	}
+
+	for _, msgType := range types {
+		// Long enough that the length guard is not what makes this pass.
+		msg, err := stun.Build(msgType, stun.TransactionID,
+			stun.NewUsername("remoteUfrag:localUfrag"), stun.Fingerprint)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.GreaterOrEqual(t, len(msg.Raw), wgMinMsgSize, "precondition: %s", msgType)
+		assert.False(t, isWireGuardMsg(msg.Raw),
+			"%s must not look like a WireGuard message", msgType)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsWireGuardMsg(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		pkt  []byte
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{"transport data", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, 128, nil), true},
+		{"handshake initiation", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation, 148, nil), true},
+		{"unknown type 5", wgMsg(5, 128, nil), false},
+		{"type 0", wgMsg(0, 128, nil), false},
+		{"non-zero reserved byte", []byte{0x04, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00}, false},
+		{"too short", []byte{0x04, 0x00, 0x00}, false},
+		{"empty", nil, false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.want, isWireGuardMsg(tc.pkt), "wrong classification for %s", tc.name)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestFilterOutStunMessages_IgnoresBytesBeyondPacket guards against classifying on
+// buffer contents left over from an earlier, longer packet.
+func TestFilterOutStunMessages_IgnoresBytesBeyondPacket(t *testing.T) {
+	buf := make([]byte, testBufSize)
+	copy(buf[4:8], magicCookieBytes)
+	buffers := [][]byte{buf}
+	bind := &ICEBind{}
+
+	filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, 2, &net.UDPAddr{})
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, filtered, "a 2 byte packet must not be classified from stale buffer bytes")
+}
+
+// TestReceiveFn_ClearsSizeOfConsumedPacket covers the accounting WireGuard relies
+// on: sizes is reused across reads, so a slot whose packet was consumed as STUN must
+// be reported as empty. Otherwise WireGuard reprocesses the same buffer under the
+// previous packet's length, which for a WireGuard-shaped packet means it is handled
+// twice.
+func TestReceiveFn_ClearsSizeOfConsumedPacket(t *testing.T) {
+	conn := listenUDP(t, "udp4", "127.0.0.1:0")
+	defer conn.Close()
+
+	recvFn := receiverCreator{setupICEBind(t)}.CreateReceiverFn(
+		ipv4.NewPacketConn(conn), conn, false, createMsgPool(),
+	)
+
+	msg, err := stun.Build(stun.BindingRequest, stun.TransactionID, stun.Fingerprint)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	sender := listenUDP(t, "udp4", "127.0.0.1:0")
+	defer sender.Close()
+	_, err = sender.WriteTo(msg.Raw, conn.LocalAddr())
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	require.NoError(t, conn.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(3*time.Second)))
+
+	bufs := [][]byte{make([]byte, 1500)}
+	// A leftover size from an earlier read, which is what makes the missing reset
+	// observable.
+	sizes := []int{148}
+	eps := make([]wgConn.Endpoint, 1)
+
+	n, err := recvFn(bufs, sizes, eps)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, 1, n)
+	assert.Zero(t, sizes[0], "consumed STUN packet must not leave a size behind for WireGuard")
+}
+
+func TestIsTransportPkg(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		pkt  []byte
+		n    int
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{"transport data with payload", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, 128, nil), 128, true},
+		{"keepalive", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, wgMinMsgSize, nil), wgMinMsgSize, false},
+		{"handshake initiation", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation, 148, nil), 148, false},
+		{"stale type bytes beyond packet", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, 128, nil), 2, false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.want, isTransportPkg(intoBuffer(tc.pkt), tc.n),
+				"wrong activity classification for %s", tc.name)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestFilterOutStunMessages_ConsumesSTUNWithWireGuardShapedType covers the one STUN
+// encoding whose leading bytes collide with a WireGuard message type: method 0x080 as a
+// request encodes to 0x0200, so the type byte reads as a handshake response and the byte
+// after it is zero. Only the length check keeps such a message out of WireGuard's hands.
+// pion implements no method in that range, so this is a synthetic worst case rather than
+// traffic ICE produces.
+func TestFilterOutStunMessages_ConsumesSTUNWithWireGuardShapedType(t *testing.T) {
+	msg, err := stun.Build(stun.NewType(stun.Method(0x080), stun.ClassRequest), stun.TransactionID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, []byte{0x02, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00}, msg.Raw[:4],
+		"precondition: the leading bytes read as a WireGuard message type")
+
+	buffers := intoBuffer(msg.Raw)
+	bind := &ICEBind{}
+
+	filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, len(msg.Raw), &net.UDPAddr{})
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, filtered, "STUN message must be consumed despite its WireGuard-shaped type")
+}

client/internal/debug/debug.go

@@ -34,9 +34,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/netiputil"
 )
 
-const readmeContent = `Netbird debug bundle
-This debug bundle contains the following files.
-If the --anonymize flag is set, the files are anonymized to protect sensitive information.
+const readmeContent = `This debug bundle contains the following files.
+If anonymization is enabled (--anonymize / --anonymize-level), the files are anonymized to protect sensitive information.
 
 status.txt: Anonymized status information of the NetBird client.
 client.log: Most recent, anonymized client log file of the NetBird client.
@@ -70,21 +69,34 @@ capture.pcap: Packet capture in pcap format. Only present when capture was runni
 
 
 Anonymization Process
-The files in this bundle have been anonymized to protect sensitive information. Here's how the anonymization was applied:
+The files in this bundle have been anonymized to protect sensitive information. The level applied to this bundle is recorded at the top of this file. Here's how the anonymization was applied:
 
 IP Addresses
 
-IPv4 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 198.51.100.0
-IPv6 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 100::
+Default level:
+- Public IPv4 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 198.51.100.0
+- Public IPv6 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 2001:db8:ffff::
+- IPv6 unique local addresses (fc00::/7) are anonymized as well: their random global ID uniquely identifies the network.
+- IP addresses from internal IPv4 ranges and well-known addresses are not anonymized (e.g. 8.8.8.8, 100.64.0.0/10, addresses starting with 192.168., 172.16., 10., 169.254., fe80::).
+
+Strict level (--anonymize-level strict), in addition to the default level:
+- Private (RFC 1918), CGNAT (100.64.0.0/10), and link-local (169.254.0.0/16, fe80::/10) addresses are anonymized too.
+- Internal IPv4 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 198.18.0.0 and internal IPv6 addresses with addresses starting from 2001:db8:1::, so internal addresses remain distinguishable from public ones.
+- Addresses are mapped in order of first appearance: subnet structure, allocation scheme, and gateway conventions are not preserved. Prefix lengths of networks are preserved.
+- Peer names in front of NetBird domains are replaced with numbered placeholders (e.g. peer-1.netbird.cloud), and subdomain labels of other domains with host-N placeholders.
+- WireGuard public keys are replaced with consistent placeholder keys.
 
-IP addresses from non public ranges and well known addresses are not anonymized (e.g. 8.8.8.8, 100.64.0.0/10, addresses starting with 192.168., 172.16., 10., etc.).
 Reoccuring IP addresses are replaced with the same anonymized address.
 
 Note: The anonymized IP addresses in the status file do not match those in the log and routes files. However, the anonymized IP addresses are consistent within the status file and across the routes and log files.
 
+MAC Addresses
+MAC addresses are replaced at every anonymization level with consistent placeholders counting up from 02:00:00:00:00:01. Broadcast, multicast, and all-zero addresses are kept. At the default level a preserved IPv6 link-local address may still embed a MAC address (EUI-64); the strict level anonymizes those addresses.
+
 Domains
 All domain names (except for the netbird domains) are replaced with randomly generated strings ending in ".domain". Anonymized domains are consistent across all files in the bundle.
 Reoccuring domain names are replaced with the same anonymized domain.
+At the strict level, the peer name labels in front of netbird domains are anonymized as well.
 
 Sync Response
 The network_map.json file contains the following anonymized information:
@@ -281,6 +293,7 @@ type BundleGenerator struct {
 	cliVersion     string
 
 	anonymize         bool
+	anonymizeLevel    anonymize.Level
 	includeSystemInfo bool
 	logFileCount      uint32
 
@@ -288,7 +301,10 @@ type BundleGenerator struct {
 }
 
 type BundleConfig struct {
-	Anonymize         bool
+	Anonymize bool
+	// AnonymizeLevel selects how much the anonymizer redacts.
+	// anonymize.LevelStrict implies Anonymize.
+	AnonymizeLevel    anonymize.Level
 	IncludeSystemInfo bool
 	LogFileCount      uint32
 }
@@ -327,8 +343,11 @@ func NewBundleGenerator(deps GeneratorDependencies, cfg BundleConfig) *BundleGen
 		uiLogOpener = openLogFile
 	}
 
+	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+	anonymizer.SetLevel(cfg.AnonymizeLevel)
+
 	return &BundleGenerator{
-		anonymizer: anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses()),
+		anonymizer: anonymizer,
 
 		internalConfig: deps.InternalConfig,
 		statusRecorder: deps.StatusRecorder,
@@ -345,7 +364,8 @@ func NewBundleGenerator(deps GeneratorDependencies, cfg BundleConfig) *BundleGen
 		daemonVersion:  deps.DaemonVersion,
 		cliVersion:     deps.CliVersion,
 
-		anonymize:         cfg.Anonymize,
+		anonymize:         cfg.Anonymize || cfg.AnonymizeLevel >= anonymize.LevelStrict,
+		anonymizeLevel:    cfg.AnonymizeLevel,
 		includeSystemInfo: cfg.IncludeSystemInfo,
 		logFileCount:      logFileCount,
 	}
@@ -485,7 +505,13 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addSystemInfo() {
 }
 
 func (g *BundleGenerator) addReadme() error {
-	readmeReader := strings.NewReader(readmeContent)
+	level := "none (anonymization disabled)"
+	if g.anonymize {
+		level = g.anonymizeLevel.String()
+	}
+	header := fmt.Sprintf("Netbird debug bundle\nAnonymization level applied to this bundle: %s\n", level)
+
+	readmeReader := strings.NewReader(header + readmeContent)
 	if err := g.addFileToZip(readmeReader, "README.txt"); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("add README file to zip: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -507,9 +533,10 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addStatus() error {
 		fullStatus := g.statusRecorder.GetFullStatus()
 		protoFullStatus := nbstatus.ToProtoFullStatus(fullStatus)
 		overview := nbstatus.ConvertToStatusOutputOverview(protoFullStatus, nbstatus.ConvertOptions{
-			Anonymize:     g.anonymize,
-			ProfileName:   profName,
-			DaemonVersion: g.daemonVersion,
+			Anonymize:      g.anonymize,
+			AnonymizeLevel: g.anonymizeLevel,
+			ProfileName:    profName,
+			DaemonVersion:  g.daemonVersion,
 		})
 		overview.CliVersion = g.cliVersion
 		statusOutput := overview.FullDetailSummary()
@@ -662,7 +689,7 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addCommonConfigFields(configContent *strings.Builder)
 	configContent.WriteString("NetBird Client Configuration:\n\n")
 
 	if key, err := wgtypes.ParseKey(g.internalConfig.PrivateKey); err == nil {
-		configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("PublicKey: %s\n", key.PublicKey().String()))
+		configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("PublicKey: %s\n", g.anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key.PublicKey().String())))
 	}
 	configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("WgIface: %s\n", g.internalConfig.WgIface))
 	configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("WgPort: %d\n", g.internalConfig.WgPort))
@@ -952,6 +979,11 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addUpdateLogs() error {
 		}
 
 		baseName := filepath.Base(logFile)
+		data, err = g.anonymizeBytes(data)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Warnf("skipping update log file %s: %v", baseName, err)
+			continue
+		}
 		if err := g.addFileToZip(bytes.NewReader(data), filepath.Join("update-logs", baseName)); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("add update log file %s to zip: %w", baseName, err)
 		}
@@ -979,6 +1011,13 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addCorruptedStateFiles() error {
 		}
 
 		fileName := filepath.Base(match)
+		// Corrupted state files usually fail structured JSON anonymization,
+		// so run them through the string anonymizer instead.
+		data, err = g.anonymizeBytes(data)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Warnf("skipping corrupted state file %s: %v", fileName, err)
+			continue
+		}
 		if err := g.addFileToZip(bytes.NewReader(data), "corrupted_states/"+fileName); err != nil {
 			log.Warnf("Failed to add corrupted state file %s to zip: %v", fileName, err)
 			continue
@@ -990,6 +1029,27 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addCorruptedStateFiles() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// anonymizeBytes runs raw file content through the string anonymizer line by
+// line when anonymization is enabled. It errors instead of returning partial
+// content, so a caller never adds an unanonymized fallback to the bundle.
+func (g *BundleGenerator) anonymizeBytes(data []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	if !g.anonymize {
+		return data, nil
+	}
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(bytes.NewReader(data))
+	scanner.Buffer(make([]byte, 1024*1024), 1024*1024)
+	for scanner.Scan() {
+		buf.WriteString(g.anonymizer.AnonymizeString(scanner.Text()))
+		buf.WriteByte('\n')
+	}
+	if err := scanner.Err(); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("anonymize content: %w", err)
+	}
+	return buf.Bytes(), nil
+}
+
 func (g *BundleGenerator) addMetrics() error {
 	if g.clientMetrics == nil {
 		log.Debugf("skipping metrics in debug bundle: no metrics collector")
@@ -1462,6 +1522,7 @@ func anonymizeRemotePeer(peer *mgmProto.RemotePeerConfig, anonymizer *anonymize.
 	}
 
 	peer.Fqdn = anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain(peer.Fqdn)
+	peer.WgPubKey = anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(peer.WgPubKey)
 
 	anonymizeSSHConfig(peer.SshConfig)
 }

client/internal/debug/wgshow.go

@@ -35,14 +35,14 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) toWGShowFormat(s *configurer.Stats) string {
 	var sb strings.Builder
 
 	sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("interface: %s\n", s.DeviceName))
-	sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  public key: %s\n", s.PublicKey))
+	sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  public key: %s\n", g.anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(s.PublicKey)))
 	sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  listen port: %d\n", s.ListenPort))
 	if s.FWMark != 0 {
 		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  fwmark: %#x\n", s.FWMark))
 	}
 
 	for _, peer := range s.Peers {
-		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\npeer: %s\n", peer.PublicKey))
+		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\npeer: %s\n", g.anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(peer.PublicKey)))
 		if peer.Endpoint.IP != nil {
 			if g.anonymize {
 				anonEndpoint := g.anonymizer.AnonymizeUDPAddr(peer.Endpoint)
@@ -54,7 +54,11 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) toWGShowFormat(s *configurer.Stats) string {
 		if len(peer.AllowedIPs) > 0 {
 			var ipStrings []string
 			for _, ipnet := range peer.AllowedIPs {
-				ipStrings = append(ipStrings, ipnet.String())
+				ipStr := ipnet.String()
+				if g.anonymize {
+					ipStr = g.anonymizer.AnonymizeIPString(ipStr)
+				}
+				ipStrings = append(ipStrings, ipStr)
 			}
 			sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  allowed ips: %s\n", strings.Join(ipStrings, ", ")))
 		}

client/internal/engine.go

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/tun/netstack"
 	"golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/wgctrl/wgtypes"
 
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	nberrors "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/errors"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/firewall"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/firewall/firewalld"
@@ -1385,6 +1386,7 @@ func (e *Engine) handleBundle(params *mgmProto.BundleParameters) (*mgmProto.JobR
 
 	bundleJobParams := debug.BundleConfig{
 		Anonymize:         params.Anonymize,
+		AnonymizeLevel:    anonymize.ParseLevel(params.AnonymizeLevel),
 		IncludeSystemInfo: true,
 		LogFileCount:      uint32(params.LogFileCount),
 	}

client/internal/metrics/connection_type.go

@@ -4,11 +4,17 @@ package metrics
 type ConnectionType string
 
 const (
-	// ConnectionTypeICE represents a direct peer-to-peer connection using ICE
-	ConnectionTypeICE ConnectionType = "ice"
+	// ConnectionTypeICEP2P represents a direct peer-to-peer connection using ICE
+	ConnectionTypeICEP2P ConnectionType = "ice_p2p"
+
+	// ConnectionTypeICETurn represents an ICE connection through a TURN server
+	ConnectionTypeICETurn ConnectionType = "ice_turn"
 
 	// ConnectionTypeRelay represents a relayed connection
 	ConnectionTypeRelay ConnectionType = "relay"
+
+	// ConnectionTypeUnknown represents a connection with no active transport. It is not pushed.
+	ConnectionTypeUnknown ConnectionType = "unknown"
 )
 
 // String returns the string representation of the connection type

client/internal/metrics/influxdb_test.go

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ func TestInfluxDBMetrics_RecordAndExport(t *testing.T) {
 		WgHandshakeSuccess: time.Now().Add(-1 * time.Second),
 	}
 
-	m.RecordConnectionStages(context.Background(), agentInfo, "pair123", ConnectionTypeICE, false, ts)
+	m.RecordConnectionStages(context.Background(), agentInfo, "pair123", ConnectionTypeICEP2P, false, ts)
 
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	err := m.Export(&buf)
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func TestInfluxDBMetrics_ExportDeterministicFieldOrder(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Record multiple times and verify consistent field order
 	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
-		m.RecordConnectionStages(context.Background(), agentInfo, "pair123", ConnectionTypeICE, false, ts)
+		m.RecordConnectionStages(context.Background(), agentInfo, "pair123", ConnectionTypeICEP2P, false, ts)
 	}
 
 	var buf bytes.Buffer

client/internal/metrics/infra/README.md

@@ -56,14 +56,33 @@ Measurement: `netbird_peer_connection`
 
 Tags:
 - `deployment_type`: "cloud" | "selfhosted" | "unknown"
-- `connection_type`: "ice" | "relay"
+- `connection_type`: "ice_p2p" | "ice_turn" | "relay" (see below)
 - `attempt_type`: "initial" | "reconnection"
 - `version`: NetBird version string
 - `os`: Operating system (linux, darwin, windows, android, ios, etc.)
 - `arch`: CPU architecture (amd64, arm64, etc.)
+- `peer_id`: anonymised peer identifier (truncated SHA-256 of the WireGuard public key)
+- `connection_pair_id`: deterministic identifier for the peer pair, identical on both sides
 
 **Note:** `SignalingReceived` is set when the first offer or answer arrives from the remote peer (in both initial and reconnection paths). It excludes the potentially unbounded wait for the remote peer to come online.
 
+#### `connection_type` values
+
+Derived from the connection priority (`conntype.ConnPriority`) by `metricsConnType` in `client/internal/peer/conn.go`:
+
+| Value | Priority | Traffic is |
+|-------|----------|------------|
+| `ice_p2p` | `ICEP2P` | direct peer-to-peer |
+| `ice_turn` | `ICETurn` | relayed, through a TURN server |
+| `relay` | `Relay` | relayed, through a NetBird relay |
+| `unknown` | `None` or unrecognised | no active transport — **the sample is not pushed** |
+
+**Direct traffic is `ice_p2p` only.** `ice_turn` is relayed despite being negotiated by ICE, matching `Conn.isRelayed`.
+
+`None` means no transport is active: not established yet, or reset after a relay drop or a peer-state reset. Such a sample cannot be attributed to a transport, so `recordConnectionMetrics` drops it instead of pushing it — `unknown` therefore never appears in the bucket. Connection counts are counts of connections whose transport was known at sampling time.
+
+**Samples recorded before 0.77 used a single `ice` value** which covered `ICEP2P`, `ICETurn` *and* `None`, so historical `ice` samples overstate direct connections by an unknown amount and must not be compared with `ice_p2p`.
+
 ### Sync Duration
 
 Measurement: `netbird_sync`

client/internal/peer/conn.go

@@ -307,6 +307,8 @@ func (conn *Conn) Close(signalToRemote bool) {
 
 	if conn.wgWatcherCancel != nil {
 		conn.wgWatcherCancel()
+		conn.wgWatcher = nil
+		conn.wgWatcherCancel = nil
 	}
 	conn.workerRelay.CloseConn()
 	if conn.workerICE != nil {
@@ -959,12 +961,9 @@ func (conn *Conn) recordConnectionMetrics() {
 	priority := conn.currentConnPriority
 	conn.mu.Unlock()
 
-	var connType metrics.ConnectionType
-	switch priority {
-	case conntype.Relay:
-		connType = metrics.ConnectionTypeRelay
-	default:
-		connType = metrics.ConnectionTypeICE
+	connType := metricsConnType(priority)
+	if connType == metrics.ConnectionTypeUnknown {
+		return
 	}
 
 	// Record metrics with timestamps - duration calculation happens in metrics package
@@ -1065,3 +1064,16 @@ func boolToConnStatus(connected bool) guard.ConnStatus {
 	}
 	return guard.ConnStatusDisconnected
 }
+
+func metricsConnType(priority conntype.ConnPriority) metrics.ConnectionType {
+	switch priority {
+	case conntype.Relay:
+		return metrics.ConnectionTypeRelay
+	case conntype.ICETurn:
+		return metrics.ConnectionTypeICETurn
+	case conntype.ICEP2P:
+		return metrics.ConnectionTypeICEP2P
+	default:
+		return metrics.ConnectionTypeUnknown
+	}
+}

client/internal/peer/conn_test.go

@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/iface"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/metrics"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/peer/conntype"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/peer/dispatcher"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/peer/guard"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/peer/ice"
@@ -386,3 +388,33 @@ func TestConn_onWGDisconnected_NoEscalationWithoutRosenpass(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	assert.Empty(t, disconnected, "escalation must be limited to rosenpass connections")
 }
+
+func TestMetricsConnType(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		priority conntype.ConnPriority
+		expected metrics.ConnectionType
+	}{
+		{"relay", conntype.Relay, metrics.ConnectionTypeRelay},
+		{"ice over turn is relayed, not p2p", conntype.ICETurn, metrics.ConnectionTypeICETurn},
+		{"direct p2p", conntype.ICEP2P, metrics.ConnectionTypeICEP2P},
+		{"unset priority is unknown, not p2p", conntype.None, metrics.ConnectionTypeUnknown},
+		{"unrecognised priority is unknown", conntype.ConnPriority(99), metrics.ConnectionTypeUnknown},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.expected, metricsConnType(tc.priority))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMetricsConnType_RelayedMatchesIsRelayed(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, priority := range []conntype.ConnPriority{conntype.None, conntype.Relay, conntype.ICETurn, conntype.ICEP2P} {
+		conn := &Conn{currentConnPriority: priority}
+		tag := metricsConnType(priority)
+		relayedTag := tag == metrics.ConnectionTypeRelay || tag == metrics.ConnectionTypeICETurn
+		assert.Equal(t, conn.isRelayed(), relayedTag,
+			"priority %s: isRelayed and the %q metric tag must agree", priority, tag)
+	}
+}

client/ios/NetBirdSDK/client.go

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 
+	nbAnonymize "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/auth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/debug"
@@ -28,6 +29,13 @@ import (
 	types "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/upload-server/types"
 )
 
+// AnonymizeLevelDefault and AnonymizeLevelStrict are the accepted
+// anonymizeLevel values for DebugBundle.
+const (
+	AnonymizeLevelDefault = nbAnonymize.LevelDefaultString
+	AnonymizeLevelStrict  = nbAnonymize.LevelStrictString
+)
+
 // ConnectionListener export internal Listener for mobile
 type ConnectionListener interface {
 	peer.Listener
@@ -200,8 +208,10 @@ func (c *Client) Stop() {
 // DebugBundle generates a debug bundle, uploads it and returns the upload key.
 // It works with or without a running engine: when the engine is up it reuses
 // the live config, sync response and client metrics; otherwise it loads the
-// config from disk (or the preloaded tvOS config).
-func (c *Client) DebugBundle(anonymize bool) (string, error) {
+// config from disk (or the preloaded tvOS config). anonymizeLevel is "default"
+// or "strict"; strict also anonymizes internal IP ranges, peer names, and
+// WireGuard public keys, and implies anonymize.
+func (c *Client) DebugBundle(anonymize bool, anonymizeLevel string) (string, error) {
 	cfg, cc := c.stateSnapshot()
 
 	// If the engine hasn't been started, load config so we can reach management.
@@ -251,6 +261,7 @@ func (c *Client) DebugBundle(anonymize bool) (string, error) {
 		deps,
 		debug.BundleConfig{
 			Anonymize:         anonymize,
+			AnonymizeLevel:    nbAnonymize.ParseLevel(anonymizeLevel),
 			IncludeSystemInfo: true,
 		},
 	)

client/proto/daemon.pb.go

@@ -2781,6 +2781,11 @@ type DebugBundleRequest struct {
 	// untrusted TLS certificate. Restricted to privileged callers; for
 	// self-hosted upload servers.
 	UploadInsecure bool `protobuf:"varint,7,opt,name=uploadInsecure,proto3" json:"uploadInsecure,omitempty"`
+	// anonymizeLevel selects how much the anonymizer redacts: "default"
+	// (or empty) keeps internal IP ranges, "strict" also anonymizes them.
+	// Unknown values are treated as "strict". Only meaningful with anonymize;
+	// "strict" implies it.
+	AnonymizeLevel string `protobuf:"bytes,8,opt,name=anonymizeLevel,proto3" json:"anonymizeLevel,omitempty"`
 	unknownFields  protoimpl.UnknownFields
 	sizeCache      protoimpl.SizeCache
 }
@@ -2857,6 +2862,13 @@ func (x *DebugBundleRequest) GetUploadInsecure() bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+func (x *DebugBundleRequest) GetAnonymizeLevel() string {
+	if x != nil {
+		return x.AnonymizeLevel
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 type DebugBundleResponse struct {
 	state               protoimpl.MessageState `protogen:"open.v1"`
 	Path                string                 `protobuf:"bytes,1,opt,name=path,proto3" json:"path,omitempty"`
@@ -7253,7 +7265,7 @@ const file_daemon_proto_rawDesc = "" +
 	"\x12translatedHostname\x18\x04 \x01(\tR\x12translatedHostname\x128\n" +
 	"\x0etranslatedPort\x18\x05 \x01(\v2\x10.daemon.PortInfoR\x0etranslatedPort\"G\n" +
 	"\x17ForwardingRulesResponse\x12,\n" +
-	"\x05rules\x18\x01 \x03(\v2\x16.daemon.ForwardingRuleR\x05rules\"\xdc\x01\n" +
+	"\x05rules\x18\x01 \x03(\v2\x16.daemon.ForwardingRuleR\x05rules\"\x84\x02\n" +
 	"\x12DebugBundleRequest\x12\x1c\n" +
 	"\tanonymize\x18\x01 \x01(\bR\tanonymize\x12\x1e\n" +
 	"\n" +
@@ -7264,7 +7276,8 @@ const file_daemon_proto_rawDesc = "" +
 	"\n" +
 	"cliVersion\x18\x06 \x01(\tR\n" +
 	"cliVersion\x12&\n" +
-	"\x0euploadInsecure\x18\a \x01(\bR\x0euploadInsecure\"}\n" +
+	"\x0euploadInsecure\x18\a \x01(\bR\x0euploadInsecure\x12&\n" +
+	"\x0eanonymizeLevel\x18\b \x01(\tR\x0eanonymizeLevel\"}\n" +
 	"\x13DebugBundleResponse\x12\x12\n" +
 	"\x04path\x18\x01 \x01(\tR\x04path\x12 \n" +
 	"\vuploadedKey\x18\x02 \x01(\tR\vuploadedKey\x120\n" +

client/proto/daemon.proto

@@ -540,6 +540,11 @@ message DebugBundleRequest {
   // untrusted TLS certificate. Restricted to privileged callers; for
   // self-hosted upload servers.
   bool uploadInsecure = 7;
+  // anonymizeLevel selects how much the anonymizer redacts: "default"
+  // (or empty) keeps internal IP ranges, "strict" also anonymizes them.
+  // Unknown values are treated as "strict". Only meaningful with anonymize;
+  // "strict" implies it.
+  string anonymizeLevel = 8;
 }
 
 message DebugBundleResponse {

client/server/debug.go

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
 	gstatus "google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/debug"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/ipcauth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/proto"
@@ -122,6 +123,7 @@ func (s *Server) generateDebugBundle(req *proto.DebugBundleRequest, uiOpener deb
 		},
 		debug.BundleConfig{
 			Anonymize:         req.GetAnonymize(),
+			AnonymizeLevel:    anonymize.ParseLevel(req.GetAnonymizeLevel()),
 			IncludeSystemInfo: req.GetSystemInfo(),
 			LogFileCount:      req.GetLogFileCount(),
 		},

client/server/login_outcome_test.go

@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
-	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
-	gstatus "google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/proto"
@@ -27,9 +25,9 @@ func TestLogin_ManagementUnreachableIsReturnedInsteadOfDemandingSSO(t *testing.T
 
 	unreachable := errors.New("create connection: dial context: context deadline exceeded")
 	attempts := 0
-	s.loginAttemptFn = func(context.Context, string, string) (internal.StatusType, error) {
+	s.isLoginRequiredFn = func(context.Context) (bool, error) {
 		attempts++
-		return internal.StatusLoginFailed, unreachable
+		return false, unreachable
 	}
 
 	resp, err := s.Login(userCtx(), &proto.LoginRequest{Username: &username})
@@ -55,15 +53,12 @@ func TestLogin_AuthRefusalStartsSSOFlow(t *testing.T) {
 	s.rootCtx = internal.CtxInitState(context.Background())
 	breakProfilePrivateKey(t, cfgPath)
 
-	refused := gstatus.Error(codes.PermissionDenied, "peer is not registered")
-	s.loginAttemptFn = func(context.Context, string, string) (internal.StatusType, error) {
-		return internal.StatusNeedsLogin, refused
+	s.isLoginRequiredFn = func(context.Context) (bool, error) {
+		return true, nil
 	}
 
 	_, err := s.Login(userCtx(), &proto.LoginRequest{Username: &username})
 	require.Error(t, err)
-	require.NotErrorIs(t, err, refused,
-		"the refusal was handed back to the caller instead of starting the SSO flow")
 
 	status, stateErr := internal.CtxGetState(s.rootCtx).Status()
 	require.NoError(t, stateErr)
@@ -71,6 +66,32 @@ func TestLogin_AuthRefusalStartsSSOFlow(t *testing.T) {
 		"the SSO flow setup was never reached with the broken key")
 }
 
+func TestLogin_SetupKeyStillRunsWhenPeerNeedsLogin(t *testing.T) {
+	s, _, _, username, _ := setupServerWithProfile(t)
+	s.rootCtx = internal.CtxInitState(context.Background())
+
+	s.isLoginRequiredFn = func(context.Context) (bool, error) {
+		return true, nil
+	}
+
+	var keysTried []string
+	s.loginAttemptFn = func(_ context.Context, setupKey, _ string) (internal.StatusType, error) {
+		keysTried = append(keysTried, setupKey)
+		return "", nil
+	}
+
+	setupKey := "A2C8E32F-AEB2-4B45-8FD3-8A0C1B2D3E4F"
+	resp, err := s.Login(userCtx(), &proto.LoginRequest{Username: &username, SetupKey: setupKey})
+	require.NoError(t, err, "the probe's outcome leaked out as the login result")
+	require.NotNil(t, resp)
+	require.Equal(t, []string{setupKey}, keysTried, "the setup key never reached the login attempt")
+	require.Nil(t, s.oauthAuthFlow.flow, "a setup-key login started an SSO flow")
+
+	status, err := internal.CtxGetState(s.rootCtx).Status()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, internal.StatusIdle, status)
+}
+
 // breakProfilePrivateKey replaces the profile's private key with an unparseable
 // one, which makes any attempt to build a Management client fail on the spot.
 func breakProfilePrivateKey(t *testing.T, cfgPath string) {

client/server/server.go

@@ -140,6 +140,8 @@ type Server struct {
 	// it to drive the login outcomes that need a server on the other end;
 	// production leaves it nil, and every login goes through loginAttempt.
 	loginAttemptFn func(ctx context.Context, setupKey, jwtToken string) (internal.StatusType, error)
+
+	isLoginRequiredFn func(ctx context.Context) (bool, error)
 }
 
 type oauthAuthFlow struct {
@@ -384,6 +386,21 @@ func (s *Server) attemptLogin(ctx context.Context, setupKey, jwtToken string) (i
 	return s.loginAttempt(ctx, setupKey, jwtToken)
 }
 
+func (s *Server) isLoginRequired(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
+	if s.isLoginRequiredFn != nil {
+		return s.isLoginRequiredFn(ctx)
+	}
+
+	authClient, err := auth.NewAuth(ctx, s.config.PrivateKey, s.config.ManagementURL, s.config)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorf("failed to create auth client: %v", err)
+		return false, err
+	}
+	defer authClient.Close()
+
+	return authClient.IsLoginRequired(ctx)
+}
+
 // loginAttempt attempts to login using the provided information. It returns
 // StatusNeedsLogin when Management refused the peer's credentials and
 // StatusLoginFailed for every other failure, so callers can tell an
@@ -640,22 +657,22 @@ func (s *Server) Login(callerCtx context.Context, msg *proto.LoginRequest) (*pro
 	s.config = config
 	s.mutex.Unlock()
 
-	loginStatus, err := s.attemptLogin(ctx, "", "")
-	if err == nil {
-		state.Set(internal.StatusIdle)
-		return &proto.LoginResponse{}, nil
-	}
-
-	// Only an authentication refusal means the peer has to (re-)authenticate.
-	// Any other failure leaves the login undecided: Management unreachable, a
+	// A probe that errors leaves the login undecided: Management unreachable, a
 	// restart mid-request, an internal error. Those are returned for the caller
 	// to retry, because turning them into an SSO prompt asks the user to solve
 	// something that is not theirs to solve, and a browser login cannot succeed
-	// while Management is unreachable anyway.
-	if loginStatus != internal.StatusNeedsLogin {
-		state.Set(loginStatus)
+	// while Management is unreachable anyway. Only Management refusing the
+	// peer's key is a decision, and IsLoginRequired reports that as
+	// needsLogin=true rather than an error.
+	needsLogin, err := s.isLoginRequired(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		state.Set(internal.StatusLoginFailed)
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	if !needsLogin {
+		state.Set(internal.StatusIdle)
+		return &proto.LoginResponse{}, nil
+	}
 
 	if msg.SetupKey == "" {
 		hint := ""
@@ -1798,6 +1815,9 @@ func (s *Server) RequestExtendAuthSession(
 	if connectClient == nil {
 		return nil, gstatus.Errorf(codes.FailedPrecondition, "client is not running")
 	}
+	if connectClient.Engine() == nil {
+		return nil, gstatus.Errorf(codes.FailedPrecondition, "session can no longer be extended, log in again to reconnect")
+	}
 
 	hint := ""
 	if msg.Hint != nil {

client/status/status.go

@@ -46,7 +46,10 @@ func ParseDaemonStatus(s string) DaemonStatus {
 
 // ConvertOptions holds parameters for ConvertToStatusOutputOverview.
 type ConvertOptions struct {
-	Anonymize            bool
+	Anonymize bool
+	// AnonymizeLevel selects how much the anonymizer redacts. Only
+	// meaningful when Anonymize is set.
+	AnonymizeLevel       anonymize.Level
 	DaemonVersion        string
 	DaemonStatus         DaemonStatus
 	StatusFilter         string
@@ -217,6 +220,7 @@ func ConvertToStatusOutputOverview(pbFullStatus *proto.FullStatus, opts ConvertO
 
 	if opts.Anonymize {
 		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
+		anonymizer.SetLevel(opts.AnonymizeLevel)
 		anonymizeOverview(anonymizer, &overview)
 	}
 
@@ -976,6 +980,7 @@ func timeAgo(t time.Time) string {
 
 func anonymizePeerDetail(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, peer *PeerStateDetailOutput) {
 	peer.FQDN = a.AnonymizeDomain(peer.FQDN)
+	peer.PubKey = a.AnonymizeWGKey(peer.PubKey)
 	if localIP, port, err := net.SplitHostPort(peer.IceCandidateEndpoint.Local); err == nil {
 		peer.IceCandidateEndpoint.Local = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", a.AnonymizeIPString(localIP), port)
 	}
@@ -1007,6 +1012,7 @@ func anonymizeOverview(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, overview *OutputOverview) {
 	overview.SignalState.URL = a.AnonymizeURI(overview.SignalState.URL)
 	overview.SignalState.Error = a.AnonymizeString(overview.SignalState.Error)
 
+	overview.PubKey = a.AnonymizeWGKey(overview.PubKey)
 	overview.IP = a.AnonymizeIPString(overview.IP)
 	overview.IPv6 = a.AnonymizeIPString(overview.IPv6)
 	for i, detail := range overview.Relays.Details {

client/ui/frontend/src/contexts/DebugBundleContext.tsx

@@ -71,10 +71,12 @@ type BundleOptions = {
     hasWindow: boolean;
     totalSec: number;
     uploadUrl: string;
-    anonymize: boolean;
+    anonymizeLevel: AnonymizeLevel;
     systemInfo: boolean;
 };
 
+export type AnonymizeLevel = "none" | "default" | "strict";
+
 const startCaptureBestEffort = async (totalSec: number, pcap: CaptureState) => {
     try {
         // Mirror the CLI's safety margin: window + 30s, server caps at 10m.
@@ -187,7 +189,10 @@ const runBundleFlow = async (
 
     if (opts.uploadUrl) setStage({ kind: "uploading" });
     const result = await DebugSvc.Bundle({
-        anonymize: opts.anonymize,
+        anonymize: opts.anonymizeLevel !== "none",
+        // The daemon only knows "default" and "strict"; "none" is expressed
+        // through the anonymize flag being off.
+        anonymizeLevel: opts.anonymizeLevel === "strict" ? "strict" : "default",
         systemInfo: opts.systemInfo,
         uploadUrl: opts.uploadUrl,
         logFileCount,
@@ -198,7 +203,7 @@ const runBundleFlow = async (
 };
 
 const useDebugBundle = () => {
-    const [anonymize, setAnonymize] = useState(false);
+    const [anonymizeLevel, setAnonymizeLevel] = useState<AnonymizeLevel>("none");
     const [systemInfo, setSystemInfo] = useState(true);
     const [upload, setUpload] = useState(true);
     const [trace, setTrace] = useState(true);
@@ -240,7 +245,7 @@ const useDebugBundle = () => {
             hasWindow: capture && totalSec > 0,
             totalSec,
             uploadUrl: upload ? NETBIRD_UPLOAD_URL : "",
-            anonymize,
+            anonymizeLevel,
             systemInfo,
         };
 
@@ -272,8 +277,8 @@ const useDebugBundle = () => {
     };
 
     return {
-        anonymize,
-        setAnonymize,
+        anonymizeLevel,
+        setAnonymizeLevel,
         systemInfo,
         setSystemInfo,
         upload,

client/ui/frontend/src/hooks/useKeepConnectedOnQuit.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { Preferences } from "@bindings/services";
+
+export const useKeepConnectedOnQuit = () => {
+    const [keepConnected, setKeepConnected] = useState<boolean | null>(null);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        let cancelled = false;
+        Preferences.Get()
+            .then((prefs) => {
+                if (cancelled) return;
+                setKeepConnected(prefs?.keepConnectedOnQuit ?? false);
+            })
+            .catch((err: unknown) => {
+                if (cancelled) return;
+                console.warn("[useKeepConnectedOnQuit] load preferences failed", err);
+                setKeepConnected(false);
+            });
+        return () => {
+            cancelled = true;
+        };
+    }, []);
+
+    const setKeepConnectedOnQuit = useCallback(async (keep: boolean) => {
+        setKeepConnected(keep);
+        try {
+            await Preferences.SetKeepConnectedOnQuit(keep);
+        } catch (err: unknown) {
+            setKeepConnected(!keep);
+            console.error("[useKeepConnectedOnQuit] SetKeepConnectedOnQuit failed", err);
+        }
+    }, []);
+
+    return { keepConnected, setKeepConnectedOnQuit };
+};

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/session/SessionExpirationDialog.tsx

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { DialogHeading } from "@/components/dialog/DialogHeading";
 import { SquareIcon } from "@/components/SquareIcon";
 import { Connection, Profiles as ProfilesSvc, Session, WindowManager } from "@bindings/services";
 import { useAutoSizeWindow } from "@/hooks/useAutoSizeWindow";
-import { EVENT_BROWSER_LOGIN_CANCEL } from "@/lib/connection";
+import { EVENT_BROWSER_LOGIN_CANCEL, EVENT_TRIGGER_LOGIN } from "@/lib/connection";
 import { errorDialog, formatErrorMessage } from "@/lib/errors.ts";
 import { formatRemaining } from "@/lib/formatters";
 
@@ -131,6 +131,21 @@ export default function SessionExpirationDialog() {
         }
     }, [busy, t]);
 
+    const authenticate = useCallback(async () => {
+        if (busy) return;
+        setBusy(true);
+        try {
+            await Events.Emit(EVENT_TRIGGER_LOGIN);
+            await WindowManager.CloseSessionExpiration();
+        } catch (e) {
+            setBusy(false);
+            await errorDialog({
+                Title: t("connect.error.loginTitle"),
+                Message: formatErrorMessage(e),
+            });
+        }
+    }, [busy, t]);
+
     const logout = useCallback(async () => {
         if (busy) return;
         setBusy(true);
@@ -185,7 +200,7 @@ export default function SessionExpirationDialog() {
                     variant={"primary"}
                     size={"md"}
                     className={"w-full"}
-                    onClick={stay}
+                    onClick={expired ? authenticate : stay}
                     disabled={busy}
                 >
                     {expired ? t("sessionExpiration.authenticate") : t("sessionExpiration.stay")}

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/settings/SettingsGeneral.tsx

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { ManagementServerSwitch } from "@/components/ManagementServerSwitch.tsx"
 import { ManagementMode, useManagementUrl } from "@/hooks/useManagementUrl.ts";
 import { LanguagePicker } from "@/components/LanguagePicker.tsx";
 import { useRestrictions } from "@/contexts/RestrictionsContext.tsx";
+import { useKeepConnectedOnQuit } from "@/hooks/useKeepConnectedOnQuit.ts";
 
 export function SettingsGeneral() {
     const { t } = useTranslation();
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ export function SettingsGeneral() {
     const { mode, setMode, setUrl, displayUrl, showError, canSave, save, checking, unreachable } =
         useManagementUrl();
     const { mdm, features } = useRestrictions();
+    const { keepConnected, setKeepConnectedOnQuit } = useKeepConnectedOnQuit();
 
     const inputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
     const managementUrlId = useId();
@@ -57,6 +59,15 @@ export function SettingsGeneral() {
                         helpText={t("settings.general.autostart.help")}
                     />
                 )}
+                <FancyToggleSwitch
+                    value={keepConnected ?? false}
+                    onChange={(v) => {
+                        void setKeepConnectedOnQuit(v);
+                    }}
+                    loading={keepConnected === null}
+                    label={t("settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label")}
+                    helpText={t("settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help")}
+                />
             </SectionGroup>
 
             {!mdm.managementURL && !features.disableUpdateSettings && (

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/settings/SettingsTroubleshooting.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { useId, type ReactNode } from "react";
 import { Trans, useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
-import { CircleCheckBig, FolderOpen, Loader2 } from "lucide-react";
+import { ChevronDown, CircleCheckBig, FolderOpen, Info, Loader2 } from "lucide-react";
 import { Browser } from "@wailsio/runtime";
 import { Debug as DebugSvc } from "@bindings/services";
 import type { DebugBundleResult } from "@bindings/services/models.js";
@@ -8,13 +8,22 @@ import { Button } from "@/components/buttons/Button";
 import { DialogActions } from "@/components/dialog/DialogActions";
 import { DialogDescription } from "@/components/dialog/DialogDescription";
 import { DialogHeading } from "@/components/dialog/DialogHeading";
+import {
+    DropdownMenu,
+    DropdownMenuContent,
+    DropdownMenuRadioGroup,
+    DropdownMenuRadioItem,
+    DropdownMenuTrigger,
+} from "@/components/DropdownMenu";
 import FancyToggleSwitch from "@/components/switches/FancyToggleSwitch";
 import HelpText from "@/components/typography/HelpText.tsx";
 import { Input } from "@/components/inputs/Input";
 import { Label } from "@/components/typography/Label";
 import { SquareIcon } from "@/components/SquareIcon";
+import { Tooltip } from "@/components/Tooltip";
+import { cn } from "@/lib/cn";
 import { formatRemaining } from "@/lib/formatters";
-import type { DebugStage } from "@/contexts/DebugBundleContext";
+import type { AnonymizeLevel, DebugStage } from "@/contexts/DebugBundleContext";
 import { useDebugBundleContext } from "@/contexts/DebugBundleContext";
 import { SectionGroup, SettingsBottomBar } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsSection.tsx";
 
@@ -24,8 +33,8 @@ export function SettingsTroubleshooting() {
     const { t } = useTranslation();
     const durationId = useId();
     const {
-        anonymize,
-        setAnonymize,
+        anonymizeLevel,
+        setAnonymizeLevel,
         systemInfo,
         setSystemInfo,
         upload,
@@ -55,12 +64,71 @@ export function SettingsTroubleshooting() {
 
     return (
         <SectionGroup title={t("settings.troubleshooting.section.title")}>
-            <FancyToggleSwitch
-                value={anonymize}
-                onChange={setAnonymize}
-                label={t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label")}
-                helpText={t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.help")}
-            />
+            <div className={"flex items-center justify-between gap-6"}>
+                <div className={"max-w-md flex-1"}>
+                    <Label as={"div"}>
+                        <span className={"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5"}>
+                            {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label")}
+                            <Tooltip
+                                content={
+                                    <div className={"max-w-xs whitespace-normal leading-relaxed"}>
+                                        {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.info")}
+                                    </div>
+                                }
+                            >
+                                <Info
+                                    size={14}
+                                    aria-label={t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label")}
+                                    className={"shrink-0 cursor-default text-nb-gray-400"}
+                                />
+                            </Tooltip>
+                        </span>
+                    </Label>
+                    <HelpText margin={false}>
+                        {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.help")}
+                    </HelpText>
+                </div>
+                <div className={"shrink-0"}>
+                    <DropdownMenu>
+                        <DropdownMenuTrigger asChild>
+                            <button
+                                type={"button"}
+                                aria-label={t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label")}
+                                className={cn(
+                                    "inline-flex h-[40px] min-w-[160px] items-center justify-between gap-2 px-3",
+                                    "rounded-md border bg-white dark:bg-nb-gray-900",
+                                    "border-neutral-200 dark:border-nb-gray-700",
+                                    "cursor-default text-xs font-semibold text-nb-gray-100 outline-none",
+                                    "hover:border-nb-gray-600 data-[state=open]:border-nb-gray-600",
+                                )}
+                            >
+                                {t(`settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.${anonymizeLevel}`)}
+                                <ChevronDown
+                                    size={16}
+                                    aria-hidden={"true"}
+                                    className={"shrink-0 text-nb-gray-200"}
+                                />
+                            </button>
+                        </DropdownMenuTrigger>
+                        <DropdownMenuContent align={"end"} className={"min-w-[160px]"}>
+                            <DropdownMenuRadioGroup
+                                value={anonymizeLevel}
+                                onValueChange={(v) => setAnonymizeLevel(v as AnonymizeLevel)}
+                            >
+                                <DropdownMenuRadioItem value={"none"}>
+                                    {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.none")}
+                                </DropdownMenuRadioItem>
+                                <DropdownMenuRadioItem value={"default"}>
+                                    {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.default")}
+                                </DropdownMenuRadioItem>
+                                <DropdownMenuRadioItem value={"strict"}>
+                                    {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.strict")}
+                                </DropdownMenuRadioItem>
+                            </DropdownMenuRadioGroup>
+                        </DropdownMenuContent>
+                    </DropdownMenu>
+                </div>
+            </div>
             <FancyToggleSwitch
                 value={systemInfo}
                 onChange={setSystemInfo}

client/ui/i18n/locales/de/common.json

@@ -551,6 +551,14 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Ändern des Autostarts fehlgeschlagen"
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "Nach dem Beenden verbunden bleiben",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "Die Verbindung bleibt im Hintergrund bestehen, nachdem Sie NetBird schließen. Sie endet erst, wenn Sie sie selbst trennen.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Anzeigesprache"
     },

client/ui/i18n/locales/en/common.json

@@ -735,6 +735,14 @@
         "message": "Autostart Change Failed",
         "description": "Error-dialog title when changing the autostart setting fails."
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "Stay Connected After Quitting",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "The connection stays up in the background after you close NetBird. It only stops when you disconnect it yourself.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Display Language",
         "description": "Label for the display-language picker."
@@ -1005,11 +1013,27 @@
     },
     "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label": {
         "message": "Anonymize Sensitive Information",
-        "description": "Toggle label: anonymize sensitive information in the bundle."
+        "description": "Label for the anonymization level dropdown (None, Default, Strict)."
     },
     "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.help": {
-        "message": "Hides public IP addresses and non-NetBird domains from logs.",
-        "description": "Helper text for anonymizing logs (hides public IPs and non-NetBird domains)."
+        "message": "Hides IP addresses, domains, and other sensitive values.",
+        "description": "Helper text under the anonymization dropdown. The level details live in the info tooltip."
+    },
+    "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.info": {
+        "message": "Default keeps internal IPv4 addresses and peer names readable for support. Strict additionally anonymizes private (RFC 1918), CGNAT, and link-local IP addresses, peer names, and WireGuard public keys. Recurring values map to the same placeholder, so peers stay distinguishable. Use Strict when sharing the bundle outside your organization.",
+        "description": "Info tooltip explaining the anonymization levels. 'RFC 1918', 'CGNAT', 'link-local', and 'WireGuard' are technical terms — keep them."
+    },
+    "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.none": {
+        "message": "None",
+        "description": "Dropdown option: no anonymization."
+    },
+    "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.default": {
+        "message": "Default",
+        "description": "Dropdown option: default anonymization level."
+    },
+    "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.strict": {
+        "message": "Strict",
+        "description": "Dropdown option: strict anonymization level."
     },
     "settings.troubleshooting.systemInfo.label": {
         "message": "Include System Information",

client/ui/i18n/locales/es/common.json

@@ -551,6 +551,14 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Error al cambiar el inicio automático"
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "Permanecer conectado al salir",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "La conexión sigue activa en segundo plano después de cerrar NetBird. Solo se detiene cuando la desconectas tú.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Idioma de la interfaz"
     },

client/ui/i18n/locales/fr/common.json

@@ -551,6 +551,14 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Échec de la modification du démarrage automatique"
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "Rester connecté après la fermeture",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "La connexion reste active en arrière-plan après la fermeture de NetBird. Elle ne s'arrête que si vous la coupez vous-même.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Langue d’affichage"
     },

client/ui/i18n/locales/hu/common.json

@@ -551,6 +551,14 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Az automatikus indítás módosítása sikertelen"
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "Kapcsolat megtartása kilépéskor",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "A kapcsolat a háttérben megmarad, miután bezárod a NetBirdöt. Csak akkor szakad meg, ha te magad bontod.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Megjelenítési nyelv"
     },

client/ui/i18n/locales/it/common.json

@@ -551,6 +551,14 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Modifica avvio automatico non riuscita"
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "Resta connesso dopo la chiusura",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "La connessione resta attiva in background dopo la chiusura di NetBird. Si interrompe solo quando la disconnetti tu.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Lingua dell'interfaccia"
     },

client/ui/i18n/locales/ja/common.json

@@ -551,6 +551,14 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "自動起動の変更に失敗しました"
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "終了後も接続を維持",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "NetBird を閉じたあとも接続はバックグラウンドで維持されます。自分で切断したときにだけ停止します。",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "表示言語"
     },

client/ui/i18n/locales/pt/common.json

@@ -551,6 +551,14 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Falha ao alterar o início automático"
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "Permanecer conectado ao sair",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "A conexão continua ativa em segundo plano depois de fechar o NetBird. Ela só para quando você mesmo a desconecta.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Idioma de exibição"
     },

client/ui/i18n/locales/ru/common.json

@@ -551,6 +551,14 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Не удалось изменить автозапуск"
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "Оставаться подключённым после выхода",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "Соединение остаётся активным в фоне после закрытия NetBird. Оно прервётся, только когда вы отключите его сами.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Язык интерфейса"
     },

client/ui/i18n/locales/zh-CN/common.json

@@ -551,6 +551,14 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "更改自启动设置失败"
     },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
+        "message": "退出后保持连接",
+        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
+    },
+    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
+        "message": "关闭 NetBird 后，连接会在后台保持。只有你自己断开时才会停止。",
+        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
+    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "显示语言"
     },

client/ui/main.go

@@ -180,6 +180,7 @@ func main() {
 		WindowManager:   windowManager,
 		Session:         authSession,
 		Localizer:       localizer,
+		Preferences:     prefStore,
 	})
 	listenForShowSignal(context.Background(), tray)
 

client/ui/preferences/store.go

@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ type UIPreferences struct {
 	// decision has run for this OS user. It only ever transitions to true
 	// and is never reset, so the default-on flow runs at most once, ever.
 	AutostartInitialized bool `json:"autostartInitialized"`
+	// KeepConnectedOnQuit leaves the daemon connected when the GUI quits.
+	// Its false zero value preserves the historical disconnect-on-quit
+	// behaviour for preference files written before the field existed.
+	KeepConnectedOnQuit bool `json:"keepConnectedOnQuit"`
 }
 
 // LanguageValidator rejects SetLanguage inputs with no shipped bundle.
@@ -183,6 +187,26 @@ func (s *Store) SetAutostartInitialized(done bool) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// SetKeepConnectedOnQuit persists the disconnect-on-quit opt-out. No-op if unchanged.
+func (s *Store) SetKeepConnectedOnQuit(keep bool) error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	if s.current.KeepConnectedOnQuit == keep {
+		s.mu.Unlock()
+		return nil
+	}
+	next := s.current
+	next.KeepConnectedOnQuit = keep
+	if err := s.persistLocked(next); err != nil {
+		s.mu.Unlock()
+		return fmt.Errorf("persist preferences: %w", err)
+	}
+	s.current = next
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+
+	s.broadcast(next)
+	return nil
+}
+
 // SetLanguage validates, persists, and broadcasts. No-op if unchanged.
 func (s *Store) SetLanguage(lang i18n.LanguageCode) error {
 	if lang == "" {

client/ui/preferences/store_test.go

@@ -238,6 +238,42 @@ func TestStore_SetAutostartInitializedPersistsAcrossReload(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.True(t, reloaded.Get().AutostartInitialized, "marker must survive a reload from disk")
 }
 
+func TestStore_SetKeepConnectedOnQuitPersistsAcrossReload(t *testing.T) {
+	withTempConfigDir(t)
+	emitter := &recordingEmitter{}
+	s, err := NewStore(nil, emitter)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.False(t, s.Get().KeepConnectedOnQuit, "quitting must disconnect by default")
+
+	require.NoError(t, s.SetKeepConnectedOnQuit(true))
+	assert.True(t, s.Get().KeepConnectedOnQuit, "Get should reflect the persisted opt-out")
+	require.Len(t, emitter.calledWith(EventPreferencesChanged), 1, "first write should broadcast")
+
+	require.NoError(t, s.SetKeepConnectedOnQuit(true))
+	assert.Len(t, emitter.calledWith(EventPreferencesChanged), 1, "idempotent write should not broadcast again")
+
+	reloaded, err := NewStore(nil, nil)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, reloaded.Get().KeepConnectedOnQuit, "opt-out must survive a reload from disk")
+}
+
+func TestStore_KeepConnectedOnQuitDefaultsFalseForPreExistingFile(t *testing.T) {
+	withTempConfigDir(t)
+
+	// A preferences file written before the field existed must keep the
+	// historical disconnect-on-quit behaviour rather than silently opting out.
+	path, err := preferencesPath()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0o755))
+	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(path, []byte(`{"language":"en","viewMode":"default"}`), 0o600))
+
+	s, err := NewStore(nil, nil)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, s.Get().KeepConnectedOnQuit, "a file predating the field must not opt out of disconnect-on-quit")
+	assert.True(t, s.ExistedAtLoad(), "the pre-existing file must be seen on disk")
+}
+
 func TestStore_ExistedAtLoad(t *testing.T) {
 	withTempConfigDir(t)
 

client/ui/services/cursor_linux.go

@@ -49,5 +49,11 @@ func getCursorPosition(app *application.App) (application.Point, bool) {
 	if app == nil || app.Screen == nil {
 		return p, true
 	}
+	// The wails GTK3 backend caches screens from the active window; a tray app
+	// has none at startup, so the cache is empty and PhysicalToDipPoint would
+	// dereference a nil nearest screen. Raw pixels are correct there anyway.
+	if app.Screen.ScreenNearestPhysicalPoint(p) == nil {
+		return p, true
+	}
 	return app.Screen.PhysicalToDipPoint(p), true
 }

client/ui/services/debug.go

@@ -15,10 +15,13 @@ import (
 )
 
 type DebugBundleParams struct {
-	Anonymize    bool   `json:"anonymize"`
-	SystemInfo   bool   `json:"systemInfo"`
-	UploadURL    string `json:"uploadUrl"`
-	LogFileCount uint32 `json:"logFileCount"`
+	Anonymize bool `json:"anonymize"`
+	// AnonymizeLevel is "default" or "strict"; strict also anonymizes
+	// private IP ranges, peer names, and WireGuard public keys.
+	AnonymizeLevel string `json:"anonymizeLevel"`
+	SystemInfo     bool   `json:"systemInfo"`
+	UploadURL      string `json:"uploadUrl"`
+	LogFileCount   uint32 `json:"logFileCount"`
 }
 
 // DebugBundleResult: Path is set for local-only bundles, UploadedKey on upload
@@ -48,11 +51,12 @@ func (s *Debug) Bundle(ctx context.Context, p DebugBundleParams) (DebugBundleRes
 		return DebugBundleResult{}, err
 	}
 	resp, err := cli.DebugBundle(ctx, &proto.DebugBundleRequest{
-		Anonymize:    p.Anonymize,
-		SystemInfo:   p.SystemInfo,
-		UploadURL:    p.UploadURL,
-		LogFileCount: p.LogFileCount,
-		CliVersion:   version.NetbirdVersion(),
+		Anonymize:      p.Anonymize,
+		AnonymizeLevel: p.AnonymizeLevel,
+		SystemInfo:     p.SystemInfo,
+		UploadURL:      p.UploadURL,
+		LogFileCount:   p.LogFileCount,
+		CliVersion:     version.NetbirdVersion(),
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return DebugBundleResult{}, err

client/ui/services/preferences.go

@@ -34,3 +34,7 @@ func (s *Preferences) SetViewMode(_ context.Context, mode preferences.ViewMode)
 func (s *Preferences) SetOnboardingCompleted(_ context.Context, done bool) error {
 	return s.store.SetOnboardingCompleted(done)
 }
+
+func (s *Preferences) SetKeepConnectedOnQuit(_ context.Context, keep bool) error {
+	return s.store.SetKeepConnectedOnQuit(keep)
+}

client/ui/tray.go

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ui/authsession"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ui/i18n"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ui/preferences"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ui/services"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/version"
 )
@@ -50,8 +51,9 @@ type TrayServices struct {
 	WindowManager   *services.WindowManager
 	// Session is bound to authsession directly because the services wrapper
 	// only re-exposes the React subset.
-	Session   *authsession.Session
-	Localizer *Localizer
+	Session     *authsession.Session
+	Localizer   *Localizer
+	Preferences *preferences.Store
 }
 
 type Tray struct {
@@ -461,10 +463,12 @@ func (t *Tray) handleQuit() {
 	t.profileMu.Unlock()
 	t.svc.DaemonFeed.CancelProfileSwitch()
 
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), quitDownTimeout)
-	defer cancel()
-	if err := t.svc.Connection.Down(ctx); err != nil {
-		log.Errorf("disconnect on quit: %v", err)
+	if t.svc.Preferences == nil || !t.svc.Preferences.Get().KeepConnectedOnQuit {
+		ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), quitDownTimeout)
+		defer cancel()
+		if err := t.svc.Connection.Down(ctx); err != nil {
+			log.Errorf("disconnect on quit: %v", err)
+		}
 	}
 	t.app.Quit()
 }

client/ui/tray_click_linux.go

@@ -4,17 +4,26 @@ package main
 
 // bindTrayClick wires the tray icon's left-click handler on Linux.
 //
-// Both Linux click paths converge on Wails' linuxSystemTray.Activate, which
-// fires the registered clickHandler:
-//   - Real SNI hosts (KDE Plasma, Waybar, GNOME Shell + AppIndicator) invoke
-//     org.kde.StatusNotifierItem.Activate over D-Bus on left-click.
-//   - The in-process StatusNotifierWatcher + XEmbed host used on minimal WMs
-//     (Fluxbox, i3, dwm, OpenBox) maps a Button1 press to that same Activate
-//     call itself (xembed_host_linux.go), so it routes through the same hook.
-// Registering OnClick here therefore covers both paths with one handler — no
-// changes to the watcher or XEmbed C code are needed. Left-click now opens the
-// main window; right-click still opens the menu via Wails' default
-// SecondaryActivate→OpenMenu handler (and the XEmbed GTK popup on minimal WMs).
+// Expected behaviour per tray host:
+//
+//	Host                           Left click              Right click
+//	KDE Plasma, Waybar             main window (Activate)  menu (host-rendered)
+//	GNOME Shell + AppIndicator     menu only               menu only
+//	Minimal WMs via XEmbed host    main window (Activate)  XEmbed GTK popup
+//
+// OnClick fires only on org.kde.StatusNotifierItem.Activate — a real left
+// click. KDE/Waybar send it over D-Bus; the in-process XEmbed host
+// (xembed_host_linux.go) maps a Button1 press to the same Activate call.
+//
+// GNOME Shell + AppIndicator never sends Activate: it renders the dbusmenu
+// on ANY click and only reports the menu opening via dbusmenu
+// Event("opened"). Upstream Wails treated that event as a click, so on GNOME
+// both buttons raised the main window on top of the menu, and on KDE/Waybar
+// a right click raised it over the freshly opened menu. The netbirdio/wails
+// fork (go.mod replace) drops that heuristic: a menu open never fires
+// OnClick. On GNOME the main window is reached via the "Open NetBird" menu
+// entry; left-click-opens-window is not achievable there anyway, since the
+// host always opens the menu itself.
 //
 // We do NOT register OnDoubleClick: Wails' Linux SNI backend never fires it
 // (unlike Windows). And we deliberately skip AttachWindow — it plus Wails3's

client/ui/tray_session.go

@@ -27,11 +27,10 @@ const (
 	finalWarningCountdownSeconds = 120
 )
 
-// handleSessionExpired notifies and brings the window forward so the frontend's /login route drives renewal.
+// handleSessionExpired notifies and brings the window forward so the user can reconnect.
 func (t *Tray) handleSessionExpired() {
 	t.notify(t.loc.T("notify.sessionExpired.title"), t.loc.T("notify.sessionExpired.body"), notifyIDSessionExpired)
 	if t.window != nil {
-		t.window.SetURL("/#/login")
 		t.window.Show()
 		t.window.Focus()
 	}
@@ -308,11 +307,7 @@ func (t *Tray) openSessionExtendFlow() {
 	}
 	seconds := int(time.Until(deadline).Seconds())
 	if seconds <= 0 {
-		if t.window != nil {
-			t.window.SetURL("/#/login")
-			t.window.Show()
-			t.window.Focus()
-		}
+		t.app.Event.Emit(services.EventTriggerLogin)
 		return
 	}
 	if t.svc.WindowManager == nil {

client/ui/xembed_host_gtk3_linux.go

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+//go:build linux && gtk3 && !(linux && 386)
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+
+	"github.com/godbus/dbus/v5"
+)
+
+// The legacy GTK3 / WebKit2GTK 4.1 build (-tags gtk3) drops the in-process
+// XEmbed StatusNotifierWatcher entirely. The real implementation
+// (xembed_host_linux.go + xembed_tray_linux.c) links GTK4 and uses GTK4-only
+// popup-menu APIs that have no drop-in GTK3 equivalent, so rather than port the
+// C layer we stub the host out on gtk3 builds. The tray still works on every
+// desktop that ships its own StatusNotifierWatcher (KDE, GNOME+AppIndicator,
+// Cinnamon/xapp, XFCE, …); only the minimal-WM fallback (Fluxbox/OpenBox/i3/
+// dwm/vanilla GNOME) is unavailable on gtk3 packages. See LINUX-TRAY.md.
+
+// xembedHost is a placeholder so the package compiles on gtk3 builds; the real
+// type (with X11/GTK4 state) lives in xembed_host_linux.go. It is never
+// instantiated here because xembedTrayAvailable always reports false.
+type xembedHost struct{}
+
+// run satisfies the call in tray_watcher_linux.go; unreachable on gtk3 because
+// newXembedHost never returns a non-nil host.
+func (*xembedHost) run() {}
+
+// xembedTrayAvailable always reports false on gtk3 builds, so the watcher probe
+// loop in startStatusNotifierWatcher exits immediately and newXembedHost is
+// never reached. recenter_linux.go's predicate becomes a harmless no-op too.
+func xembedTrayAvailable() bool {
+	return false
+}
+
+// newXembedHost exists only to satisfy the reference in tray_watcher_linux.go;
+// it is unreachable because xembedTrayAvailable returns false on gtk3.
+func newXembedHost(conn *dbus.Conn, busName string, objPath dbus.ObjectPath) (*xembedHost, error) {
+	return nil, errors.New("xembed host unsupported on gtk3 build")
+}

client/ui/xembed_host_linux.go

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-//go:build linux && !(linux && 386)
+//go:build linux && !gtk3 && !(linux && 386)
 
 package main
 

client/ui/xembed_tray_linux.c

@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+//go:build linux && !gtk3 && !(linux && 386)
+
 #include "xembed_tray_linux.h"
 
 #include <X11/Xatom.h>

go.mod

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ require (
 	golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard v0.0.0-20231211153847-12269c276173
 	golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/wgctrl v0.0.0-20241231184526-a9ab2273dd10
 	golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/windows v0.5.3
-	google.golang.org/grpc v1.81.1
+	google.golang.org/grpc v1.80.0
 	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.11
 )
 
@@ -117,11 +117,11 @@ require (
 	github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3 v3.0.0-beta.3
 	github.com/yusufpapurcu/wmi v1.2.4
 	github.com/zcalusic/sysinfo v1.1.3
-	go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/google.golang.org/grpc/otelgrpc v0.69.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.44.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.66.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.44.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.44.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/google.golang.org/grpc/otelgrpc v0.67.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.43.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.64.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.43.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.43.0
 	go.uber.org/mock v0.6.0
 	go.uber.org/zap v1.27.0
 	goauthentik.io/api/v3 v3.2023051.3
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ require (
 	golang.org/x/term v0.45.0
 	golang.org/x/time v0.15.0
 	google.golang.org/api v0.276.0
-	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20260526163538-3dc84a4a5aaa
+	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20260401024825-9d38bb4040a9
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1
 	gorm.io/driver/mysql v1.5.7
 	gorm.io/driver/postgres v1.5.7
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/prometheus/client_model v0.6.2 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/common v0.67.5 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/otlptranslator v1.0.0 // indirect
-	github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.20.1 // indirect
+	github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.19.2 // indirect
 	github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig v1.6.0 // indirect
 	github.com/ryanuber/go-glob v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/shopspring/decimal v1.4.0 // indirect
@@ -310,10 +310,10 @@ require (
 	go.mongodb.org/mongo-driver v1.17.9 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/auto/sdk v1.2.1 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/net/http/otelhttp v0.67.0 // indirect
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.44.0 // indirect
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.44.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.43.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.43.0 // indirect
 	go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 // indirect
-	go.yaml.in/yaml/v2 v2.4.4 // indirect
+	go.yaml.in/yaml/v2 v2.4.3 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/text v0.40.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/tools v0.47.0 // indirect
 	golang.zx2c4.com/wintun v0.0.0-20230126152724-0fa3db229ce2 // indirect
@@ -339,3 +339,5 @@ replace github.com/dexidp/dex => github.com/netbirdio/dex v0.244.1-0.20260716205
 replace github.com/dexidp/dex/api/v2 => github.com/netbirdio/dex/api/v2 v2.0.0-20260512110716-8d70ad8647c1
 
 replace github.com/mailru/easyjson => github.com/netbirdio/easyjson v0.9.0
+
+replace github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3 => github.com/netbirdio/wails/v3 v3.0.0-beta.3.0.20260807055527-fc03f984d701

go.sum

@@ -490,6 +490,8 @@ github.com/netbirdio/service v0.0.0-20240911161631-f62744f42502 h1:3tHlFmhTdX9ax
 github.com/netbirdio/service v0.0.0-20240911161631-f62744f42502/go.mod h1:CIMRFEJVL+0DS1a3Nx06NaMn4Dz63Ng6O7dl0qH0zVM=
 github.com/netbirdio/signal-dispatcher/dispatcher v0.0.0-20250805121659-6b4ac470ca45 h1:ujgviVYmx243Ksy7NdSwrdGPSRNE3pb8kEDSpH0QuAQ=
 github.com/netbirdio/signal-dispatcher/dispatcher v0.0.0-20250805121659-6b4ac470ca45/go.mod h1:5/sjFmLb8O96B5737VCqhHyGRzNFIaN/Bu7ZodXc3qQ=
+github.com/netbirdio/wails/v3 v3.0.0-beta.3.0.20260807055527-fc03f984d701 h1:QL9nupfRom0L9jcY7N9l/Bc6QK2PtC6pHzC+ftpTqpw=
+github.com/netbirdio/wails/v3 v3.0.0-beta.3.0.20260807055527-fc03f984d701/go.mod h1:BzATbK71VFikMMMCo434wAi0QcaI03P+xeaWgDvQvjw=
 github.com/netbirdio/wireguard-go v0.0.0-20260628102922-2834bebf6c1a h1:3CWK+yTvRKOcC0Q8VCTGy4l60TEb27CQVS7LkMxwjmw=
 github.com/netbirdio/wireguard-go v0.0.0-20260628102922-2834bebf6c1a/go.mod h1:rpwXGsirqLqN2L0JDJQlwOboGHmptD5ZD6T2VmcqhTw=
 github.com/nxadm/tail v1.4.4/go.mod h1:kenIhsEOeOJmVchQTgglprH7qJGnHDVpk1VPCcaMI8A=
@@ -578,8 +580,8 @@ github.com/prometheus/common v0.67.5 h1:pIgK94WWlQt1WLwAC5j2ynLaBRDiinoAb86HZHTU
 github.com/prometheus/common v0.67.5/go.mod h1:SjE/0MzDEEAyrdr5Gqc6G+sXI67maCxzaT3A2+HqjUw=
 github.com/prometheus/otlptranslator v1.0.0 h1:s0LJW/iN9dkIH+EnhiD3BlkkP5QVIUVEoIwkU+A6qos=
 github.com/prometheus/otlptranslator v1.0.0/go.mod h1:vRYWnXvI6aWGpsdY/mOT/cbeVRBlPWtBNDb7kGR3uKM=
-github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.20.1 h1:XwbrGOIplXW/AU3YhIhLODXMJYyC1isLFfYCsTEycfc=
-github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.20.1/go.mod h1:o9EMBZGRyvDrSPH1RqdxhojkuXstoe4UlK79eF5TGGo=
+github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.19.2 h1:zUMhqEW66Ex7OXIiDkll3tl9a1ZdilUOd/F6ZXw4Vws=
+github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.19.2/go.mod h1:M0aotyiemPhBCM0z5w87kL22CxfcH05ZpYlu+b4J7mw=
 github.com/quic-go/quic-go v0.55.0 h1:zccPQIqYCXDt5NmcEabyYvOnomjs8Tlwl7tISjJh9Mk=
 github.com/quic-go/quic-go v0.55.0/go.mod h1:DR51ilwU1uE164KuWXhinFcKWGlEjzys2l8zUl5Ss1U=
 github.com/redis/go-redis/v9 v9.7.3 h1:YpPyAayJV+XErNsatSElgRZZVCwXX9QzkKYNvO7x0wM=
@@ -660,8 +662,6 @@ github.com/vmihailenco/msgpack/v5 v5.4.1 h1:cQriyiUvjTwOHg8QZaPihLWeRAAVoCpE00IU
 github.com/vmihailenco/msgpack/v5 v5.4.1/go.mod h1:GaZTsDaehaPpQVyxrf5mtQlH+pc21PIudVV/E3rRQok=
 github.com/vmihailenco/tagparser/v2 v2.0.0 h1:y09buUbR+b5aycVFQs/g70pqKVZNBmxwAhO7/IwNM9g=
 github.com/vmihailenco/tagparser/v2 v2.0.0/go.mod h1:Wri+At7QHww0WTrCBeu4J6bNtoV6mEfg5OIWRZA9qds=
-github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3 v3.0.0-beta.3 h1:BrcZunEBVucncRx+xgkk9TzlXU4qc0ygJuEhKAAGaeA=
-github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3 v3.0.0-beta.3/go.mod h1:BzATbK71VFikMMMCo434wAi0QcaI03P+xeaWgDvQvjw=
 github.com/wlynxg/anet v0.0.5 h1:J3VJGi1gvo0JwZ/P1/Yc/8p63SoW98B5dHkYDmpgvvU=
 github.com/wlynxg/anet v0.0.5/go.mod h1:eay5PRQr7fIVAMbTbchTnO9gG65Hg/uYGdc7mguHxoA=
 github.com/x448/float16 v0.8.4 h1:qLwI1I70+NjRFUR3zs1JPUCgaCXSh3SW62uAKT1mSBM=
@@ -684,28 +684,26 @@ go.mongodb.org/mongo-driver v1.17.9 h1:IexDdCuuNJ3BHrELgBlyaH9p60JXAvdzWR128q+U5
 go.mongodb.org/mongo-driver v1.17.9/go.mod h1:LlOhpH5NUEfhxcAwG0UEkMqwYcc4JU18gtCdGudk/tQ=
 go.opentelemetry.io/auto/sdk v1.2.1 h1:jXsnJ4Lmnqd11kwkBV2LgLoFMZKizbCi5fNZ/ipaZ64=
 go.opentelemetry.io/auto/sdk v1.2.1/go.mod h1:KRTj+aOaElaLi+wW1kO/DZRXwkF4C5xPbEe3ZiIhN7Y=
-go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/google.golang.org/grpc/otelgrpc v0.69.0 h1:2yEATaop1/a1I4psnSLgWVPLWwCzkqWakgJy7xTDVy0=
-go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/google.golang.org/grpc/otelgrpc v0.69.0/go.mod h1:D7J12YRapIekYyPWgGPlA/23pRmpSEZC5xJC/TTLI9U=
+go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/google.golang.org/grpc/otelgrpc v0.67.0 h1:yI1/OhfEPy7J9eoa6Sj051C7n5dvpj0QX8g4sRchg04=
+go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/google.golang.org/grpc/otelgrpc v0.67.0/go.mod h1:NoUCKYWK+3ecatC4HjkRktREheMeEtrXoQxrqYFeHSc=
 go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/net/http/otelhttp v0.67.0 h1:OyrsyzuttWTSur2qN/Lm0m2a8yqyIjUVBZcxFPuXq2o=
 go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/net/http/otelhttp v0.67.0/go.mod h1:C2NGBr+kAB4bk3xtMXfZ94gqFDtg/GkI7e9zqGh5Beg=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.44.0 h1:JjwHmHpA4iZ3wBxluu2fbbE7j4kqlE8jXyAyPXH7HqU=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.44.0/go.mod h1:BMgjTHL9WPRlRjL2oZCBTL4whCGtXch2H4BhOPIAyYc=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.43.0 h1:mYIM03dnh5zfN7HautFE4ieIig9amkNANT+xcVxAj9I=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.43.0/go.mod h1:JuG+u74mvjvcm8vj8pI5XiHy1zDeoCS2LB1spIq7Ay0=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace v1.19.0 h1:Mne5On7VWdx7omSrSSZvM4Kw7cS7NQkOOmLcgscI51U=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace v1.19.0/go.mod h1:IPtUMKL4O3tH5y+iXVyAXqpAwMuzC1IrxVS81rummfE=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracehttp v1.19.0 h1:IeMeyr1aBvBiPVYihXIaeIZba6b8E1bYp7lbdxK8CQg=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracehttp v1.19.0/go.mod h1:oVdCUtjq9MK9BlS7TtucsQwUcXcymNiEDjgDD2jMtZU=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.66.0 h1:vkrK8PAznv2NKt2r+kdu252ccGzkEqLc2aSXbQIALYQ=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.66.0/go.mod h1:V/UB6D3vMF/UBOL5igAsAYnk1nG/bzYYTzvsB16cy7o=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.44.0 h1:1w0gILTcHdr3YI+ixLyjemwrVnsMURbTZFrSYCdDdmc=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.44.0/go.mod h1:8O7hanEPBNgEMmybD3s2VBKcgWOCsA6tzHBPODAiquo=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric/x v0.66.0 h1:YkCrx1zLOChi9ZcZ6euupOcsgzbVlec7D/xoEU1+cTA=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric/x v0.66.0/go.mod h1:d1+BDj9t96do0/1LoU1ayfCv79ZgNE41qbhBvnMOBZk=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.44.0 h1:nHYwb9lK+fJPU/dnT6s7W7Z8itMWyqrnVfbheVYrZ58=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.44.0/go.mod h1:Osuydd3Se74nqjAKxid74N5eC+jfEqfTegHRnq58oK0=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.44.0 h1:3LlKgI+VjbVsjNRFZJZAJ30WjXC5VkNRks6si09iEfI=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.44.0/go.mod h1:5B5pMARnXxKhltooO4xUuCBorl65a4EpnTalObqOigA=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.44.0 h1:jxF5CsGYCe74MCRx2X4g7WsY/VBKRqqpNvXlX/6gtIk=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.44.0/go.mod h1:oLl1jrMQAVo6v3GAggN+1VH9VIz9iUSvW53sW1Q8PIE=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.64.0 h1:g0LRDXMX/G1SEZtK8zl8Chm4K6GBwRkjPKE36LxiTYs=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.64.0/go.mod h1:UrgcjnarfdlBDP3GjDIJWe6HTprwSazNjwsI+Ru6hro=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.43.0 h1:d7638QeInOnuwOONPp4JAOGfbCEpYb+K6DVWvdxGzgM=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.43.0/go.mod h1:RDnPtIxvqlgO8GRW18W6Z/4P462ldprJtfxHxyKd2PY=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.43.0 h1:pi5mE86i5rTeLXqoF/hhiBtUNcrAGHLKQdhg4h4V9Dg=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.43.0/go.mod h1:P+IkVU3iWukmiit/Yf9AWvpyRDlUeBaRg6Y+C58QHzg=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.43.0 h1:S88dyqXjJkuBNLeMcVPRFXpRw2fuwdvfCGLEo89fDkw=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.43.0/go.mod h1:C/RJtwSEJ5hzTiUz5pXF1kILHStzb9zFlIEe85bhj6A=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.43.0 h1:BkNrHpup+4k4w+ZZ86CZoHHEkohws8AY+WTX09nk+3A=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.43.0/go.mod h1:/QJhyVBUUswCphDVxq+8mld+AvhXZLhe+8WVFxiFff0=
 go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.0.0 h1:T0TX0tmXU8a3CbNXzEKGeU5mIVOdf0oykP+u2lIVU/I=
 go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.0.0/go.mod h1:Sy6pihPLfYHkr3NkUbEhGHFhINUSI/v80hjKIs5JXpM=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.3.0 h1:2K3zAYmnTNqV73imy9J1T3WC+gmCePx2hEGkimedGto=
@@ -716,8 +714,8 @@ go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 h1:blXXJkSxSSfBVBlC76pxqeO+LN3aDfLQo+309xJstO0=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0/go.mod h1:20+QtiLqy0Nd6FdQB9TLXag12DsQkrbs3htMFfDN80Y=
 go.uber.org/zap v1.27.0 h1:aJMhYGrd5QSmlpLMr2MftRKl7t8J8PTZPA732ud/XR8=
 go.uber.org/zap v1.27.0/go.mod h1:GB2qFLM7cTU87MWRP2mPIjqfIDnGu+VIO4V/SdhGo2E=
-go.yaml.in/yaml/v2 v2.4.4 h1:tuyd0P+2Ont/d6e2rl3be67goVK4R6deVxCUX5vyPaQ=
-go.yaml.in/yaml/v2 v2.4.4/go.mod h1:gMZqIpDtDqOfM0uNfy0SkpRhvUryYH0Z6wdMYcacYXQ=
+go.yaml.in/yaml/v2 v2.4.3 h1:6gvOSjQoTB3vt1l+CU+tSyi/HOjfOjRLJ4YwYZGwRO0=
+go.yaml.in/yaml/v2 v2.4.3/go.mod h1:zSxWcmIDjOzPXpjlTTbAsKokqkDNAVtZO0WOMiT90s8=
 go.yaml.in/yaml/v3 v3.0.4/go.mod h1:DhzuOOF2ATzADvBadXxruRBLzYTpT36CKvDb3+aBEFg=
 goauthentik.io/api/v3 v3.2023051.3 h1:NebAhD/TeTWNo/9X3/Uj+rM5fG1HaiLOlKTNLQv9Qq4=
 goauthentik.io/api/v3 v3.2023051.3/go.mod h1:nYECml4jGbp/541hj8GcylKQG1gVBsKppHy4+7G8u4U=
@@ -884,10 +882,10 @@ google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20260319201613-d00831a3d3e7 h1:XzmzkmB14QhVhgn
 google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20260319201613-d00831a3d3e7/go.mod h1:L43LFes82YgSonw6iTXTxXUX1OlULt4AQtkik4ULL/I=
 google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20260319201613-d00831a3d3e7 h1:41r6JMbpzBMen0R/4TZeeAmGXSJC7DftGINUodzTkPI=
 google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20260319201613-d00831a3d3e7/go.mod h1:EIQZ5bFCfRQDV4MhRle7+OgjNtZ6P1PiZBgAKuxXu/Y=
-google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20260526163538-3dc84a4a5aaa h1:mZHHdPZl0dbGHCflZgAq/Q468DWVFcU2whhB2KAo8fk=
-google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20260526163538-3dc84a4a5aaa/go.mod h1:4Hqkh8ycfw05ld/3BWL7rJOSfebL2Q+DVDeRgYgxUU8=
-google.golang.org/grpc v1.81.1 h1:VnnIIZ88UzOOKLukQi+ImGz8O1Wdp8nAGGnvOfEIWQQ=
-google.golang.org/grpc v1.81.1/go.mod h1:xGH9GfzOyMTGIOXBJmXt+BX/V0kcdQbdcuwQ/zNw42I=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20260401024825-9d38bb4040a9 h1:m8qni9SQFH0tJc1X0vmnpw/0t+AImlSvp30sEupozUg=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20260401024825-9d38bb4040a9/go.mod h1:4Hqkh8ycfw05ld/3BWL7rJOSfebL2Q+DVDeRgYgxUU8=
+google.golang.org/grpc v1.80.0 h1:Xr6m2WmWZLETvUNvIUmeD5OAagMw3FiKmMlTdViWsHM=
+google.golang.org/grpc v1.80.0/go.mod h1:ho/dLnxwi3EDJA4Zghp7k2Ec1+c2jqup0bFkw07bwF4=
 google.golang.org/protobuf v0.0.0-20200109180630-ec00e32a8dfd/go.mod h1:DFci5gLYBciE7Vtevhsrf46CRTquxDuWsQurQQe4oz8=
 google.golang.org/protobuf v0.0.0-20200221191635-4d8936d0db64/go.mod h1:kwYJMbMJ01Woi6D6+Kah6886xMZcty6N08ah7+eCXa0=
 google.golang.org/protobuf v0.0.0-20200228230310-ab0ca4ff8a60/go.mod h1:cfTl7dwQJ+fmap5saPgwCLgHXTUD7jkjRqWcaiX5VyM=

infrastructure_files/getting-started-enterprise.sh

@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ SED_STRIP_PADDING='s/=//g'
 
 NETBIRD_EULA_URL="https://netbird.io/self-hosted-EULA"
 
+# Static IP for Traefik inside the compose bridge network. The management
+# server trusts X-Forwarded-* headers from this address only.
+TRAEFIK_IP="172.30.0.10"
+
 check_docker_compose() {
   if command -v docker-compose &> /dev/null; then
     echo "docker-compose"
@@ -80,7 +84,7 @@ read_nb_domain() {
   if ! check_domain_resolves "$value"; then
     echo "" > /dev/stderr
     echo "Warning: '$value' does not resolve via DNS from this host." > /dev/stderr
-    echo "Caddy will not be able to issue TLS certificates until it does." > /dev/stderr
+    echo "Traefik will not be able to issue TLS certificates until it does." > /dev/stderr
     local confirm=""
     echo -n "Continue anyway? [y/N]: " > /dev/stderr
     read -r confirm < /dev/tty
@@ -92,6 +96,23 @@ read_nb_domain() {
   echo "$value"
 }
 
+read_letsencrypt_email() {
+  if [[ -n "${NETBIRD_LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL:-}" ]]; then
+    echo "$NETBIRD_LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL"
+    return
+  fi
+  local value=""
+  echo "Enter your email for Let's Encrypt certificate notifications." > /dev/stderr
+  echo -n "Email address: " > /dev/stderr
+  read -r value < /dev/tty
+  if [[ -z "$value" ]]; then
+    echo "Email is required for Let's Encrypt." > /dev/stderr
+    read_letsencrypt_email
+    return
+  fi
+  echo "$value"
+}
+
 read_required() {
   local prompt="$1"
   local value=""
@@ -204,11 +225,11 @@ init_environment() {
   check_openssl
   DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND=$(check_docker_compose)
 
-  if [[ -f .env ]] || [[ -f docker-compose.yml ]] || [[ -f config.yaml ]] || [[ -f Caddyfile ]]; then
+  if [[ -f .env ]] || [[ -f docker-compose.yml ]] || [[ -f config.yaml ]]; then
     echo "Generated files already exist in $(pwd)."
     echo "If you want to reinitialize the environment, please remove them first:"
     echo "  $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND down --volumes # removes all containers and volumes"
-    echo "  rm -f .env docker-compose.yml Caddyfile config.yaml"
+    echo "  rm -f .env docker-compose.yml config.yaml"
     echo "Be aware this will remove all data from the database."
     exit 1
   fi
@@ -230,6 +251,9 @@ init_environment() {
   echo ""
   NETBIRD_DOMAIN=$(read_nb_domain)
 
+  echo ""
+  NETBIRD_LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=$(read_letsencrypt_email)
+
   echo ""
 
   NETBIRD_LICENSE_KEY=$(read_secret "Enter license key (input hidden)")
@@ -238,6 +262,7 @@ init_environment() {
   POSTGRES_DB="netbird"
   POSTGRES_PASSWORD=$(rand_secret)
   NETBIRD_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(rand_b64_key)
+  NETBIRD_SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(rand_b64_key)
   NETBIRD_RELAY_AUTH_SECRET=$(rand_secret)
 
   POSTGRES_DSN="host=postgres user=${POSTGRES_USER} password=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD} dbname=${POSTGRES_DB} port=5432 sslmode=disable TimeZone=UTC"
@@ -247,6 +272,7 @@ init_environment() {
   echo "Selected:"
   echo "  Traffic flow: ${NETBIRD_TRAFFIC_FLOW}"
   echo "  Domain:       ${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}"
+  echo "  ACME email:   ${NETBIRD_LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL}"
   echo ""
   echo "Rendering files into $(pwd) ..."
   install -m 600 /dev/null .env
@@ -256,7 +282,6 @@ init_environment() {
   if [[ -z "${NETBIRD_LICENSE_SERVER_BASE_URL:-}" ]]; then
     sed -i.bak '/NETBIRD_LICENSE_SERVER_BASE_URL/d' docker-compose.yml && rm -f docker-compose.yml.bak
   fi
-  render_caddyfile > Caddyfile
   install -m 600 /dev/null config.yaml
   render_config_yaml >> config.yaml
 
@@ -283,7 +308,7 @@ init_environment() {
   echo "All configuration and secrets are stored (mode 600) in $(pwd)/.env"
   echo ""
   echo "Tail logs:"
-  echo "  cd $(pwd) && $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND logs -f netbird-server caddy"
+  echo "  cd $(pwd) && $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND logs -f netbird-server traefik"
 }
 
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -306,6 +331,11 @@ NETBIRD_TRAFFIC_FLOW_ENABLED=${NETBIRD_TRAFFIC_FLOW}
 # Domain
 NETBIRD_DOMAIN=${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}
 
+# Reverse proxy (Traefik)
+NETBIRD_LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=${NETBIRD_LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL}
+NETBIRD_TRAEFIK_TAG=${NETBIRD_TRAEFIK_TAG:-v3.6}
+NETBIRD_TRAEFIK_IP=${TRAEFIK_IP}
+
 # Image tags. Default to "latest"
 NETBIRD_DASHBOARD_TAG=${NETBIRD_DASHBOARD_TAG:-latest}
 NETBIRD_SERVER_TAG=${NETBIRD_SERVER_TAG:-latest}
@@ -378,26 +408,78 @@ EOF
 
 render_compose_common() {
   cat <<'EOF'
-  caddy:
+  # Reverse proxy with automatic TLS via Let's Encrypt. Routes are declared as
+  # labels on the services below and picked up through the Docker provider.
+  traefik:
     <<: *default
-    image: caddy:2
-    container_name: netbird-caddy
-    networks: [netbird]
-    environment:
-      - CADDY_SECURE_DOMAIN=${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}
+    image: traefik:${NETBIRD_TRAEFIK_TAG}
+    container_name: netbird-traefik
+    networks:
+      netbird:
+        ipv4_address: ${NETBIRD_TRAEFIK_IP}
+    command:
+      # Logging
+      - "--log.level=INFO"
+      - "--accesslog=true"
+      # Docker provider
+      - "--providers.docker=true"
+      - "--providers.docker.exposedbydefault=false"
+      - "--providers.docker.network=netbird"
+      # Entrypoints
+      - "--entrypoints.web.address=:80"
+      - "--entrypoints.websecure.address=:443"
+      - "--entrypoints.websecure.allowACMEByPass=true"
+      # readTimeout bounds the whole request, and gRPC streams / relay WebSockets
+      # never end one; idleTimeout would close the keep-alive connection they
+      # are reused over. Entrypoint-wide is the only scope Traefik offers here.
+      # writeTimeout is left alone: it already defaults to 0.
+      - "--entrypoints.websecure.transport.respondingTimeouts.readTimeout=0"
+      - "--entrypoints.websecure.transport.respondingTimeouts.idleTimeout=0"
+      # HTTP to HTTPS redirect
+      - "--entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.to=websecure"
+      - "--entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.scheme=https"
+      # Let's Encrypt ACME
+      - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.email=${NETBIRD_LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL}"
+      - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json"
+      - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.tlschallenge=true"
     ports:
       - '443:443'
-      - '443:443/udp'
       - '80:80'
     volumes:
-      - netbird_caddy_data:/data
-      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
+      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
+      - netbird_traefik_letsencrypt:/letsencrypt
+    labels:
+      - traefik.enable=true
+      # Shared security headers, referenced by every NetBird router below. A
+      # label-declared middleware only exists while its container runs, so this
+      # lives on Traefik itself: declaring it on an app container would drop
+      # every router referencing it whenever that container restarts.
+      - traefik.http.middlewares.nb-security.headers.stsSeconds=3600
+      - traefik.http.middlewares.nb-security.headers.stsIncludeSubdomains=true
+      - traefik.http.middlewares.nb-security.headers.contentTypeNosniff=true
+      - traefik.http.middlewares.nb-security.headers.browserXssFilter=true
+      - traefik.http.middlewares.nb-security.headers.referrerPolicy=strict-origin-when-cross-origin
+      - traefik.http.middlewares.nb-security.headers.customResponseHeaders.X-Frame-Options=SAMEORIGIN
+      # Empty value strips the header. Only the dashboard's nginx sets one; the
+      # server emits none. Do not quote it — "" would send a literal Server: "".
+      - traefik.http.middlewares.nb-security.headers.customResponseHeaders.Server=
 
   dashboard:
     <<: *default
     image: ghcr.io/netbirdio/dashboard-cloud:${NETBIRD_DASHBOARD_TAG}
     container_name: netbird-dashboard
     networks: [netbird]
+    labels:
+      - traefik.enable=true
+      # Dashboard catch-all: lowest priority so every route below wins
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-dashboard.rule=Host(`${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}`)
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-dashboard.entrypoints=websecure
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-dashboard.tls=true
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-dashboard.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-dashboard.middlewares=nb-security@docker
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-dashboard.service=dashboard
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-dashboard.priority=1
+      - traefik.http.services.dashboard.loadbalancer.server.port=80
     environment:
       - NETBIRD_MGMT_API_ENDPOINT=https://${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}
       - NETBIRD_MGMT_GRPC_API_ENDPOINT=https://${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}
@@ -435,6 +517,28 @@ render_compose_server() {
       - netbird_data:/var/lib/netbird
       - ./config.yaml:/etc/netbird/config.yaml
     command: ["--config", "/etc/netbird/config.yaml"]
+    labels:
+      - traefik.enable=true
+      # Signal + Management gRPC (needs an h2c backend for HTTP/2 cleartext)
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-grpc.rule=Host(`${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}`) && (PathPrefix(`/signalexchange.SignalExchange/`) || PathPrefix(`/management.ManagementService/`) || PathPrefix(`/management.ProxyService/`))
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-grpc.entrypoints=websecure
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-grpc.tls=true
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-grpc.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-grpc.middlewares=nb-security@docker
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-grpc.service=netbird-server-h2c
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-grpc.priority=100
+      # Relay WebSocket, management API, and the embedded IdP
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-backend.rule=Host(`${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}`) && (PathPrefix(`/relay`) || PathPrefix(`/ws-proxy/`) || PathPrefix(`/api`) || PathPrefix(`/oauth2`))
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-backend.entrypoints=websecure
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-backend.tls=true
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-backend.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-backend.middlewares=nb-security@docker
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-backend.service=netbird-server
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-backend.priority=100
+      # Services
+      - traefik.http.services.netbird-server.loadbalancer.server.port=80
+      - traefik.http.services.netbird-server-h2c.loadbalancer.server.port=80
+      - traefik.http.services.netbird-server-h2c.loadbalancer.server.scheme=h2c
     environment:
       - NB_LICENSE_KEY=${NETBIRD_LICENSE_KEY}
       - NETBIRD_LICENSE_SERVER_BASE_URL=${NETBIRD_LICENSE_SERVER_BASE_URL}
@@ -497,6 +601,18 @@ render_compose_flow() {
       - NB_FLOW_NATS_ENDPOINTS=nats://nats:4222
       - NB_FLOW_NATS_STREAM=traffic-events
       - NB_FLOW_AUTH_SECRET=${NETBIRD_RELAY_AUTH_SECRET}
+    labels:
+      - traefik.enable=true
+      # Flow receiver gRPC (h2c backend)
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-flow.rule=Host(`${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}`) && PathPrefix(`/flow.FlowService/`)
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-flow.entrypoints=websecure
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-flow.tls=true
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-flow.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-flow.middlewares=nb-security@docker
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-flow.service=netbird-flow-h2c
+      - traefik.http.routers.netbird-flow.priority=100
+      - traefik.http.services.netbird-flow-h2c.loadbalancer.server.port=80
+      - traefik.http.services.netbird-flow-h2c.loadbalancer.server.scheme=h2c
 
 EOF
 }
@@ -536,61 +652,16 @@ EOF
   fi
   cat <<'EOF'
   netbird_postgres:
-  netbird_caddy_data:
+  netbird_traefik_letsencrypt:
 
 networks:
   netbird:
-EOF
-}
-
-render_caddyfile() {
-  cat <<'EOF'
-{
-  servers :80,:443 {
-    protocols h1 h2c h2 h3
-  }
-}
-
-(security_headers) {
-    header * {
-        Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=3600; includeSubDomains; preload"
-        X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
-        X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
-        X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
-        -Server
-        Referrer-Policy strict-origin-when-cross-origin
-    }
-}
-
-:80 {
-    redir https://{$CADDY_SECURE_DOMAIN}{uri} permanent
-}
-
-{$CADDY_SECURE_DOMAIN}:443 {
-    import security_headers
-    # Signal (gRPC over h2c)
-    reverse_proxy /signalexchange.SignalExchange/* h2c://netbird-server:80
-    # Management (gRPC over h2c + HTTP)
-    reverse_proxy /management.ManagementService/* h2c://netbird-server:80
-    reverse_proxy /api/* netbird-server:80
-    reverse_proxy /ws-proxy/* netbird-server:80
-    # Embedded IdP (OAuth2 endpoints served by netbird server)
-    reverse_proxy /oauth2/* netbird-server:80
-    # Relay (WebSocket multiplexed on the same port)
-    reverse_proxy /relay* netbird-server:80
-EOF
-
-  if [[ "$NETBIRD_TRAFFIC_FLOW" == "yes" ]]; then
-    cat <<'EOF'
-    # Flow receiver (gRPC over h2c)
-    reverse_proxy /flow.FlowService/* h2c://receiver:80
-EOF
-  fi
-
-  cat <<'EOF'
-    # Dashboard
-    reverse_proxy /* dashboard:80
-}
+    name: netbird
+    driver: bridge
+    ipam:
+      config:
+        - subnet: 172.30.0.0/24
+          gateway: 172.30.0.1
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -609,7 +680,7 @@ server:
   logLevel: "info"
   logFile: "console"
 
-  # TLS is terminated by Caddy in front; leave this block empty.
+  # TLS is terminated by Traefik in front; leave this block empty.
   tls:
     certFile: ""
     keyFile: ""
@@ -626,12 +697,23 @@ server:
     issuer: "https://${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}/oauth2"
     localAuthDisabled: false
     signKeyRefreshEnabled: false
+    sessionCookieEncryptionKey: "${NETBIRD_SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY}"
     dashboardRedirectURIs:
       - "https://${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}/nb-auth"
       - "https://${NETBIRD_DOMAIN}/nb-silent-auth"
     cliRedirectURIs:
       - "http://localhost:53000/"
 
+  # Trust X-Forwarded-* only from the Traefik container's static address. Both
+  # keys must stay in step with the ipv4_address pinned in docker-compose.yml:
+  # trustedPeers decides whether forwarded headers are read at all, and leaving
+  # it unset falls back to 0.0.0.0/0.
+  reverseProxy:
+    trustedPeers:
+      - "${TRAEFIK_IP}/32"
+    trustedHTTPProxies:
+      - "${TRAEFIK_IP}/32"
+
   store:
     engine: "postgres"
     dsn: "${POSTGRES_DSN}"

infrastructure_files/getting-started.sh

@@ -348,6 +348,7 @@ initialize_default_values() {
   NETBIRD_RELAY_AUTH_SECRET=$(openssl rand -base64 32 | sed "$SED_STRIP_PADDING")
   # Note: DataStoreEncryptionKey must keep base64 padding (=) for Go's base64.StdEncoding
   DATASTORE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 32)
+  SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 32)
   NETBIRD_STUN_PORT=3478
 
   # Docker images
@@ -527,7 +528,8 @@ generate_configuration_files() {
 
   # Common files for all configurations
   render_dashboard_env > dashboard.env
-  render_combined_yaml > config.yaml
+  install -m 600 /dev/null config.yaml
+  render_combined_yaml >> config.yaml
   return 0
 }
 
@@ -911,6 +913,7 @@ server:
   auth:
     issuer: "$NETBIRD_HTTP_PROTOCOL://$NETBIRD_DOMAIN/oauth2"
     signKeyRefreshEnabled: true
+    sessionCookieEncryptionKey: "$SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY"
     dashboardRedirectURIs:
       - "$NETBIRD_HTTP_PROTOCOL://$NETBIRD_DOMAIN/nb-auth"
       - "$NETBIRD_HTTP_PROTOCOL://$NETBIRD_DOMAIN/nb-silent-auth"

infrastructure_files/migrate-to-enterprise.sh

@@ -15,7 +15,11 @@ set -o pipefail
 #   2. Postgres migration — add Postgres, migrate SQLite data via migrate-store.
 #   3. Traffic flow       — add NATS + flow-enricher + flow-receiver.
 #
-# To revert:
+# If any step fails once the stack has been touched, the script rolls itself
+# back automatically: generated files are removed, the Postgres volume this run
+# created is dropped, and the original deployment is started again.
+#
+# To revert a successful migration:
 #   docker compose down
 #   rm -f docker-compose.override.yml config.yaml.enterprise
 #   # If Postgres migration was done, also restore the SQLite backup printed
@@ -25,6 +29,15 @@ set -o pipefail
 OVERRIDE_FILE="docker-compose.override.yml"
 ENTERPRISE_CONFIG_FILE="config.yaml.enterprise"
 
+# Rollback bookkeeping. ROLLBACK_STATE flips to "armed" the moment the script
+# starts mutating the deployment, and back to "disarmed" once the migration has
+# completed successfully.
+ROLLBACK_STATE="disarmed"
+ENV_EXISTED="unknown"
+ENV_BACKUP=""
+PG_VOLUME_NAME=""
+BACKUP_DIR=""
+
 NETBIRD_EULA_URL="https://netbird.io/self-hosted-EULA"
 
 check_docker_compose() {
@@ -160,11 +173,11 @@ EOF
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 detect_combined_service() {
-  yq eval '.services | to_entries | map(select(.value.image | test("^netbirdio/netbird-server"))) | .[0].key // ""' "$COMPOSE_FILE"
+  yq eval '.services | to_entries | map(select(.value.image | test("^(ghcr\\.io/)?netbirdio/netbird-server([:@]|$)"))) | .[0].key // ""' "$COMPOSE_FILE"
 }
 
 detect_dashboard_service() {
-  yq eval '.services | to_entries | map(select(.value.image | test("^netbirdio/dashboard"))) | .[0].key // ""' "$COMPOSE_FILE"
+  yq eval '.services | to_entries | map(select(.value.image | test("^(ghcr\\.io/)?netbirdio/dashboard([:@]|$)"))) | .[0].key // ""' "$COMPOSE_FILE"
 }
 
 detect_config_yaml_host_path() {
@@ -361,7 +374,77 @@ render_enterprise_config() {
 # Execution steps
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-resolve_data_volume() {
+combined_container_id() {
+  $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND ps -aq "$COMBINED_SERVICE" 2>/dev/null | head -1
+}
+
+container_data_mount() {
+  local container="$1"
+  [[ -n "$container" ]] || return 0
+  docker inspect "$container" --format \
+    '{{range .Mounts}}{{if eq .Destination "/var/lib/netbird"}}{{if .Name}}{{.Name}}{{else}}{{.Source}}{{end}}{{end}}{{end}}' 2>/dev/null
+}
+
+# The name comes from the container, so `-v` cannot invent an empty volume here.
+# 0 = empty, 1 = holds data, 2 = could not determine. A failed listing must not
+# be reported as empty: that would abort a healthy migration over a pull error
+# or an unreadable bind mount.
+data_dir_state() {
+  local src="$1" out
+  if [[ "$src" == /* ]]; then
+    [[ -d "$src" ]] || return 2
+    out=$(ls -A "$src" 2>/dev/null) || return 2
+  else
+    docker volume inspect "$src" &> /dev/null || return 0
+    out=$(docker run --rm -v "${src}:/d:ro" busybox sh -c 'ls -A /d' 2>/dev/null) || return 2
+  fi
+  [[ -z "$out" ]] && return 0
+  return 1
+}
+
+check_data_directory() {
+  [[ "$MIGRATE_POSTGRES" == "yes" ]] || return 0
+
+  local container
+  container=$(combined_container_id)
+  if [[ -z "$container" ]]; then
+    echo "" > /dev/stderr
+    echo "No container found for service '$COMBINED_SERVICE'." > /dev/stderr
+    echo "The migration backs up the store by copying it out of that container," > /dev/stderr
+    echo "so it has to exist. Start the deployment and re-run:" > /dev/stderr
+    echo "  $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND up -d" > /dev/stderr
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  local src
+  src=$(container_data_mount "$container")
+  if [[ -z "$src" ]]; then
+    echo "" > /dev/stderr
+    echo "The '$COMBINED_SERVICE' container has nothing mounted at /var/lib/netbird." > /dev/stderr
+    echo "Cannot locate the NetBird store to back it up." > /dev/stderr
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  local state=0
+  data_dir_state "$src" || state=$?
+  if [[ $state -eq 0 ]]; then
+    echo "" > /dev/stderr
+    echo "The NetBird data directory is empty:" > /dev/stderr
+    echo "  $src" > /dev/stderr
+    echo "There is nothing to migrate. Check that you are running this from the" > /dev/stderr
+    echo "deployment directory of the NetBird install you mean to migrate." > /dev/stderr
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  if [[ $state -eq 2 ]]; then
+    echo "  ⚠ Could not read $src to confirm it holds data — continuing." > /dev/stderr
+    echo "    The backup step still fails loudly if it turns out to be empty." > /dev/stderr
+  fi
+
+  echo "  Data directory:   $src"
+}
+
+# Only for the Postgres volume, which has no container to read it off yet.
+resolve_compose_volume() {
   local short="$1"
   local actual
   # Resolve project-prefixed volume name from Docker Compose config first.
@@ -391,18 +474,21 @@ resolve_data_volume() {
 backup_sqlite() {
   BACKUP_DIR="$(pwd)/backups/sqlite-pre-enterprise-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
   mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
-  local data_volume_actual
-  data_volume_actual=$(resolve_data_volume "$DATA_VOLUME")
-  echo "Backing up SQLite store from volume '$data_volume_actual' to $BACKUP_DIR ..."
-  docker run --rm \
-    -v "${data_volume_actual}:/var/lib/netbird:ro" \
-    -v "${BACKUP_DIR}:/backup" \
-    busybox \
-    sh -c 'cp -a /var/lib/netbird/. /backup/ 2>/dev/null || true'
+
+  local container
+  container=$(combined_container_id)
+  if [[ -z "$container" ]]; then
+    echo "  ⚠ No container found for '$COMBINED_SERVICE' — cannot back up the store." > /dev/stderr
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  echo "Backing up the NetBird store to $BACKUP_DIR ..."
+  docker cp "${container}:/var/lib/netbird/." "$BACKUP_DIR/"
+
   local copied
   copied=$(find "$BACKUP_DIR" -mindepth 1 | head -1)
   if [[ -z "$copied" ]]; then
-    echo "  ⚠ Backup directory is empty — the volume '$data_volume_actual' didn't contain data. Aborting." > /dev/stderr
+    echo "  ⚠ Backup directory is empty — /var/lib/netbird held no data. Aborting." > /dev/stderr
     exit 1
   fi
   echo "  done"
@@ -414,6 +500,135 @@ run_migrate_store() {
   echo "  done"
 }
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Rollback — a failed run must not leave the operator with a stopped stack and
+# half-written artifacts.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# Resolve the name Compose would give the Postgres volume before the override
+# exists, so a leftover volume can be spotted up front.
+compose_project_name() {
+  local container project
+  container=$($DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND ps -aq 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+  if [[ -n "$container" ]]; then
+    project=$(docker inspect "$container" \
+      --format '{{index .Config.Labels "com.docker.compose.project"}}' 2>/dev/null)
+    if [[ -n "$project" ]]; then
+      echo "$project"
+      return 0
+    fi
+  fi
+  project=$($DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND config 2>/dev/null | yq eval '.name // ""' - 2>/dev/null)
+  if [[ -n "$project" ]] && [[ "$project" != "null" ]]; then
+    echo "$project"
+  fi
+  return 0
+}
+
+postgres_volume_name() {
+  local project
+  project=$(compose_project_name)
+  if [[ -n "$project" ]]; then
+    echo "${project}_netbird_postgres"
+  fi
+  return 0
+}
+
+# Postgres skips initdb when its data directory is non-empty, so a volume left
+# behind by an interrupted run would keep the old password and old contents,
+# and migrate-store would fail against it.
+check_stale_postgres_volume() {
+  [[ "$MIGRATE_POSTGRES" == "yes" ]] || return 0
+
+  PG_VOLUME_NAME=$(postgres_volume_name)
+  if [[ -z "$PG_VOLUME_NAME" ]]; then
+    echo ""
+    echo "  ⚠ Could not determine the Compose project name, so a Postgres volume"
+    echo "    left over from an earlier attempt cannot be checked for. If a"
+    echo "    previous run failed, remove it before continuing:"
+    echo "      docker volume ls | grep netbird_postgres"
+    return 0
+  fi
+  docker volume inspect "$PG_VOLUME_NAME" &> /dev/null || return 0
+
+  echo ""
+  echo "  ⚠  A Postgres volume from an earlier attempt already exists:"
+  echo "       $PG_VOLUME_NAME"
+  echo "     Postgres does not re-initialise a non-empty data directory, so the"
+  echo "     migration would run against stale credentials and stale data."
+  local remove
+  remove=$(read_yes_no "  Remove it and continue?" "y")
+  if [[ "$remove" != "yes" ]]; then
+    echo "" > /dev/stderr
+    echo "Aborted. Remove it manually with: docker volume rm $PG_VOLUME_NAME" > /dev/stderr
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  docker volume rm "$PG_VOLUME_NAME" > /dev/null
+  echo "  Removed."
+}
+
+# Undo whatever this run changed and start the previous deployment again.
+rollback() {
+  ROLLBACK_STATE="done"
+
+  echo ""
+  echo "──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"
+  echo " Migration failed — restoring the previous deployment"
+  echo "──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"
+
+  # Resolve while the override is still present; without it Compose no longer
+  # knows about the Postgres volume.
+  local pg_volume="$PG_VOLUME_NAME"
+  if [[ -z "$pg_volume" ]] && [[ "$MIGRATE_POSTGRES" == "yes" ]]; then
+    pg_volume=$(postgres_volume_name)
+  fi
+
+  echo ""
+  echo "Stopping services ..."
+  $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND down || true
+
+  echo "Removing generated files ..."
+  rm -f "$OVERRIDE_FILE" "$ENTERPRISE_CONFIG_FILE"
+
+  # Restore .env to exactly what it was, or remove it if this run created it.
+  if [[ "$ENV_EXISTED" == "yes" ]] && [[ -f "$ENV_BACKUP" ]]; then
+    mv -f "$ENV_BACKUP" .env || echo "  ⚠ Could not restore .env from $ENV_BACKUP." > /dev/stderr
+  elif [[ "$ENV_EXISTED" == "no" ]]; then
+    rm -f .env || true
+  fi
+
+  # Only ever the volume this run created — never the NetBird data volume.
+  if [[ -n "$pg_volume" ]] && [[ "$pg_volume" != "null" ]]; then
+    echo "Removing Postgres volume $pg_volume ..."
+    docker volume rm "$pg_volume" &> /dev/null || true
+  fi
+
+  echo "Starting the previous deployment ..."
+  if ! $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND up -d; then
+    echo ""
+    echo "  ⚠ Could not start the previous deployment automatically." > /dev/stderr
+    echo "    Run: $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND up -d" > /dev/stderr
+  fi
+
+  echo ""
+  echo "Rolled back. Your docker-compose.yml, config.yaml and the NetBird data"
+  echo "volume were never modified."
+  if [[ -n "$BACKUP_DIR" ]] && [[ -d "$BACKUP_DIR" ]]; then
+    echo "The SQLite backup taken during this run is kept at:"
+    echo "  $BACKUP_DIR"
+  fi
+  echo "──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"
+}
+
+on_exit() {
+  local code=$?
+  trap - EXIT
+  if [[ $code -ne 0 ]] && [[ "$ROLLBACK_STATE" == "armed" ]]; then
+    rollback
+  fi
+  exit $code
+}
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Main
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -446,12 +661,12 @@ init_migration() {
   COMPOSE_NETWORK=$(detect_compose_network)
 
   if [[ -z "$COMBINED_SERVICE" ]]; then
-    echo "Could not find a service running netbirdio/netbird-server* in $COMPOSE_FILE." > /dev/stderr
+    echo "Could not find a service running netbirdio/netbird-server or ghcr.io/netbirdio/netbird-server in $COMPOSE_FILE." > /dev/stderr
     echo "This script targets the community combined-server deployment." > /dev/stderr
     exit 1
   fi
   if [[ -z "$DASHBOARD_SERVICE" ]]; then
-    echo "Could not find a service running netbirdio/dashboard* in $COMPOSE_FILE." > /dev/stderr
+    echo "Could not find a service running netbirdio/dashboard or ghcr.io/netbirdio/dashboard in $COMPOSE_FILE." > /dev/stderr
     exit 1
   fi
   if [[ -z "$CONFIG_YAML_HOST" ]]; then
@@ -541,9 +756,15 @@ init_migration() {
     ENABLE_FLOW="no"
     echo "Step 3 (traffic flow) skipped — requires Postgres."
   fi
+
+  check_data_directory
+  check_stale_postgres_volume
 }
 
 apply_changes() {
+  # From here on a failure must roll the deployment back.
+  ROLLBACK_STATE="armed"
+
   echo ""
   echo "Writing $OVERRIDE_FILE ..."
   install -m 644 /dev/null "$OVERRIDE_FILE"
@@ -564,6 +785,14 @@ apply_changes() {
   # picks it up automatically.
   echo "Writing .env additions (mode 600) ..."
   local ENV_FILE=".env"
+  # Snapshot the operator's .env so a rollback can restore it byte for byte.
+  if [[ -f "$ENV_FILE" ]]; then
+    ENV_EXISTED="yes"
+    ENV_BACKUP="${ENV_FILE}.pre-enterprise-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
+    cp -p "$ENV_FILE" "$ENV_BACKUP"
+  else
+    ENV_EXISTED="no"
+  fi
   touch "$ENV_FILE"
   chmod 600 "$ENV_FILE"
   {
@@ -592,11 +821,16 @@ apply_changes() {
 
   if [[ "$MIGRATE_POSTGRES" == "yes" ]]; then
     echo ""
-    echo "Stopping existing services (volumes preserved) ..."
-    $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND down
+    # Stop, but keep the containers: the backup reads the store out of one.
+    echo "Stopping services so the store is quiescent ..."
+    $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND stop
 
     backup_sqlite
 
+    echo ""
+    echo "Removing stopped containers (volumes preserved) ..."
+    $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND down
+
     echo ""
     echo "Starting Postgres ..."
     $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND up -d postgres
@@ -626,6 +860,9 @@ apply_changes() {
 
   echo ""
   echo "Migration complete."
+
+  # Nothing left to undo.
+  ROLLBACK_STATE="disarmed"
 }
 
 print_summary() {
@@ -643,6 +880,7 @@ print_summary() {
   echo "    $OVERRIDE_FILE"
   [[ "$MIGRATE_POSTGRES" == "yes" ]] && echo "    $ENTERPRISE_CONFIG_FILE"
   echo "    .env  (license key + secrets, mode 600)"
+  [[ "$ENV_EXISTED" == "yes" ]] && [[ -f "$ENV_BACKUP" ]] && echo "    $ENV_BACKUP  (.env as it was before this run)"
   [[ "$MIGRATE_POSTGRES" == "yes" ]] && echo "    backups/sqlite-pre-enterprise-*/  (SQLite backup)"
   echo ""
   echo " Tail logs:"
@@ -651,19 +889,27 @@ print_summary() {
   echo "──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"
   echo " To revert"
   echo "──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"
-  echo "  $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND down"
   if [[ "$MIGRATE_POSTGRES" == "yes" ]]; then
-    # Resolve project-prefixed volume names now (before override is removed).
-    local pg_volume data_volume_actual
-    pg_volume=$(resolve_data_volume "netbird_postgres")
-    data_volume_actual=$(resolve_data_volume "$DATA_VOLUME")
-    echo "  # Remove the Postgres volume FIRST, before deleting the override file:"
-    echo "  docker volume rm $pg_volume"
+    # Resolve the project-prefixed volume name now, before the override is gone.
+    local pg_volume
+    pg_volume=$(resolve_compose_volume "netbird_postgres")
+    echo "  # Stop, but keep the containers so the store can be copied back in:"
+    echo "  $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND stop"
     echo "  # Restore SQLite from the backup created during this run:"
-    echo "  docker run --rm -v ${data_volume_actual}:/var/lib/netbird -v ${BACKUP_DIR}:/backup busybox sh -c 'cp -a /backup/. /var/lib/netbird/'"
+    echo "  docker cp ${BACKUP_DIR}/. \$($DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND ps -aq $COMBINED_SERVICE):/var/lib/netbird/"
+    echo "  $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND down"
+    echo "  docker volume rm $pg_volume"
+  else
+    echo "  $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND down"
   fi
   echo "  rm -f $OVERRIDE_FILE $ENTERPRISE_CONFIG_FILE"
-  echo "  # Remove migrate-to-enterprise.sh additions from .env (search for the timestamp marker)"
+  if [[ "$ENV_EXISTED" == "yes" ]] && [[ -f "$ENV_BACKUP" ]]; then
+    echo "  mv $ENV_BACKUP .env   # restores .env as it was before this run"
+  elif [[ "$ENV_EXISTED" == "no" ]]; then
+    echo "  rm -f .env   # created by this run"
+  else
+    echo "  # Remove migrate-to-enterprise.sh additions from .env (search for the timestamp marker)"
+  fi
   echo "  $DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND up -d"
   echo "──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"
 }
@@ -672,6 +918,10 @@ print_summary() {
 # Run
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+trap on_exit EXIT
+# Turn signals into a normal exit so the EXIT trap can roll back.
+trap 'exit 130' INT TERM
+
 init_migration
 apply_changes
 print_summary

management/internals/controllers/network_map/controller/controller.go

@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ func (c *Controller) sendUpdateAccountPeers(ctx context.Context, accountID strin
 	semaphore := make(chan struct{}, 10)
 
 	c.injectAllProxyPolicies(ctx, account)
+	account.PrecomputePostureValidation(ctx)
 	dnsCache := &cache.DNSConfigCache{}
 	dnsDomain := c.GetDNSDomain(account.Settings)
 	peersCustomZone := account.GetPeersCustomZone(ctx, dnsDomain)
@@ -357,6 +358,7 @@ func (c *Controller) sendUpdateForAffectedPeers(ctx context.Context, accountID s
 	// network map that omitted the synth DNS zone, and the agent kept
 	// resolving against the stale or absent record.
 	c.injectAllProxyPolicies(ctx, account)
+	account.PrecomputePostureValidation(ctx)
 	dnsCache := &cache.DNSConfigCache{}
 	dnsDomain := c.GetDNSDomain(account.Settings)
 	peersCustomZone := account.GetPeersCustomZone(ctx, dnsDomain)

management/internals/shared/grpc/proxy.go

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"math"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
+	"net/netip"
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
@@ -25,10 +26,12 @@ import (
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"golang.org/x/oauth2"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/metadata"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/management/domain"
 
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/agentnetwork"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/peers"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/accesslogs"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/proxy"
@@ -36,7 +39,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/sessionkey"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/idp"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/peer"
-	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/agentnetwork"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/types"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/users"
 	proxyauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/proxy/auth"
@@ -134,6 +136,10 @@ type ProxyServiceServer struct {
 	// initial snapshot delivery. Configurable via NB_PROXY_SNAPSHOT_BATCH_SIZE.
 	snapshotBatchSize int
 
+	authAttemptLimiter *authFailureLimiter
+	authClientLimiter  *authFailureLimiter
+	authFailureMAC     []byte
+
 	cancel context.CancelFunc
 }
 
@@ -204,6 +210,10 @@ func NewProxyServiceServer(accessLogMgr accesslogs.Manager, tokenStore *OneTimeT
 		snapshotBatchSize: snapshotBatchSizeFromEnv(),
 		cancel:            cancel,
 	}
+	s.authAttemptLimiter = newAuthFailureLimiter()
+	s.authClientLimiter = newAuthClientLimiter()
+	s.authFailureMAC = make([]byte, sha256.Size)
+	_, _ = rand.Read(s.authFailureMAC)
 	go s.cleanupStaleProxies(ctx)
 	return s
 }
@@ -1172,6 +1182,18 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) Authenticate(ctx context.Context, req *proto.Authen
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	failureKey := s.authFailureKey(req)
+	limitFailures := failureKey != "" && s.authAttemptLimiter != nil && len(s.authFailureMAC) > 0
+	if limitFailures && s.authAttemptLimiter.isLimited(failureKey) {
+		return nil, status.Errorf(codes.ResourceExhausted, "too many failed authentication attempts for this credential, please try again later")
+	}
+
+	clientKey := s.authClientKey(ctx, req.GetId())
+	limitClient := clientKey != "" && s.authClientLimiter != nil
+	if limitClient && s.authClientLimiter.isLimited(clientKey) {
+		return nil, status.Errorf(codes.ResourceExhausted, "too many failed authentication attempts from this client, please try again later")
+	}
+
 	service, err := s.serviceManager.GetServiceByID(ctx, req.GetAccountId(), req.GetId())
 	if err != nil {
 		log.WithContext(ctx).Debugf("failed to get service from store: %v", err)
@@ -1179,6 +1201,14 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) Authenticate(ctx context.Context, req *proto.Authen
 	}
 
 	authenticated, userId, method := s.authenticateRequest(ctx, req, service)
+	if !authenticated {
+		if limitFailures {
+			s.authAttemptLimiter.recordFailure(failureKey)
+		}
+		if limitClient {
+			s.authClientLimiter.recordFailure(clientKey)
+		}
+	}
 
 	// Non-OIDC schemes (PIN/Password/Header) authenticate against per-service
 	// secrets and have no user-level group context, so groups stay nil. Email
@@ -1194,6 +1224,40 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) Authenticate(ctx context.Context, req *proto.Authen
 	}, nil
 }
 
+func (s *ProxyServiceServer) authClientKey(ctx context.Context, serviceID string) string {
+	md, ok := metadata.FromIncomingContext(ctx)
+	if !ok {
+		return ""
+	}
+	values := md.Get(proxyauth.ClientIPMetadataKey)
+	if len(values) == 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	addr, err := netip.ParseAddr(strings.TrimSpace(values[0]))
+	if err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return serviceID + "|" + addr.Unmap().String()
+}
+
+func (s *ProxyServiceServer) authFailureKey(req *proto.AuthenticateRequest) string {
+	var secret string
+	switch v := req.GetRequest().(type) {
+	case *proto.AuthenticateRequest_Pin:
+		secret = "pin|" + v.Pin.GetPin()
+	case *proto.AuthenticateRequest_Password:
+		secret = "password|" + v.Password.GetPassword()
+	case *proto.AuthenticateRequest_HeaderAuth:
+		secret = "header|" + v.HeaderAuth.GetHeaderName() + "|" + v.HeaderAuth.GetHeaderValue()
+	default:
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	mac := hmac.New(sha256.New, s.authFailureMAC)
+	mac.Write([]byte(secret))
+	return req.GetId() + "|" + hex.EncodeToString(mac.Sum(nil))
+}
+
 func (s *ProxyServiceServer) authenticateRequest(ctx context.Context, req *proto.AuthenticateRequest, service *rpservice.Service) (bool, string, proxyauth.Method) {
 	switch v := req.GetRequest().(type) {
 	case *proto.AuthenticateRequest_Pin:
@@ -1579,9 +1643,62 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) ValidateState(state string) (verifier, redirectURL
 	return verifier, redirectURL, nil
 }
 
+// Denied reasons reported to the proxy when access is refused because of the
+// account status of the user behind the request.
+const (
+	deniedReasonPendingApproval = "pending_approval"
+	deniedReasonUserBlocked     = "user_blocked"
+	deniedReasonUserNotFound    = "user_not_found"
+)
+
+var (
+	// ErrUserPendingApproval reports a user whose account still awaits approval
+	// by an administrator and may therefore not hold a proxy session.
+	ErrUserPendingApproval = errors.New("user pending approval")
+
+	// ErrUserBlocked reports a blocked user, who may not hold a proxy session.
+	ErrUserBlocked = errors.New("user blocked")
+
+	errUserUnresolved = errors.New("user could not be resolved")
+)
+
+// checkUserStatus reports whether the user's account status permits reverse
+// proxy access, returning the denied reason for the proxy access log together
+// with the sentinel error callers match on. A user awaiting approval is stored
+// as both pending and blocked, so the pending state is reported first: it is
+// the one an administrator can act on.
+func checkUserStatus(user *types.User) (string, error) {
+	switch {
+	case user == nil:
+		return deniedReasonUserNotFound, errUserUnresolved
+	case user.PendingApproval:
+		return deniedReasonPendingApproval, ErrUserPendingApproval
+	case user.IsBlocked():
+		return deniedReasonUserBlocked, ErrUserBlocked
+	default:
+		return "", nil
+	}
+}
+
+// userStatusDeniedReason returns the denied reason for callers that report a
+// decision rather than an error, and an empty string when the user may proceed.
+func userStatusDeniedReason(user *types.User) string {
+	reason, _ := checkUserStatus(user)
+	return reason
+}
+
+// sameAccount reports whether a user belongs to a service's account. An empty
+// identifier on either side never matches: two unset accounts must not compare
+// equal into a grant.
+func sameAccount(userAccountID, serviceAccountID string) bool {
+	return userAccountID != "" && serviceAccountID != "" && userAccountID == serviceAccountID
+}
+
 // GenerateSessionToken creates a signed session JWT for the given domain and
 // user. The user's group memberships are embedded in the token so policy-aware
 // middlewares on the proxy can authorise without an extra management round-trip.
+// A user the store cannot resolve, or whose account is pending approval or
+// blocked, gets no token at all, so the browser never receives a session cookie.
 func (s *ProxyServiceServer) GenerateSessionToken(ctx context.Context, domain, userID string, method proxyauth.Method) (string, error) {
 	service, err := s.getServiceByDomain(ctx, domain)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -1592,25 +1709,37 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) GenerateSessionToken(ctx context.Context, domain, u
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("no session key configured for domain: %s", domain)
 	}
 
-	var (
-		email      string
-		groupIDs   []string
-		groupNames []string
-	)
-	if s.usersManager != nil {
-		user, userGroups, uerr := s.usersManager.GetUserWithGroups(ctx, userID)
-		if uerr != nil {
-			log.WithContext(ctx).Debugf("session token mint: lookup user %s: %v", userID, uerr)
-		} else if user != nil {
-			email = user.Email
-			groupIDs, groupNames = pairGroupIDsAndNames(userGroups)
-		}
+	if s.usersManager == nil {
+		return "", errors.New("users manager not configured")
 	}
 
+	user, userGroups, err := s.usersManager.GetUserWithGroups(ctx, userID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("get user %s: %w", userID, err)
+	}
+
+	if user == nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("get user %s: %w", userID, errUserUnresolved)
+	}
+
+	// Bind the OIDC identity to the service's account before signing anything
+	// with that service's session key. The proxy validates an installed cookie
+	// locally against the service public key, so a token minted for a user of
+	// another account would be honoured without a management round-trip.
+	if !sameAccount(user.AccountID, service.AccountID) {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("user %s does not belong to the service account", userID)
+	}
+
+	if _, err := checkUserStatus(user); err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("session token for user %s: %w", userID, err)
+	}
+
+	groupIDs, groupNames := pairGroupIDsAndNames(userGroups)
+
 	return sessionkey.SignToken(
 		service.SessionPrivateKey,
 		userID,
-		email,
+		user.Email,
 		domain,
 		method,
 		groupIDs,
@@ -1628,6 +1757,10 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) ValidateUserGroupAccess(ctx context.Context, domain
 		return fmt.Errorf("user not found: %s", userID)
 	}
 
+	if _, err := checkUserStatus(user); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("user %s denied access to domain %s: %w", userID, domain, err)
+	}
+
 	service, err := s.getAccountServiceByDomain(ctx, user.AccountID, domain)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -1682,10 +1815,7 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) ValidateSession(ctx context.Context, req *proto.Val
 	sessionToken := req.GetSessionToken()
 
 	if domain == "" || sessionToken == "" {
-		return &proto.ValidateSessionResponse{
-			Valid:        false,
-			DeniedReason: "missing domain or session_token",
-		}, nil
+		return deniedSessionResponse("missing domain or session_token"), nil
 	}
 
 	service, err := s.getServiceByDomain(ctx, domain)
@@ -1695,83 +1825,49 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) ValidateSession(ctx context.Context, req *proto.Val
 			"error":  err.Error(),
 		}).Debug("ValidateSession: service not found")
 		//nolint:nilerr
-		return &proto.ValidateSessionResponse{
-			Valid:        false,
-			DeniedReason: "service_not_found",
-		}, nil
+		return deniedSessionResponse("service_not_found"), nil
 	}
 
 	if err := enforceAccountScope(ctx, service.AccountID); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	pubKeyBytes, err := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(service.SessionPublicKey)
-	if err != nil {
-		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-			"domain": domain,
-			"error":  err.Error(),
-		}).Error("ValidateSession: decode public key")
-		//nolint:nilerr
-		return &proto.ValidateSessionResponse{
-			Valid:        false,
-			DeniedReason: "invalid_service_config",
-		}, nil
-	}
-
-	userID, _, _, _, _, err := proxyauth.ValidateSessionJWT(sessionToken, domain, pubKeyBytes)
-	if err != nil {
-		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-			"domain": domain,
-			"error":  err.Error(),
-		}).Debug("ValidateSession: invalid session token")
-		//nolint:nilerr
-		return &proto.ValidateSessionResponse{
-			Valid:        false,
-			DeniedReason: "invalid_token",
-		}, nil
+	userID, reason := sessionTokenSubject(domain, service, sessionToken)
+	if reason != "" {
+		return deniedSessionResponse(reason), nil
 	}
 
 	user, userGroups, err := s.usersManager.GetUserWithGroups(ctx, userID)
-	if err != nil {
+	if err != nil || user == nil {
 		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
 			"domain":  domain,
 			"user_id": userID,
-			"error":   err.Error(),
+			"error":   err,
 		}).Debug("ValidateSession: user not found")
 		//nolint:nilerr
-		return &proto.ValidateSessionResponse{
-			Valid:        false,
-			DeniedReason: "user_not_found",
-		}, nil
+		return deniedSessionResponse(deniedReasonUserNotFound), nil
 	}
 
-	if user.AccountID != service.AccountID {
+	// A user from another account gets a bare response: none of their identity
+	// belongs in an answer to a proxy serving a different account.
+	if !sameAccount(user.AccountID, service.AccountID) {
 		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
 			"domain":          domain,
 			"user_id":         userID,
 			"user_account":    user.AccountID,
 			"service_account": service.AccountID,
 		}).Debug("ValidateSession: user account mismatch")
-		//nolint:nilerr
-		return &proto.ValidateSessionResponse{
-			Valid:        false,
-			DeniedReason: "account_mismatch",
-		}, nil
+		return deniedSessionResponse("account_mismatch"), nil
 	}
 
-	if err := s.checkGroupAccess(service, user); err != nil {
-		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-			"domain":  domain,
-			"user_id": userID,
-			"error":   err.Error(),
-		}).Debug("ValidateSession: access denied")
-		groupIDs, groupNames := pairGroupIDsAndNames(userGroups)
-		//nolint:nilerr
+	groupIDs, groupNames := pairGroupIDsAndNames(userGroups)
+
+	if reason := s.accountUserDeniedReason(domain, service, user); reason != "" {
 		return &proto.ValidateSessionResponse{
 			Valid:          false,
 			UserId:         user.Id,
 			UserEmail:      user.Email,
-			DeniedReason:   "not_in_group",
+			DeniedReason:   reason,
 			PeerGroupIds:   groupIDs,
 			PeerGroupNames: groupNames,
 		}, nil
@@ -1783,7 +1879,6 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) ValidateSession(ctx context.Context, req *proto.Val
 		"email":   user.Email,
 	}).Debug("ValidateSession: access granted")
 
-	groupIDs, groupNames := pairGroupIDsAndNames(userGroups)
 	return &proto.ValidateSessionResponse{
 		Valid:          true,
 		UserId:         user.Id,
@@ -1793,6 +1888,66 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) ValidateSession(ctx context.Context, req *proto.Val
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// deniedSessionResponse builds a denial that carries no identity, for the
+// checks that run before a user of this service's account is resolved.
+func deniedSessionResponse(reason string) *proto.ValidateSessionResponse {
+	return &proto.ValidateSessionResponse{
+		Valid:        false,
+		DeniedReason: reason,
+	}
+}
+
+// sessionTokenSubject verifies the session token against the service's session
+// key and returns the user it was minted for, or the reason it cannot be
+// trusted.
+func sessionTokenSubject(domain string, service *rpservice.Service, sessionToken string) (userID, deniedReason string) {
+	pubKeyBytes, err := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(service.SessionPublicKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"domain": domain,
+			"error":  err.Error(),
+		}).Error("ValidateSession: decode public key")
+		return "", "invalid_service_config"
+	}
+
+	userID, _, _, _, _, err = proxyauth.ValidateSessionJWT(sessionToken, domain, pubKeyBytes)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"domain": domain,
+			"error":  err.Error(),
+		}).Debug("ValidateSession: invalid session token")
+		return "", "invalid_token"
+	}
+
+	return userID, ""
+}
+
+// accountUserDeniedReason gates a user of the service's own account, returning
+// an empty string when access is granted. Account status comes before group
+// membership: a user awaiting approval or blocked has no access regardless of
+// the groups they were auto-assigned.
+func (s *ProxyServiceServer) accountUserDeniedReason(domain string, service *rpservice.Service, user *types.User) string {
+	if reason := userStatusDeniedReason(user); reason != "" {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"domain":  domain,
+			"user_id": user.Id,
+			"reason":  reason,
+		}).Debug("ValidateSession: user status denies access")
+		return reason
+	}
+
+	if err := s.checkGroupAccess(service, user); err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"domain":  domain,
+			"user_id": user.Id,
+			"error":   err.Error(),
+		}).Debug("ValidateSession: access denied")
+		return "not_in_group"
+	}
+
+	return ""
+}
+
 func (s *ProxyServiceServer) getServiceByDomain(ctx context.Context, domain string) (*rpservice.Service, error) {
 	service, err := s.serviceManager.GetServiceByDomain(ctx, domain)
 	if err == nil {
@@ -1907,7 +2062,20 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) ValidateTunnelPeer(ctx context.Context, req *proto.
 	}
 
 	groupIDs, groupNames := pairGroupIDsAndNames(peerGroups)
-	principalID, displayIdentity := s.getTunnelPeerInfo(ctx, domain, service, peer)
+	owner := s.resolvePeerOwner(ctx, peer, service.AccountID)
+	principalID, displayIdentity := s.getTunnelPeerInfo(ctx, domain, service, peer, owner)
+
+	if reason := peerOwnerDeniedReason(peer, owner); reason != "" {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{"domain": domain, "peer_id": peer.ID, "user_id": peer.UserID, "reason": reason}).Debug("ValidateTunnelPeer: owner status denies access")
+		return &proto.ValidateTunnelPeerResponse{
+			Valid:          false,
+			UserId:         principalID,
+			UserEmail:      displayIdentity,
+			DeniedReason:   reason,
+			PeerGroupIds:   groupIDs,
+			PeerGroupNames: groupNames,
+		}, nil
+	}
 
 	if err := checkPeerGroupAccess(service, groupIDs); err != nil {
 		log.WithFields(log.Fields{"domain": domain, "peer_id": peer.ID, "error": err.Error()}).Debug("ValidateTunnelPeer: access denied")
@@ -1944,9 +2112,55 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) ValidateTunnelPeer(ctx context.Context, req *proto.
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// resolvePeerOwner returns the user a peer is linked to, once per request so
+// the status gate and the identity resolution below share a single lookup.
+// Unlinked peers (machine agents) have no owner. A lookup that fails returns
+// nil rather than an error: both callers treat an unresolved owner the same
+// way, and neither may trust one it could not read.
+func (s *ProxyServiceServer) resolvePeerOwner(ctx context.Context, peer *peer.Peer, accountID string) *types.User {
+	if peer.UserID == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	user, err := s.usersManager.GetUser(ctx, peer.UserID)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithContext(ctx).Debugf("ValidateTunnelPeer: look up owner %s of peer %s: %v", peer.UserID, peer.ID, err)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// The lookup is by user ID alone, so a peer row pointing outside the
+	// service's account would otherwise resolve a foreign user. Leave the owner
+	// unresolved instead: the gate denies it, and neither the response nor the
+	// minted token carries an identity from another account.
+	if !sameAccount(user.AccountID, accountID) {
+		log.WithContext(ctx).Debugf("ValidateTunnelPeer: owner %s of peer %s belongs to another account", peer.UserID, peer.ID)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return user
+}
+
+// peerOwnerDeniedReason gates the mesh fast-path on the account status of the
+// peer's owning user, so a user blocked after registering a peer loses
+// mesh-origin access too. Unlinked peers (machine agents) have no owner to gate
+// on and stay first-class callers. An owner the store cannot resolve denies:
+// an unavailable lookup must not grant access.
+func peerOwnerDeniedReason(peer *peer.Peer, owner *types.User) string {
+	if peer.UserID == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	if owner == nil {
+		return deniedReasonUserNotFound
+	}
+
+	return userStatusDeniedReason(owner)
+}
+
 // getTunnelPeerInfo returns the principal ID and display name for a peer, e.g. a
-// user or peer ID, and peer name or user email.
-func (s *ProxyServiceServer) getTunnelPeerInfo(ctx context.Context, domain string, service *rpservice.Service, peer *peer.Peer) (string, string) {
+// user or peer ID, and peer name or user email. owner is the already-resolved
+// user the peer is linked to, or nil.
+func (s *ProxyServiceServer) getTunnelPeerInfo(ctx context.Context, domain string, service *rpservice.Service, peer *peer.Peer, owner *types.User) (string, string) {
 	// Resolve the principal: when the peer is linked to a user, the human is the
 	// principal so multiple peers owned by the same user share a single
 	// identity. Unlinked peers (machine agents) are their own principal keyed on
@@ -1963,10 +2177,10 @@ func (s *ProxyServiceServer) getTunnelPeerInfo(ctx context.Context, domain strin
 	principalID := peer.UserID
 	displayIdentity := peer.Name
 	// Stored column first (cheap, but often empty for OIDC-provisioned users).
-	if user, uerr := s.usersManager.GetUser(ctx, peer.UserID); uerr == nil && user != nil {
-		principalID = user.Id
-		if user.Email != "" {
-			displayIdentity = user.Email
+	if owner != nil {
+		principalID = owner.Id
+		if owner.Email != "" {
+			displayIdentity = owner.Email
 		}
 	}
 	// IdP enrichment wins when available — the stored email column is a

management/internals/shared/grpc/proxy_auth_attempts_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+package grpc
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/golang/mock/gomock"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"golang.org/x/time/rate"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/metadata"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
+
+	rpservice "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service"
+	proxyauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/proxy/auth"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/hash/argon2id"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/management/proto"
+)
+
+const authAttemptsHeaderName = "X-API-Key"
+
+func newAuthAttemptsTestServer(t *testing.T) *ProxyServiceServer {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	firstHash, err := argon2id.Hash("first-key")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	secondHash, err := argon2id.Hash("second-key")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	svc := &rpservice.Service{
+		ID:     "svc1",
+		Domain: "example.com",
+		Auth: rpservice.AuthConfig{
+			HeaderAuths: []*rpservice.HeaderAuthConfig{
+				{Enabled: true, Header: authAttemptsHeaderName, Value: firstHash},
+				{Enabled: true, Header: authAttemptsHeaderName, Value: secondHash},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	ctrl := gomock.NewController(t)
+	mgr := rpservice.NewMockManager(ctrl)
+	mgr.EXPECT().GetServiceByID(gomock.Any(), gomock.Any(), gomock.Any()).Return(svc, nil).AnyTimes()
+
+	limiter := newAuthFailureLimiter()
+	t.Cleanup(limiter.stop)
+	clientLimiter := newAuthClientLimiter()
+	t.Cleanup(clientLimiter.stop)
+
+	mac := make([]byte, sha256.Size)
+	_, err = rand.Read(mac)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	return &ProxyServiceServer{
+		serviceManager:     mgr,
+		authAttemptLimiter: limiter,
+		authClientLimiter:  clientLimiter,
+		authFailureMAC:     mac,
+	}
+}
+
+func clientIPContext(ip string) context.Context {
+	return metadata.NewIncomingContext(context.Background(), metadata.Pairs(proxyauth.ClientIPMetadataKey, ip))
+}
+
+func authAttemptsRequest(credential string) *proto.AuthenticateRequest {
+	return &proto.AuthenticateRequest{
+		Id:        "svc1",
+		AccountId: "acc1",
+		Request: &proto.AuthenticateRequest_HeaderAuth{
+			HeaderAuth: &proto.HeaderAuthRequest{
+				HeaderName:  authAttemptsHeaderName,
+				HeaderValue: credential,
+			},
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAuthenticate_ValidCredentialIsNeverRateLimited(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newAuthAttemptsTestServer(t)
+
+	for i := 0; i < proxyAuthFailureBurst*2; i++ {
+		resp, err := s.Authenticate(context.Background(), authAttemptsRequest("first-key"))
+		require.NoError(t, err, "a valid credential must never be throttled (attempt %d)", i)
+		require.True(t, resp.GetSuccess())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAuthenticate_FailedCredentialIsRateLimited(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newAuthAttemptsTestServer(t)
+
+	for i := 0; i < proxyAuthFailureBurst; i++ {
+		resp, err := s.Authenticate(context.Background(), authAttemptsRequest("wrong-key"))
+		require.NoError(t, err, "attempt %d should be within the failure budget", i)
+		require.False(t, resp.GetSuccess())
+	}
+
+	_, err := s.Authenticate(context.Background(), authAttemptsRequest("wrong-key"))
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, codes.ResourceExhausted, status.Code(err))
+}
+
+func TestAuthenticate_ThrottledCredentialDoesNotAffectOthers(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newAuthAttemptsTestServer(t)
+
+	for i := 0; i < proxyAuthFailureBurst+2; i++ {
+		_, _ = s.Authenticate(context.Background(), authAttemptsRequest("wrong-key"))
+	}
+
+	resp, err := s.Authenticate(context.Background(), authAttemptsRequest("first-key"))
+	require.NoError(t, err, "one throttled credential must not block a valid one")
+	assert.True(t, resp.GetSuccess())
+
+	resp, err = s.Authenticate(context.Background(), authAttemptsRequest("second-key"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, resp.GetSuccess())
+
+	_, err = s.Authenticate(context.Background(), authAttemptsRequest("another-wrong-key"))
+	require.NoError(t, err, "a different failing credential has its own budget")
+}
+
+func TestAuthenticate_DistinctCredentialsThrottledPerClient(t *testing.T) {
+	const budget = 3
+
+	s := newAuthAttemptsTestServer(t)
+	s.authClientLimiter.stop()
+	s.authClientLimiter = newAuthLimiter(rate.Every(time.Hour), budget)
+	t.Cleanup(s.authClientLimiter.stop)
+
+	ctx := clientIPContext("198.51.100.7")
+
+	for i := 0; i < budget; i++ {
+		resp, err := s.Authenticate(ctx, authAttemptsRequest(fmt.Sprintf("garbage-%d", i)))
+		require.NoError(t, err, "attempt %d should be within the client budget", i)
+		require.False(t, resp.GetSuccess())
+	}
+
+	_, err := s.Authenticate(ctx, authAttemptsRequest("garbage-final"))
+	require.Error(t, err, "a client rotating distinct credentials must be throttled")
+	assert.Equal(t, codes.ResourceExhausted, status.Code(err))
+
+	other := clientIPContext("198.51.100.8")
+	resp, err := s.Authenticate(other, authAttemptsRequest("first-key"))
+	require.NoError(t, err, "a different client must be unaffected")
+	assert.True(t, resp.GetSuccess())
+}
+
+func TestAuthenticate_OneStaleCredentialDoesNotExhaustSharedClientBudget(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newAuthAttemptsTestServer(t)
+	ctx := clientIPContext("198.51.100.9")
+
+	for i := 0; i < proxyAuthFailureBurst*4; i++ {
+		_, _ = s.Authenticate(ctx, authAttemptsRequest("stale-key"))
+	}
+
+	resp, err := s.Authenticate(ctx, authAttemptsRequest("first-key"))
+	require.NoError(t, err, "one client stuck on a stale key must not block others behind the same NAT")
+	assert.True(t, resp.GetSuccess())
+}
+
+func TestAuthenticate_ProxyWithoutClientIPIsNotClientLimited(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newAuthAttemptsTestServer(t)
+
+	for i := 0; i < proxyAuthFailureBurst*2; i++ {
+		_, _ = s.Authenticate(context.Background(), authAttemptsRequest(fmt.Sprintf("garbage-%d", i)))
+	}
+
+	resp, err := s.Authenticate(context.Background(), authAttemptsRequest("first-key"))
+	require.NoError(t, err, "an old proxy must not have its clients share one budget")
+	assert.True(t, resp.GetSuccess())
+}
+
+func TestAuthenticate_MalformedClientIPIsIgnored(t *testing.T) {
+	s := newAuthAttemptsTestServer(t)
+	ctx := clientIPContext("not-an-ip")
+
+	for i := 0; i < proxyAuthFailureBurst*2; i++ {
+		_, _ = s.Authenticate(ctx, authAttemptsRequest(fmt.Sprintf("garbage-%d", i)))
+	}
+
+	resp, err := s.Authenticate(ctx, authAttemptsRequest("first-key"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, resp.GetSuccess())
+}

management/internals/shared/grpc/proxy_auth_ratelimit.go

@@ -18,12 +18,16 @@ const (
 	proxyAuthLimiterCleanup = 5 * time.Minute
 	// proxyAuthLimiterTTL is how long a limiter is kept after the last failure.
 	proxyAuthLimiterTTL = 15 * time.Minute
+
+	proxyAuthClientBurst = 30
 )
 
 // defaultProxyAuthFailureRate is the token replenishment rate for failed auth attempts.
 // One token every 12 seconds = 5 per minute.
 var defaultProxyAuthFailureRate = rate.Every(12 * time.Second)
 
+var defaultProxyAuthClientRate = rate.Limit(1)
+
 // clientIP identifies a client by its IP address for rate limiting purposes.
 type clientIP = string
 
@@ -37,6 +41,7 @@ type authFailureLimiter struct {
 	mu          sync.Mutex
 	limiters    map[clientIP]*limiterEntry
 	failureRate rate.Limit
+	burst       int
 	cancel      context.CancelFunc
 }
 
@@ -45,10 +50,19 @@ func newAuthFailureLimiter() *authFailureLimiter {
 }
 
 func newAuthFailureLimiterWithRate(failureRate rate.Limit) *authFailureLimiter {
+	return newAuthLimiter(failureRate, proxyAuthFailureBurst)
+}
+
+func newAuthClientLimiter() *authFailureLimiter {
+	return newAuthLimiter(defaultProxyAuthClientRate, proxyAuthClientBurst)
+}
+
+func newAuthLimiter(failureRate rate.Limit, burst int) *authFailureLimiter {
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
 	l := &authFailureLimiter{
 		limiters:    make(map[clientIP]*limiterEntry),
 		failureRate: failureRate,
+		burst:       burst,
 		cancel:      cancel,
 	}
 	go l.cleanupLoop(ctx)
@@ -77,7 +91,7 @@ func (l *authFailureLimiter) recordFailure(ip clientIP) {
 	entry, exists := l.limiters[ip]
 	if !exists {
 		entry = &limiterEntry{
-			limiter: rate.NewLimiter(l.failureRate, proxyAuthFailureBurst),
+			limiter: rate.NewLimiter(l.failureRate, l.burst),
 		}
 		l.limiters[ip] = entry
 	}

management/internals/shared/grpc/proxy_group_access_test.go

@@ -119,11 +119,13 @@ func (m *mockReverseProxyManager) GetClusters(_ context.Context, _, _ string) ([
 }
 
 type mockUsersManager struct {
-	users map[string]*types.User
-	err   error
+	users        map[string]*types.User
+	err          error
+	getUserCalls int
 }
 
 func (m *mockUsersManager) GetUser(ctx context.Context, userID string) (*types.User, error) {
+	m.getUserCalls++
 	if m.err != nil {
 		return nil, m.err
 	}
@@ -350,6 +352,64 @@ func TestValidateUserGroupAccess(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expectErr: false,
 		},
+		{
+			name:   "user pending approval denied despite group membership",
+			domain: "app.example.com",
+			userID: "user1",
+			proxiesByAccount: map[string][]*service.Service{
+				"account1": {{
+					Domain:    "app.example.com",
+					AccountID: "account1",
+					Auth: service.AuthConfig{
+						BearerAuth: &service.BearerAuthConfig{
+							Enabled:            true,
+							DistributionGroups: []string{"group1"},
+						},
+					},
+				}},
+			},
+			users: map[string]*types.User{
+				// The approval flow stores a pending user as blocked as well.
+				"user1": {Id: "user1", AccountID: "account1", AutoGroups: []string{"group1"}, Blocked: true, PendingApproval: true},
+			},
+			expectErr:    true,
+			expectErrMsg: "user pending approval",
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "blocked user denied despite group membership",
+			domain: "app.example.com",
+			userID: "user1",
+			proxiesByAccount: map[string][]*service.Service{
+				"account1": {{
+					Domain:    "app.example.com",
+					AccountID: "account1",
+					Auth: service.AuthConfig{
+						BearerAuth: &service.BearerAuthConfig{
+							Enabled:            true,
+							DistributionGroups: []string{"group1"},
+						},
+					},
+				}},
+			},
+			users: map[string]*types.User{
+				"user1": {Id: "user1", AccountID: "account1", AutoGroups: []string{"group1"}, Blocked: true},
+			},
+			expectErr:    true,
+			expectErrMsg: "user blocked",
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "blocked user denied on a service with no auth configured",
+			domain: "app.example.com",
+			userID: "user1",
+			proxiesByAccount: map[string][]*service.Service{
+				"account1": {{Domain: "app.example.com", AccountID: "account1", Auth: service.AuthConfig{}}},
+			},
+			users: map[string]*types.User{
+				"user1": {Id: "user1", AccountID: "account1", Blocked: true},
+			},
+			expectErr:    true,
+			expectErrMsg: "user blocked",
+		},
 		{
 			name:             "proxy manager error",
 			domain:           "app.example.com",
@@ -421,17 +481,18 @@ func TestValidateTunnelPeerUserEmailEnrichment(t *testing.T) {
 	storedUserNoEmail := map[string]*types.User{userID: {Id: userID, AccountID: accountID, Email: ""}}
 
 	tests := []struct {
-		name         string
-		peerUserID   string
-		storedUsers  map[string]*types.User
-		storedErr    error
-		noIdP        bool
-		idpEmail     string
-		idpHasData   bool
-		idpErr       error
-		expectEmail  string
-		expectUserID string
-		expectIdPHit bool
+		name               string
+		peerUserID         string
+		storedUsers        map[string]*types.User
+		storedErr          error
+		noIdP              bool
+		idpEmail           string
+		idpHasData         bool
+		idpErr             error
+		expectEmail        string
+		expectUserID       string
+		expectIdPHit       bool
+		expectDeniedReason string
 	}{
 		{
 			name:         "idp email wins over stored email",
@@ -490,14 +551,17 @@ func TestValidateTunnelPeerUserEmailEnrichment(t *testing.T) {
 			expectIdPHit: true,
 		},
 		{
-			name:         "idp email when stored user missing keeps peer.UserID as principal",
-			peerUserID:   userID,
-			storedUsers:  map[string]*types.User{},
-			idpEmail:     "idp@example.com",
-			idpHasData:   true,
-			expectEmail:  "idp@example.com",
-			expectUserID: userID,
-			expectIdPHit: true,
+			// The identity still resolves from the IdP, but an owner the store
+			// cannot resolve denies the fast-path rather than granting it.
+			name:               "idp email when stored user missing keeps peer.UserID as principal",
+			peerUserID:         userID,
+			storedUsers:        map[string]*types.User{},
+			idpEmail:           "idp@example.com",
+			idpHasData:         true,
+			expectEmail:        "idp@example.com",
+			expectUserID:       userID,
+			expectIdPHit:       true,
+			expectDeniedReason: deniedReasonUserNotFound,
 		},
 		{
 			name:         "unlinked peer uses peer name and never consults idp",
@@ -545,9 +609,13 @@ func TestValidateTunnelPeerUserEmailEnrichment(t *testing.T) {
 
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 			require.NotNil(t, resp)
-			assert.True(t, resp.GetValid(), "expected access granted")
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectDeniedReason == "", resp.GetValid(), "unexpected access decision")
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectDeniedReason, resp.GetDeniedReason(), "unexpected denied reason")
 			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectEmail, resp.GetUserEmail())
 			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectUserID, resp.GetUserId())
+			if tt.expectDeniedReason != "" {
+				assert.Empty(t, resp.GetSessionToken(), "a denied peer must not receive a session token")
+			}
 
 			if idpMock != nil {
 				if tt.expectIdPHit {
@@ -562,6 +630,121 @@ func TestValidateTunnelPeerUserEmailEnrichment(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestDeniedReasonValues pins the wire values of the account status denied
+// reasons. The proxy logs them and operators filter access logs on them, so a
+// rename is a breaking change rather than an internal detail.
+// TestSameAccount pins the fail-closed behaviour of the account binding: an
+// unset account on either side must never compare equal into a grant.
+func TestSameAccount(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.True(t, sameAccount("account1", "account1"), "matching accounts should bind")
+	assert.False(t, sameAccount("account1", "account2"), "different accounts must not bind")
+	assert.False(t, sameAccount("", ""), "two unset accounts must not bind")
+	assert.False(t, sameAccount("account1", ""), "an unset service account must not bind")
+	assert.False(t, sameAccount("", "account1"), "an unset user account must not bind")
+}
+
+func TestDeniedReasonValues(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.Equal(t, "pending_approval", deniedReasonPendingApproval, "pending approval denied reason wire value")
+	assert.Equal(t, "user_blocked", deniedReasonUserBlocked, "blocked user denied reason wire value")
+	assert.Equal(t, "user_not_found", deniedReasonUserNotFound, "unresolved user denied reason wire value")
+}
+
+// TestValidateTunnelPeerOwnerStatus verifies that the mesh fast-path gates on
+// the account status of the peer's owning user. A peer whose owner was blocked
+// after the peer registered must lose access, while an unlinked machine peer
+// keeps it.
+func TestValidateTunnelPeerOwnerStatus(t *testing.T) {
+	const (
+		domain    = "app.example.com"
+		accountID = "account1"
+		peerID    = "peer1"
+		peerName  = "peer-display-name"
+		userID    = "user1"
+	)
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name               string
+		peerUserID         string
+		owner              *types.User
+		expectDeniedReason string
+		expectEmail        string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:       "active owner allowed",
+			peerUserID: userID,
+			owner:      &types.User{Id: userID, AccountID: accountID, Email: "user@example.com"},
+		},
+		{
+			name:               "owner pending approval denied",
+			peerUserID:         userID,
+			owner:              &types.User{Id: userID, AccountID: accountID, Email: "user@example.com", Blocked: true, PendingApproval: true},
+			expectDeniedReason: deniedReasonPendingApproval,
+		},
+		{
+			name:               "owner blocked after registering the peer denied",
+			peerUserID:         userID,
+			owner:              &types.User{Id: userID, AccountID: accountID, Email: "user@example.com", Blocked: true},
+			expectDeniedReason: deniedReasonUserBlocked,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "unlinked machine peer stays allowed",
+			peerUserID: "",
+			owner:      &types.User{Id: userID, AccountID: accountID, Blocked: true},
+		},
+		{
+			// The user lookup is not account-scoped, so a peer row pointing at
+			// another account's user must not resolve into an owner: the peer is
+			// denied and the foreign email never reaches the response.
+			name:               "owner in another account denied and not disclosed",
+			peerUserID:         userID,
+			owner:              &types.User{Id: userID, AccountID: "otherAccount", Email: "foreign@example.com"},
+			expectDeniedReason: deniedReasonUserNotFound,
+			expectEmail:        peerName,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			svc := &service.Service{Domain: domain, AccountID: accountID}
+			usersManager := &mockUsersManager{users: map[string]*types.User{userID: tt.owner}}
+			server := &ProxyServiceServer{
+				serviceManager: &mockReverseProxyManager{
+					proxiesByAccount: map[string][]*service.Service{accountID: {svc}},
+				},
+				peersManager: &mockTunnelPeersManager{
+					peer: &peer.Peer{ID: peerID, Name: peerName, UserID: tt.peerUserID},
+				},
+				usersManager: usersManager,
+			}
+
+			resp, err := server.ValidateTunnelPeer(context.Background(), &proto.ValidateTunnelPeerRequest{
+				Domain:   domain,
+				TunnelIp: "100.64.0.1",
+			})
+
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			require.NotNil(t, resp)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectDeniedReason, resp.GetDeniedReason(), "unexpected denied reason")
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expectDeniedReason == "", resp.GetValid(), "unexpected access decision")
+			if tt.expectDeniedReason != "" {
+				assert.Empty(t, resp.GetSessionToken(), "a denied peer must not receive a session token")
+			}
+
+			if tt.expectEmail != "" {
+				assert.Equal(t, tt.expectEmail, resp.GetUserEmail(), "unexpected identity on the response")
+			}
+
+			// The status gate and the identity resolution share one lookup;
+			// an unlinked peer has no owner to look up at all.
+			wantLookups := 1
+			if tt.peerUserID == "" {
+				wantLookups = 0
+			}
+			assert.Equal(t, wantLookups, usersManager.getUserCalls, "owner must be resolved exactly once per request")
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestGetAccountProxyByDomain(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name             string

management/internals/shared/grpc/validate_session_test.go

@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ func setupValidateSessionTest(t *testing.T) *validateSessionTestSetup {
 	proxyService.SetServiceManager(serviceManager)
 
 	createTestProxies(t, ctx, testStore)
+	createStatusTestUsers(t, ctx, testStore)
 
 	return &validateSessionTestSetup{
 		proxyService: proxyService,
@@ -91,6 +92,82 @@ func createTestProxies(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context, testStore store.Store)
 		},
 	}
 	require.NoError(t, testStore.CreateService(ctx, restrictedProxy))
+
+	// Distributed to the account's "All" group, the configuration that hands a
+	// service to every user in the account.
+	allUsersProxy := &service.Service{
+		ID:                "allUsersProxyId",
+		AccountID:         "testAccountId",
+		Name:              "All Users Proxy",
+		Domain:            "all-users-proxy.example.com",
+		Enabled:           true,
+		SessionPrivateKey: privKey,
+		SessionPublicKey:  pubKey,
+		Auth: service.AuthConfig{
+			BearerAuth: &service.BearerAuthConfig{
+				Enabled:            true,
+				DistributionGroups: []string{allUsersGroupID},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	require.NoError(t, testStore.CreateService(ctx, allUsersProxy))
+}
+
+const (
+	allUsersGroupID   = "allUsersGroupId"
+	pendingUserID     = "pendingUserId"
+	blockedUserID     = "blockedUserId"
+	pendingAllUsersID = "pendingAllUsersUserId"
+)
+
+// createStatusTestUsers adds the users whose account status must keep them out
+// of a proxy session. A user awaiting approval is persisted as both blocked and
+// pending approval, the way the approval flow stores one.
+func createStatusTestUsers(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context, testStore store.Store) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	require.NoError(t, testStore.CreateGroup(ctx, &types.Group{
+		ID:        allUsersGroupID,
+		AccountID: "testAccountId",
+		Name:      "All",
+		Issued:    types.GroupIssuedAPI,
+	}))
+
+	users := []*types.User{
+		{
+			Id:              pendingUserID,
+			AccountID:       "testAccountId",
+			Role:            types.UserRoleUser,
+			AutoGroups:      []string{"allowedGroupId"},
+			Blocked:         true,
+			PendingApproval: true,
+			Issued:          "api",
+			CreatedAt:       time.Now(),
+		},
+		{
+			Id:              pendingAllUsersID,
+			AccountID:       "testAccountId",
+			Role:            types.UserRoleUser,
+			AutoGroups:      []string{allUsersGroupID},
+			Blocked:         true,
+			PendingApproval: true,
+			Issued:          "api",
+			CreatedAt:       time.Now(),
+		},
+		{
+			Id:              blockedUserID,
+			AccountID:       "testAccountId",
+			Role:            types.UserRoleUser,
+			AutoGroups:      []string{"allowedGroupId"},
+			Blocked:         true,
+			PendingApproval: false,
+			Issued:          "api",
+			CreatedAt:       time.Now(),
+		},
+	}
+	for _, user := range users {
+		require.NoError(t, testStore.SaveUser(ctx, user))
+	}
 }
 
 func generateSessionKeyPair(t *testing.T) (string, string) {
@@ -149,6 +226,114 @@ func TestValidateSession_UserNotInAllowedGroup(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Empty(t, resp.GetPeerGroupIds(), "PeerGroupIds must mirror the resolved user's actual (empty) memberships on denial")
 }
 
+// TestValidateSession_PendingApprovalUserDenied covers a user who is a member of
+// the service's distribution group but is still waiting for an administrator to
+// approve the account. Group membership alone must not open the service.
+func TestValidateSession_PendingApprovalUserDenied(t *testing.T) {
+	setup := setupValidateSessionTest(t)
+	defer setup.cleanup()
+
+	proxy, err := setup.store.GetServiceByID(context.Background(), store.LockingStrengthNone, "testAccountId", "restrictedProxyId")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	token := createSessionToken(t, proxy.SessionPrivateKey, pendingUserID, "restricted-proxy.example.com")
+
+	resp, err := setup.proxyService.ValidateSession(context.Background(), &proto.ValidateSessionRequest{
+		Domain:       "restricted-proxy.example.com",
+		SessionToken: token,
+	})
+
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, resp.Valid, "User pending approval should be denied")
+	assert.Equal(t, deniedReasonPendingApproval, resp.DeniedReason, "Denied reason should name the pending approval state")
+	assert.Equal(t, pendingUserID, resp.UserId, "Denial should identify the user it applies to")
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"allowedGroupId"}, resp.GetPeerGroupIds(), "PeerGroupIds must mirror the resolved user's group memberships on denial")
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"Allowed Group"}, resp.GetPeerGroupNames(), "PeerGroupNames must pair with PeerGroupIds on denial")
+}
+
+// TestValidateSession_PendingApprovalUserInAllUsersGroupDenied covers the same
+// user against a service distributed to the account's "All" group, where every
+// user of the account is a member by default.
+func TestValidateSession_PendingApprovalUserInAllUsersGroupDenied(t *testing.T) {
+	setup := setupValidateSessionTest(t)
+	defer setup.cleanup()
+
+	proxy, err := setup.store.GetServiceByID(context.Background(), store.LockingStrengthNone, "testAccountId", "allUsersProxyId")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	token := createSessionToken(t, proxy.SessionPrivateKey, pendingAllUsersID, "all-users-proxy.example.com")
+
+	resp, err := setup.proxyService.ValidateSession(context.Background(), &proto.ValidateSessionRequest{
+		Domain:       "all-users-proxy.example.com",
+		SessionToken: token,
+	})
+
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, resp.Valid, "User pending approval should be denied even in the All Users group")
+	assert.Equal(t, deniedReasonPendingApproval, resp.DeniedReason, "Denied reason should name the pending approval state")
+	assert.Equal(t, pendingAllUsersID, resp.UserId, "Denial should identify the user it applies to")
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{allUsersGroupID}, resp.GetPeerGroupIds(), "PeerGroupIds must mirror the resolved user's group memberships on denial")
+}
+
+// TestValidateSession_BlockedUserDenied covers a user blocked after having been
+// approved, so PendingApproval is false and only the blocked flag is set.
+func TestValidateSession_BlockedUserDenied(t *testing.T) {
+	setup := setupValidateSessionTest(t)
+	defer setup.cleanup()
+
+	proxy, err := setup.store.GetServiceByID(context.Background(), store.LockingStrengthNone, "testAccountId", "restrictedProxyId")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	token := createSessionToken(t, proxy.SessionPrivateKey, blockedUserID, "restricted-proxy.example.com")
+
+	resp, err := setup.proxyService.ValidateSession(context.Background(), &proto.ValidateSessionRequest{
+		Domain:       "restricted-proxy.example.com",
+		SessionToken: token,
+	})
+
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, resp.Valid, "Blocked user should be denied")
+	assert.Equal(t, deniedReasonUserBlocked, resp.DeniedReason, "Denied reason should name the blocked state")
+	assert.Equal(t, blockedUserID, resp.UserId, "Denial should identify the user it applies to")
+}
+
+// TestValidateSession_UserAllowedAfterApproval walks the same session token
+// through the approval transition: denied while pending, allowed once an
+// administrator clears both flags.
+func TestValidateSession_UserAllowedAfterApproval(t *testing.T) {
+	setup := setupValidateSessionTest(t)
+	defer setup.cleanup()
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	proxy, err := setup.store.GetServiceByID(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, "testAccountId", "restrictedProxyId")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	token := createSessionToken(t, proxy.SessionPrivateKey, pendingUserID, "restricted-proxy.example.com")
+	req := &proto.ValidateSessionRequest{
+		Domain:       "restricted-proxy.example.com",
+		SessionToken: token,
+	}
+
+	resp, err := setup.proxyService.ValidateSession(ctx, req)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.False(t, resp.Valid, "User pending approval should be denied before approval")
+	assert.Equal(t, deniedReasonPendingApproval, resp.DeniedReason, "Denied reason should name the pending approval state")
+
+	user, err := setup.store.GetUserByUserID(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, pendingUserID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	user.PendingApproval = false
+	user.Blocked = false
+	require.NoError(t, setup.store.SaveUser(ctx, user))
+
+	resp, err = setup.proxyService.ValidateSession(ctx, req)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, resp.Valid, "Approved user should be allowed access")
+	assert.Empty(t, resp.DeniedReason)
+	assert.Equal(t, pendingUserID, resp.UserId, "Approved user should be identified in the response")
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"allowedGroupId"}, resp.GetPeerGroupIds(), "PeerGroupIds must mirror the approved user's group memberships")
+}
+
 func TestValidateSession_UserInDifferentAccount(t *testing.T) {
 	setup := setupValidateSessionTest(t)
 	defer setup.cleanup()

management/server/account.go

@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import (
 	nbconfig "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/server/config"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/account"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/activity"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/affectedpeers"
 	nbcache "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/cache"
 	nbcontext "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/context"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/geolocation"
@@ -1626,6 +1627,8 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) SyncUserJWTGroups(ctx context.Context, userAuth
 	var removeOldGroups []string
 	var hasChanges bool
 	var user *types.User
+	var change affectedpeers.Change
+	var snap *affectedpeers.Snapshot
 	err = am.Store.ExecuteInTransaction(ctx, func(transaction store.Store) error {
 		user, err = transaction.GetUserByUserID(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, userAuth.UserId)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -1664,14 +1667,25 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) SyncUserJWTGroups(ctx context.Context, userAuth
 			return fmt.Errorf("error saving user: %w", err)
 		}
 
+		allGroupChanges := slices.Concat(addNewGroups, removeOldGroups)
+		// The user's auto-groups changed, so the SSH rules authorizing them ship a new
+		// group -> user mapping even when no peer moves between groups.
+		change.UserGroupIDs = allGroupChanges
+
+		// The user's peers are the changed entity in every scenario the sync can
+		// produce — group membership, IPv6 assignment, SSH mappings — so they refresh
+		// together with every peer they can connect to, like on a regular peer update.
+		userPeers, err := transaction.GetUserPeers(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, userAuth.AccountId, userAuth.UserId)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("error getting user peers: %w", err)
+		}
+		for _, peer := range userPeers {
+			change.ChangedPeerIDs = append(change.ChangedPeerIDs, peer.ID)
+		}
+
 		// Propagate changes to peers if group propagation is enabled
 		if settings.GroupsPropagationEnabled {
-			peers, err := transaction.GetUserPeers(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, userAuth.AccountId, userAuth.UserId)
-			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("error getting user peers: %w", err)
-			}
-
-			for _, peer := range peers {
+			for _, peer := range userPeers {
 				for _, g := range addNewGroups {
 					if err := transaction.AddPeerToGroup(ctx, userAuth.AccountId, peer.ID, g); err != nil {
 						return fmt.Errorf("error adding peer %s to group %s: %w", peer.ID, g, err)
@@ -1684,7 +1698,8 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) SyncUserJWTGroups(ctx context.Context, userAuth
 				}
 			}
 
-			allGroupChanges := slices.Concat(addNewGroups, removeOldGroups)
+			change.LinkGroups = allGroupChanges
+
 			if err = am.reconcileIPv6ForGroupChanges(ctx, transaction, userAuth.AccountId, allGroupChanges); err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("reconcile IPv6 for group changes: %w", err)
 			}
@@ -1694,6 +1709,10 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) SyncUserJWTGroups(ctx context.Context, userAuth
 			}
 		}
 
+		if snap, err = affectedpeers.Load(ctx, transaction, userAuth.AccountId, change); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
 		return nil
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -1730,20 +1749,17 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) SyncUserJWTGroups(ctx context.Context, userAuth
 		}
 	}
 
-	removedGroupAffectsPeers, err := areGroupChangesAffectPeers(ctx, am.Store, userAuth.AccountId, removeOldGroups)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	newGroupsAffectsPeers, err := areGroupChangesAffectPeers(ctx, am.Store, userAuth.AccountId, addNewGroups)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	if removedGroupAffectsPeers || newGroupsAffectsPeers {
-		log.WithContext(ctx).Tracef("user %s: JWT group membership changed, updating account peers", userAuth.UserId)
-		am.BufferUpdateAccountPeers(ctx, userAuth.AccountId, types.UpdateReason{Resource: types.UpdateResourceUser, Operation: types.UpdateOperationUpdate})
-	}
+	log.WithContext(ctx).Tracef("user %s: JWT group membership changed, updating affected peers", userAuth.UserId)
+	bgCtx := context.WithoutCancel(ctx)
+	go func() {
+		affectedPeerIDs := snap.Expand(bgCtx, userAuth.AccountId, change)
+		if len(affectedPeerIDs) == 0 {
+			return
+		}
+		if err := am.networkMapController.BufferUpdateAffectedPeers(bgCtx, userAuth.AccountId, affectedPeerIDs, types.UpdateReason{Resource: types.UpdateResourceUser, Operation: types.UpdateOperationUpdate}); err != nil {
+			log.WithContext(bgCtx).Errorf("failed to update affected peers after JWT group sync for account %s: %v", userAuth.AccountId, err)
+		}
+	}()
 
 	return nil
 }
@@ -2426,30 +2442,24 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) reconcileIPv6ForGroupChanges(ctx context.Contex
 		return fmt.Errorf("get account settings: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	if len(settings.IPv6EnabledGroups) == 0 {
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	enabledSet := make(map[string]struct{}, len(settings.IPv6EnabledGroups))
-	for _, gid := range settings.IPv6EnabledGroups {
-		enabledSet[gid] = struct{}{}
-	}
-
-	affected := false
-	for _, gid := range groupIDs {
-		if _, ok := enabledSet[gid]; ok {
-			affected = true
-			break
-		}
-	}
-
-	if !affected {
+	if !ipv6ReconcileNeeded(settings, groupIDs) {
 		return nil
 	}
 
 	return am.updatePeerIPv6Addresses(ctx, transaction, accountID, settings)
 }
 
+// ipv6ReconcileNeeded reports whether changes to the given groups trigger an IPv6
+// reconciliation.
+func ipv6ReconcileNeeded(settings *types.Settings, groupIDs []string) bool {
+	for _, groupID := range groupIDs {
+		if slices.Contains(settings.IPv6EnabledGroups, groupID) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func (am *DefaultAccountManager) ensureIPv6Subnet(ctx context.Context, transaction store.Store, accountID string, settings *types.Settings, network *types.Network) error {
 	if settings.NetworkRangeV6.IsValid() {
 		network.NetV6 = net.IPNet{

management/server/account_test.go

@@ -1757,6 +1757,7 @@ func TestAccount_Copy(t *testing.T) {
 				AccountID: "account1",
 			},
 		},
+		PostureValidation: map[string]map[string]bool{"1": {"1": true}},
 	}
 	err := hasNilField(account)
 	if err != nil {

management/server/affected_peers_jwt_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/wgctrl/wgtypes"
+
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/affectedpeers"
+	nbpeer "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/peer"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/store"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/types"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/auth"
+)
+
+// A user's auto-group change refreshes the destinations of the SSH rules authorizing
+// that group — they carry the group -> user mapping — even though no peer moved
+// between groups.
+func TestAffectedPeers_UserGroupChange_RefreshesSSHAuthorizedDestinations(t *testing.T) {
+	manager, s, accountID, peerIDs, groupIDs := setupAffectedPeersTest(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	_, err := manager.SavePolicy(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Policy{
+		Enabled: true,
+		Rules: []*types.PolicyRule{
+			{
+				Enabled:          true,
+				Sources:          []string{groupIDs[0]},
+				Destinations:     []string{groupIDs[1]},
+				Protocol:         types.PolicyRuleProtocolNetbirdSSH,
+				Action:           types.PolicyTrafficActionAccept,
+				AuthorizedGroups: map[string][]string{groupIDs[3]: {"root"}},
+			},
+		},
+	}, true)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	result := resolveAffected(t, s, accountID, affectedpeers.Change{UserGroupIDs: []string{groupIDs[3]}})
+	assert.ElementsMatch(t, []string{peerIDs[1]}, result,
+		"only the SSH rule's destination peers carry the changed group -> user mapping")
+
+	result = resolveAffected(t, s, accountID, affectedpeers.Change{UserGroupIDs: []string{groupIDs[4]}})
+	assert.Empty(t, result, "a group no SSH rule authorizes affects nobody")
+}
+
+// Creating, blocking or unblocking a user changes the account's allowed-user set, which
+// reaches only the destinations of the SSH rules that ship it.
+func TestAffectedPeers_AllowedUsersChange_RefreshesSSHDestinations(t *testing.T) {
+	manager, s, accountID, peerIDs, groupIDs := setupAffectedPeersTest(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// Ships the allowed-user set: an SSH rule naming no groups and no user.
+	_, err := manager.SavePolicy(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Policy{
+		Enabled: true,
+		Rules: []*types.PolicyRule{{
+			Enabled:      true,
+			Sources:      []string{groupIDs[0]},
+			Destinations: []string{groupIDs[1]},
+			Protocol:     types.PolicyRuleProtocolNetbirdSSH,
+			Action:       types.PolicyTrafficActionAccept,
+		}},
+	}, true)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Does not ship it: an SSH rule that authorizes a specific group.
+	_, err = manager.SavePolicy(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Policy{
+		Enabled: true,
+		Rules: []*types.PolicyRule{{
+			Enabled:          true,
+			Sources:          []string{groupIDs[2]},
+			Destinations:     []string{groupIDs[3]},
+			Protocol:         types.PolicyRuleProtocolNetbirdSSH,
+			Action:           types.PolicyTrafficActionAccept,
+			AuthorizedGroups: map[string][]string{groupIDs[0]: {"root"}},
+		}},
+	}, true)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	result := resolveAffected(t, s, accountID, affectedpeers.Change{AllowedUsersChanged: true})
+	assert.ElementsMatch(t, []string{peerIDs[1]}, result,
+		"only the destinations of the rule shipping the allowed-user set refresh")
+}
+
+// TestAffectedPeers_SyncUserJWTGroups_OnlyAffectedPeersUpdated verifies that a JWT
+// auto-group change updates only the user's peers and the peers linked to the changed
+// group through policies, instead of fanning out to the whole account.
+func TestAffectedPeers_SyncUserJWTGroups_OnlyAffectedPeersUpdated(t *testing.T) {
+	manager, updateManager, account, _, peer2, peer3 := setupNetworkMapTest(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	accountID := account.Id
+
+	key, err := wgtypes.GeneratePrivateKey()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	userPeer, _, _, _, err := manager.AddPeer(ctx, accountID, "", userID, &nbpeer.Peer{
+		Key:  key.PublicKey().String(),
+		Meta: nbpeer.PeerSystemMeta{Hostname: "user-peer"},
+	}, false)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	policies, err := manager.Store.GetAccountPolicies(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, accountID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	for _, p := range policies {
+		require.NoError(t, manager.Store.DeletePolicy(ctx, accountID, p.ID))
+	}
+
+	account, err = manager.Store.GetAccount(ctx, accountID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	account.Settings.JWTGroupsEnabled = true
+	account.Settings.JWTGroupsClaimName = "groups"
+	account.Settings.GroupsPropagationEnabled = true
+	require.NoError(t, manager.Store.SaveAccount(ctx, account))
+
+	require.NoError(t, manager.CreateGroup(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Group{ID: "jwt-grp", Name: "jwt-linked", Issued: types.GroupIssuedJWT, Peers: []string{}}))
+	require.NoError(t, manager.CreateGroup(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Group{ID: "jwt-dest", Name: "jwt-dest", Peers: []string{peer2.ID}}))
+
+	_, err = manager.SavePolicy(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Policy{
+		Enabled: true,
+		Rules: []*types.PolicyRule{
+			{
+				Enabled:       true,
+				Sources:       []string{"jwt-grp"},
+				Destinations:  []string{"jwt-dest"},
+				Bidirectional: true,
+				Action:        types.PolicyTrafficActionAccept,
+			},
+		},
+	}, true)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	updUser := updateManager.CreateChannel(ctx, userPeer.ID)
+	upd2 := updateManager.CreateChannel(ctx, peer2.ID)
+	upd3 := updateManager.CreateChannel(ctx, peer3.ID)
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		updateManager.CloseChannel(ctx, userPeer.ID)
+		updateManager.CloseChannel(ctx, peer2.ID)
+		updateManager.CloseChannel(ctx, peer3.ID)
+	})
+
+	userAuth := auth.UserAuth{
+		AccountId: accountID,
+		UserId:    userID,
+		Groups:    []string{"jwt-linked"},
+	}
+
+	t.Run("adding JWT group updates only linked peers", func(t *testing.T) {
+		drainPeerUpdates(updUser)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd2)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd3)
+
+		require.NoError(t, manager.SyncUserJWTGroups(ctx, userAuth))
+
+		peerShouldReceiveUpdate(t, updUser)
+		peerShouldReceiveUpdate(t, upd2)
+		peerShouldNotReceiveUpdate(t, upd3)
+
+		user, err := manager.Store.GetUserByUserID(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, userID)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.Contains(t, user.AutoGroups, "jwt-grp")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("removing JWT group updates only linked peers", func(t *testing.T) {
+		drainPeerUpdates(updUser)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd2)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd3)
+
+		userAuth.Groups = nil
+		require.NoError(t, manager.SyncUserJWTGroups(ctx, userAuth))
+
+		peerShouldReceiveUpdate(t, updUser)
+		peerShouldReceiveUpdate(t, upd2)
+		peerShouldNotReceiveUpdate(t, upd3)
+
+		user, err := manager.Store.GetUserByUserID(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, userID)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.NotContains(t, user.AutoGroups, "jwt-grp")
+	})
+}

management/server/affected_peers_user_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/wgctrl/wgtypes"
+
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/activity"
+	nbpeer "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/peer"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/store"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/types"
+)
+
+// A user update refreshes only the peers its auto-group change reaches, and a user
+// update that changes no group membership refreshes nobody.
+func TestAffectedPeers_SaveUser_OnlyAffectedPeersUpdated(t *testing.T) {
+	manager, updateManager, account, _, peer2, peer3 := setupNetworkMapTest(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	accountID := account.Id
+
+	const targetUserID = "target-user"
+	require.NoError(t, manager.Store.SaveUser(ctx, &types.User{
+		Id: targetUserID, AccountID: accountID, Role: types.UserRoleUser,
+	}))
+
+	key, err := wgtypes.GeneratePrivateKey()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	targetPeer, _, _, _, err := manager.AddPeer(ctx, accountID, "", targetUserID, &nbpeer.Peer{
+		Key:  key.PublicKey().String(),
+		Meta: nbpeer.PeerSystemMeta{Hostname: "target-peer"},
+	}, false)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	policies, err := manager.Store.GetAccountPolicies(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, accountID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	for _, p := range policies {
+		require.NoError(t, manager.Store.DeletePolicy(ctx, accountID, p.ID))
+	}
+
+	account, err = manager.Store.GetAccount(ctx, accountID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	account.Settings.GroupsPropagationEnabled = true
+	require.NoError(t, manager.Store.SaveAccount(ctx, account))
+
+	require.NoError(t, manager.CreateGroup(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Group{ID: "ug-linked", Name: "ug-linked"}))
+	require.NoError(t, manager.CreateGroup(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Group{ID: "ug-dest", Name: "ug-dest", Peers: []string{peer2.ID}}))
+
+	_, err = manager.SavePolicy(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Policy{
+		Enabled: true,
+		Rules: []*types.PolicyRule{
+			{
+				Enabled:       true,
+				Sources:       []string{"ug-linked"},
+				Destinations:  []string{"ug-dest"},
+				Bidirectional: true,
+				Action:        types.PolicyTrafficActionAccept,
+			},
+		},
+	}, true)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	updTarget := updateManager.CreateChannel(ctx, targetPeer.ID)
+	upd2 := updateManager.CreateChannel(ctx, peer2.ID)
+	upd3 := updateManager.CreateChannel(ctx, peer3.ID)
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		updateManager.CloseChannel(ctx, targetPeer.ID)
+		updateManager.CloseChannel(ctx, peer2.ID)
+		updateManager.CloseChannel(ctx, peer3.ID)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("auto group change updates only linked peers", func(t *testing.T) {
+		drainPeerUpdates(updTarget)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd2)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd3)
+
+		_, err := manager.SaveUser(ctx, accountID, activity.SystemInitiator, &types.User{
+			Id: targetUserID, AccountID: accountID, Role: types.UserRoleUser,
+			AutoGroups: []string{"ug-linked"},
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		peerShouldReceiveUpdate(t, updTarget)
+		peerShouldReceiveUpdate(t, upd2)
+		peerShouldNotReceiveUpdate(t, upd3)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("update without group changes refreshes nobody", func(t *testing.T) {
+		drainPeerUpdates(updTarget)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd2)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd3)
+
+		_, err := manager.SaveUser(ctx, accountID, activity.SystemInitiator, &types.User{
+			Id: targetUserID, AccountID: accountID, Role: types.UserRoleUser,
+			AutoGroups: []string{"ug-linked"}, Name: "renamed",
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		peerShouldNotReceiveUpdate(t, updTarget)
+		peerShouldNotReceiveUpdate(t, upd2)
+		peerShouldNotReceiveUpdate(t, upd3)
+
+		user, err := manager.Store.GetUserByUserID(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, targetUserID)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, "renamed", user.Name)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("auto group change reassigning IPv6 refreshes the changed peers and their observers", func(t *testing.T) {
+		account, err := manager.Store.GetAccount(ctx, accountID)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		account.Settings.IPv6EnabledGroups = []string{"ug-v6"}
+		require.NoError(t, manager.Store.SaveAccount(ctx, account))
+		require.NoError(t, manager.CreateGroup(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Group{ID: "ug-v6", Name: "ug-v6"}))
+
+		drainPeerUpdates(updTarget)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd2)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd3)
+
+		_, err = manager.SaveUser(ctx, accountID, activity.SystemInitiator, &types.User{
+			Id: targetUserID, AccountID: accountID, Role: types.UserRoleUser,
+			AutoGroups: []string{"ug-linked", "ug-v6"}, Name: "renamed",
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// The reassigned peer refreshes with everyone it can reach: peer2 via the
+		// policy, but not peer3, which shares no group or policy with it.
+		peerShouldReceiveUpdate(t, updTarget)
+		peerShouldReceiveUpdate(t, upd2)
+		peerShouldNotReceiveUpdate(t, upd3)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("unblocking a user refreshes only the SSH rule destinations", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// An SSH rule that authorizes no group of its own ships the account's
+		// allowed-user set to its destinations, so those are the peers an unblock
+		// reaches — not the whole account.
+		_, err := manager.SavePolicy(ctx, accountID, userID, &types.Policy{
+			Enabled: true,
+			Rules: []*types.PolicyRule{{
+				Enabled:      true,
+				Sources:      []string{"ug-linked"},
+				Destinations: []string{"ug-dest"},
+				Protocol:     types.PolicyRuleProtocolNetbirdSSH,
+				Action:       types.PolicyTrafficActionAccept,
+			}},
+		}, true)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		blocked, err := manager.Store.GetUserByUserID(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, targetUserID)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		blocked.Blocked = true
+		require.NoError(t, manager.Store.SaveUser(ctx, blocked))
+
+		drainPeerUpdates(updTarget)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd2)
+		drainPeerUpdates(upd3)
+
+		// Same auto-groups as the previous subtest left them, so no group change and
+		// no IPv6 reconciliation interferes: the unblock alone drives the refresh.
+		_, err = manager.SaveUser(ctx, accountID, activity.SystemInitiator, &types.User{
+			Id: targetUserID, AccountID: accountID, Role: types.UserRoleUser,
+			AutoGroups: []string{"ug-linked", "ug-v6"}, Name: "renamed",
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		peerShouldReceiveUpdate(t, upd2)
+		peerShouldNotReceiveUpdate(t, upd3)
+	})
+}

management/server/affectedpeers/resolver.go

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"golang.org/x/exp/maps"
 
 	nbdns "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/dns"
 	rpservice "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service"
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@ func (snap *Snapshot) loadCollections(ctx context.Context, s store.Store, accoun
 	hasGroupOrPeerChange := len(c.ChangedGroupIDs) > 0 || len(c.ChangedPeerIDs) > 0 || len(c.LinkGroups) > 0 || len(c.Resources) > 0
 	hasNetworkObject := len(c.Routers) > 0 || len(c.Resources) > 0 || len(c.Networks) > 0
 	// the resource<->router bridge can fire for any of these
-	needsRoutersResources := hasGroupOrPeerChange || len(c.PostureCheckIDs) > 0 || len(c.Policies) > 0 || hasNetworkObject
+	needsRoutersResources := hasGroupOrPeerChange || len(c.PostureCheckIDs) > 0 || len(c.Policies) > 0 || hasNetworkObject || len(c.UserGroupIDs) > 0 || c.AllowedUsersChanged
 
 	if needsRoutersResources {
 		if err := snap.loadPolicyRoutersResources(ctx, s, accountID); err != nil {
@@ -219,6 +220,18 @@ type Change struct {
 	// (correct when the peer's own attributes changed, e.g. IP/status).
 	OutputPeerIDs []string
 
+	// UserGroupIDs are groups whose USER membership changed (a user's auto-groups),
+	// as opposed to their peer membership. Peers ship the group -> user mapping only
+	// for the groups an SSH rule authorizes, so these refresh the destinations of the
+	// SSH rules authorizing them — independently of any peer moving between groups.
+	UserGroupIDs []string
+
+	// AllowedUsersChanged marks a change to the set of users allowed to open SSH
+	// sessions — a user was created, blocked or unblocked. That set is account-wide,
+	// and peers receive it through the SSH rules that name no group or user of their
+	// own, so those rules' destinations refresh.
+	AllowedUsersChanged bool
+
 	// LinkGroups are groups used ONLY to match policies/routes/routers and walk to the
 	// OPPOSITE side — they are never expanded to their own members. Use this when a
 	// peer's group membership changed: pass the peer in ChangedPeerIDs and its
@@ -240,6 +253,8 @@ func (c Change) isEmpty() bool {
 		len(c.Resources) == 0 &&
 		len(c.Networks) == 0 &&
 		len(c.PostureCheckIDs) == 0 &&
+		len(c.UserGroupIDs) == 0 &&
+		!c.AllowedUsersChanged &&
 		len(c.DistributionGroupIDs) == 0 &&
 		len(c.RemovedPeersByGroup) == 0 &&
 		len(c.LinkGroups) == 0 &&
@@ -359,6 +374,9 @@ func (r *resolver) walk() {
 		r.collectFromProxyServices()
 	}
 
+	r.collectFromSSHAuthorizedGroups()
+	r.collectFromAllowedUsers()
+
 	r.collectFromChangedRoutes(r.change.Routes)
 	r.collectFromChangedRouters(r.change.Routers)
 	r.collectFromChangedResources(r.change.Resources)
@@ -811,6 +829,59 @@ func (r *resolver) collectFromNameServers() {
 	}
 }
 
+// collectFromSSHAuthorizedGroups folds the destinations of the enabled SSH rules that
+// authorize a group whose user membership changed. Those destination peers carry the
+// group -> user mapping for the groups they authorize, so they refresh even when no
+// peer moved between groups.
+func (r *resolver) collectFromSSHAuthorizedGroups() {
+	if len(r.change.UserGroupIDs) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+
+	changed := toSet(r.change.UserGroupIDs)
+	for _, policy := range r.policies() {
+		for _, rule := range policy.Rules {
+			if !rule.Enabled || rule.Protocol != types.PolicyRuleProtocolNetbirdSSH {
+				continue
+			}
+			if !anyInSet(maps.Keys(rule.AuthorizedGroups), changed) {
+				continue
+			}
+			log.WithContext(r.ctx).Tracef("collectFromSSHAuthorizedGroups: rule %s authorizes a changed user group -> folding its destinations", rule.ID)
+			r.foldPolicySideForRule(policy, rule, sideDestination)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// collectFromAllowedUsers folds the destinations of the rules that make a peer carry
+// the account's allowed-user set, for a change to who is in that set.
+func (r *resolver) collectFromAllowedUsers() {
+	if !r.change.AllowedUsersChanged {
+		return
+	}
+
+	for _, policy := range r.policies() {
+		for _, rule := range policy.Rules {
+			if !rule.Enabled || !ruleShipsAllowedUsers(rule) {
+				continue
+			}
+			log.WithContext(r.ctx).Tracef("collectFromAllowedUsers: rule %s ships the allowed-user set -> folding its destinations", rule.ID)
+			r.foldPolicySideForRule(policy, rule, sideDestination)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// ruleShipsAllowedUsers reports whether a rule makes its destination peers carry the
+// account's allowed-user set. It mirrors the network map's SSH requirements except for
+// the destination peer's own SSH flag, which the snapshot does not hold — so it folds a
+// superset and never misses a peer.
+func ruleShipsAllowedUsers(rule *types.PolicyRule) bool {
+	if rule.Protocol == types.PolicyRuleProtocolNetbirdSSH {
+		return len(rule.AuthorizedGroups) == 0 && rule.AuthorizedUser == ""
+	}
+	return types.PolicyRuleImpliesLegacySSH(rule)
+}
+
 func (r *resolver) collectFromDNSSettings() {
 	if len(r.linkGroups) == 0 || r.snap.dnsSettings == nil {
 		return

management/server/affectedpeers/resolver_test.go

@@ -85,6 +85,8 @@ func TestChangeIsEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.False(t, Change{Resources: []*resourceTypes.NetworkResource{{ID: "r"}}}.isEmpty())
 	assert.False(t, Change{Networks: []*networkTypes.Network{{ID: "n"}}}.isEmpty())
 	assert.False(t, Change{PostureCheckIDs: []string{"pc"}}.isEmpty())
+	assert.False(t, Change{UserGroupIDs: []string{"g"}}.isEmpty())
+	assert.False(t, Change{AllowedUsersChanged: true}.isEmpty())
 }
 
 func TestPolicyReferencesPostureChecks(t *testing.T) {

management/server/group.go

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"slices"
 
+	agentNetworkTypes "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/agentnetwork/types"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service"
 	"github.com/rs/xid"
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 
@@ -744,6 +746,14 @@ func validateDeleteGroup(ctx context.Context, transaction store.Store, group *ty
 		return &GroupLinkError{"network router", linkedRouter.ID}
 	}
 
+	if isLinked, linkedService := isGroupLinkedToReverseProxyService(ctx, transaction, group.AccountID, group.ID); isLinked {
+		return &GroupLinkError{"reverse proxy service", linkedService.Domain}
+	}
+
+	if isLinked, linkedPolicy := isGroupLinkedToAgentNetworkPolicy(ctx, transaction, group.AccountID, group.ID); isLinked {
+		return &GroupLinkError{"agent network policy", linkedPolicy.Name}
+	}
+
 	return checkGroupLinkedToSettings(ctx, transaction, group)
 }
 
@@ -875,6 +885,46 @@ func isGroupLinkedToNetworkRouter(ctx context.Context, transaction store.Store,
 	return false, nil
 }
 
+// isGroupLinkedToReverseProxyService checks if a group is used as an access group
+// of a private reverse proxy service or as a bearer-auth distribution group.
+func isGroupLinkedToReverseProxyService(ctx context.Context, transaction store.Store, accountID string, groupID string) (bool, *service.Service) {
+	services, err := transaction.GetAccountServices(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, accountID)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithContext(ctx).Errorf("error retrieving reverse proxy services while checking group linkage: %v", err)
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
+	for _, svc := range services {
+		if svc.Private && slices.Contains(svc.AccessGroups, groupID) {
+			return true, svc
+		}
+		if svc.Auth.BearerAuth != nil && svc.Auth.BearerAuth.Enabled && slices.Contains(svc.Auth.BearerAuth.DistributionGroups, groupID) {
+			return true, svc
+		}
+	}
+	return false, nil
+}
+
+// isGroupLinkedToAgentNetworkPolicy checks if a group is used as a source group by any
+// agent network policy in the account.
+func isGroupLinkedToAgentNetworkPolicy(ctx context.Context, transaction store.Store, accountID string, groupID string) (bool, *agentNetworkTypes.Policy) {
+	policies, err := transaction.GetAccountAgentNetworkPolicies(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, accountID)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithContext(ctx).Errorf("error retrieving agent network policies while checking group linkage: %v", err)
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
+	for _, policy := range policies {
+		if policy == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		if slices.Contains(policy.SourceGroups, groupID) {
+			return true, policy
+		}
+	}
+	return false, nil
+}
+
 // areGroupChangesAffectPeers checks if any changes to the specified groups will affect peers.
 // It fetches each collection once and checks all groupIDs against them in memory.
 func areGroupChangesAffectPeers(ctx context.Context, transaction store.Store, accountID string, groupIDs []string) (bool, error) {

management/server/group_test.go

@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import (
 	"golang.org/x/exp/maps"
 
 	nbdns "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/dns"
+	agentNetworkTypes "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/agentnetwork/types"
+	rpservice "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/groups"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/networks"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/networks/resources"
@@ -125,6 +127,21 @@ func TestDefaultAccountManager_DeleteGroup(t *testing.T) {
 			"grp-for-integration",
 			"only service users with admin power can delete integration group",
 		},
+		{
+			"agent network policy",
+			"grp-for-agent-network-policy",
+			"agent network policy",
+		},
+		{
+			"reverse proxy private service access group",
+			"grp-for-rp-private",
+			"reverse proxy service",
+		},
+		{
+			"reverse proxy bearer distribution group",
+			"grp-for-rp-bearer",
+			"reverse proxy service",
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, testCase := range testCases {
@@ -218,6 +235,17 @@ func TestDefaultAccountManager_DeleteGroups(t *testing.T) {
 			groupIDs:        []string{"grp-for-integration"},
 			expectedReasons: []string{"only service users with admin power can delete integration group"},
 		},
+		{
+			name:            "agent network policy",
+			groupIDs:        []string{"grp-for-agent-network-policy"},
+			expectedReasons: []string{"agent network policy"},
+		},
+		{
+			name:               "reverse proxy services",
+			groupIDs:           []string{"grp-for-rp-private", "grp-for-rp-bearer"},
+			expectedReasons:    []string{"reverse proxy service", "reverse proxy service"},
+			expectedNotDeleted: []string{"grp-for-rp-private", "grp-for-rp-bearer"},
+		},
 		{
 			name:            "successfully delete multiple groups",
 			groupIDs:        []string{"group-1", "group-2"},
@@ -285,6 +313,65 @@ func TestDefaultAccountManager_DeleteGroups(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestDefaultAccountManager_DeleteGroupUnlinkedFromReverseProxyService(t *testing.T) {
+	am, _, err := createManager(t)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "Failed to create account manager")
+
+	_, account, err := initTestGroupAccount(am)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "Failed to init testing account")
+
+	deletableGroups := []*types.Group{
+		{
+			ID:        "grp-rp-bearer-disabled",
+			AccountID: account.Id,
+			Name:      "Group only in a disabled bearer auth",
+			Issued:    types.GroupIssuedAPI,
+			Peers:     make([]string, 0),
+		},
+		{
+			ID:        "grp-rp-nonprivate-access",
+			AccountID: account.Id,
+			Name:      "Group only in a non-private service's access groups",
+			Issued:    types.GroupIssuedAPI,
+			Peers:     make([]string, 0),
+		},
+	}
+	for _, group := range deletableGroups {
+		require.NoError(t, am.CreateGroup(context.Background(), account.Id, groupAdminUserID, group))
+	}
+
+	// Disabled bearer auth and stale access groups on a non-private service
+	// are inert configuration and must not block group deletion.
+	services := []*rpservice.Service{
+		{
+			ID:        "rp-svc-bearer-disabled",
+			AccountID: account.Id,
+			Domain:    "bearer-disabled.services.example.com",
+			Auth: rpservice.AuthConfig{
+				BearerAuth: &rpservice.BearerAuthConfig{
+					Enabled:            false,
+					DistributionGroups: []string{"grp-rp-bearer-disabled"},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			ID:           "rp-svc-nonprivate-access",
+			AccountID:    account.Id,
+			Domain:       "nonprivate.services.example.com",
+			Private:      false,
+			AccessGroups: []string{"grp-rp-nonprivate-access"},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, svc := range services {
+		require.NoError(t, am.Store.CreateService(context.Background(), svc))
+	}
+
+	for _, group := range deletableGroups {
+		err = am.DeleteGroup(context.Background(), account.Id, groupAdminUserID, group.ID)
+		assert.NoError(t, err, "group %s is not referenced by an active reverse proxy gate and should be deletable", group.ID)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDefaultAccountManager_DeleteGroupLinkedToFlowGroup(t *testing.T) {
 	am, _, err := createManager(t)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
@@ -406,6 +493,30 @@ func initTestGroupAccount(am *DefaultAccountManager) (*DefaultAccountManager, *t
 		Peers:     make([]string, 0),
 	}
 
+	groupForAgentNetworkPolicy := &types.Group{
+		ID:        "grp-for-agent-network-policy",
+		AccountID: "account-id",
+		Name:      "Group for agent network policies",
+		Issued:    types.GroupIssuedAPI,
+		Peers:     make([]string, 0),
+	}
+
+	groupForRPPrivate := &types.Group{
+		ID:        "grp-for-rp-private",
+		AccountID: "account-id",
+		Name:      "Group for private reverse proxy service",
+		Issued:    types.GroupIssuedAPI,
+		Peers:     make([]string, 0),
+	}
+
+	groupForRPBearer := &types.Group{
+		ID:        "grp-for-rp-bearer",
+		AccountID: "account-id",
+		Name:      "Group for bearer reverse proxy service",
+		Issued:    types.GroupIssuedAPI,
+		Peers:     make([]string, 0),
+	}
+
 	routeResource := &route.Route{
 		ID:     "example route",
 		Groups: []string{groupForRoute.ID},
@@ -461,6 +572,66 @@ func initTestGroupAccount(am *DefaultAccountManager) (*DefaultAccountManager, *t
 	_ = am.CreateGroup(context.Background(), accountID, groupAdminUserID, groupForSetupKeys)
 	_ = am.CreateGroup(context.Background(), accountID, groupAdminUserID, groupForUsers)
 	_ = am.CreateGroup(context.Background(), accountID, groupAdminUserID, groupForIntegration)
+	_ = am.CreateGroup(context.Background(), accountID, groupAdminUserID, groupForAgentNetworkPolicy)
+	_ = am.CreateGroup(context.Background(), accountID, groupAdminUserID, groupForRPPrivate)
+	_ = am.CreateGroup(context.Background(), accountID, groupAdminUserID, groupForRPBearer)
+
+	agentNetworkPolicy := &agentNetworkTypes.Policy{
+		ID:           "example agent network policy",
+		AccountID:    accountID,
+		Name:         "Example agent network policy",
+		Enabled:      true,
+		SourceGroups: []string{groupForAgentNetworkPolicy.ID},
+	}
+	if err := am.Store.SaveAgentNetworkPolicy(context.Background(), agentNetworkPolicy); err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+
+	// The decoy services are created first so the linkage check has to scan
+	// past services that do not reference the groups under test.
+	rpServices := []*rpservice.Service{
+		{
+			ID:           "rp-svc-private-decoy",
+			AccountID:    accountID,
+			Domain:       "private-decoy.services.example.com",
+			Private:      true,
+			AccessGroups: []string{"unrelated-group"},
+		},
+		{
+			ID:        "rp-svc-bearer-decoy",
+			AccountID: accountID,
+			Domain:    "bearer-decoy.services.example.com",
+			Auth: rpservice.AuthConfig{
+				BearerAuth: &rpservice.BearerAuthConfig{
+					Enabled:            true,
+					DistributionGroups: []string{"unrelated-group"},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			ID:           "rp-svc-private",
+			AccountID:    accountID,
+			Domain:       "private.services.example.com",
+			Private:      true,
+			AccessGroups: []string{groupForRPPrivate.ID},
+		},
+		{
+			ID:        "rp-svc-bearer",
+			AccountID: accountID,
+			Domain:    "bearer.services.example.com",
+			Auth: rpservice.AuthConfig{
+				BearerAuth: &rpservice.BearerAuthConfig{
+					Enabled:            true,
+					DistributionGroups: []string{groupForRPBearer.ID},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, svc := range rpServices {
+		if err := am.Store.CreateService(context.Background(), svc); err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+	}
 
 	acc, err := am.Store.GetAccount(context.Background(), account.Id)
 	if err != nil {

management/server/http/handlers/proxy/auth.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package proxy
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/netip"
@@ -108,7 +109,7 @@ func (h *AuthCallbackHandler) handleCallback(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Requ
 		redirectURL.Scheme = "https"
 		query := redirectURL.Query()
 		query.Set("error", "access_denied")
-		query.Set("error_description", "Service configuration error")
+		query.Set("error_description", sessionTokenErrorDescription(err))
 		redirectURL.RawQuery = query.Encode()
 		http.Redirect(w, r, redirectURL.String(), http.StatusFound)
 		return
@@ -124,6 +125,20 @@ func (h *AuthCallbackHandler) handleCallback(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Requ
 	http.Redirect(w, r, redirectURL.String(), http.StatusFound)
 }
 
+// sessionTokenErrorDescription maps a session token failure to the text the
+// proxy renders on its access denied page. Account status denials get a message
+// the user can act on, while everything else stays generic so a lookup or
+// signing failure does not describe management internals to the browser.
+func sessionTokenErrorDescription(err error) string {
+	if errors.Is(err, nbgrpc.ErrUserPendingApproval) {
+		return "Your account is pending approval by an administrator"
+	}
+	if errors.Is(err, nbgrpc.ErrUserBlocked) {
+		return "Your account is blocked"
+	}
+	return "Service configuration error"
+}
+
 func extractUserIDFromToken(ctx context.Context, provider *oidc.Provider, config nbgrpc.ProxyOIDCConfig, token *oauth2.Token) string {
 	rawIDToken, ok := token.Extra("id_token").(string)
 	if !ok {

management/server/http/handlers/proxy/auth_callback_integration_test.go

@@ -360,6 +360,51 @@ func createTestAccountsAndUsers(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context, testStore sto
 		Issued:     "api",
 	}
 	require.NoError(t, testStore.SaveUser(ctx, allowedUser))
+
+	// A second tenant, whose users must never be issued a token signed with
+	// the first tenant's service session key.
+	otherAccount := &types.Account{
+		Id:                     "otherAccountId",
+		Domain:                 "other.com",
+		DomainCategory:         "private",
+		IsDomainPrimaryAccount: true,
+		CreatedAt:              time.Now(),
+	}
+	require.NoError(t, testStore.SaveAccount(ctx, otherAccount))
+
+	otherAccountUser := &types.User{
+		Id:        "otherAccountUserId",
+		AccountID: "otherAccountId",
+		Role:      types.UserRoleUser,
+		CreatedAt: time.Now(),
+		Issued:    "api",
+	}
+	require.NoError(t, testStore.SaveUser(ctx, otherAccountUser))
+
+	// A user awaiting approval is stored as blocked and pending approval, and
+	// carries the same group membership as the approved one.
+	pendingUser := &types.User{
+		Id:              "pendingUserId",
+		AccountID:       "testAccountId",
+		Role:            types.UserRoleUser,
+		AutoGroups:      []string{"allowedGroupId"},
+		Blocked:         true,
+		PendingApproval: true,
+		CreatedAt:       time.Now(),
+		Issued:          "api",
+	}
+	require.NoError(t, testStore.SaveUser(ctx, pendingUser))
+
+	blockedUser := &types.User{
+		Id:         "blockedUserId",
+		AccountID:  "testAccountId",
+		Role:       types.UserRoleUser,
+		AutoGroups: []string{"allowedGroupId"},
+		Blocked:    true,
+		CreatedAt:  time.Now(),
+		Issued:     "api",
+	}
+	require.NoError(t, testStore.SaveUser(ctx, blockedUser))
 }
 
 // testServiceManager is a minimal implementation for testing.
@@ -490,6 +535,64 @@ func TestAuthCallback_UserAllowedToLogin(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Empty(t, parsedLocation.Query().Get("error"), "Should not have error parameter")
 }
 
+// TestAuthCallback_UserDeniedByAccountStatus asserts that a user whose account
+// is pending approval or blocked never receives a session token from the OIDC
+// callback, and that the redirect carries a description the proxy can render.
+func TestAuthCallback_UserDeniedByAccountStatus(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name            string
+		subject         string
+		expectErrorDesc string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:            "pending approval",
+			subject:         "pendingUserId",
+			expectErrorDesc: "Your account is pending approval by an administrator",
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "blocked",
+			subject:         "blockedUserId",
+			expectErrorDesc: "Your account is blocked",
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "unknown to management",
+			subject:         "userMissingFromStoreId",
+			expectErrorDesc: "Service configuration error",
+		},
+		{
+			// The account topology stays out of the browser-visible message.
+			name:            "belongs to another account",
+			subject:         "otherAccountUserId",
+			expectErrorDesc: "Service configuration error",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			setup := setupAuthCallbackTest(t)
+			defer setup.cleanup()
+
+			setup.oidcServer.tokenSubject = tt.subject
+
+			state := createTestState(t, setup.proxyService, "https://test-proxy.example.com/dashboard")
+
+			req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/reverse-proxy/callback?code=test-auth-code&state="+url.QueryEscape(state), nil)
+			rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+
+			setup.router.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+
+			require.Equal(t, http.StatusFound, rec.Code)
+
+			parsedLocation, err := url.Parse(rec.Header().Get("Location"))
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			require.Empty(t, parsedLocation.Query().Get("session_token"), "Denied user must not receive a session token")
+			require.Equal(t, "access_denied", parsedLocation.Query().Get("error"))
+			require.Equal(t, tt.expectErrorDesc, parsedLocation.Query().Get("error_description"))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAuthCallback_ProxyNotFound(t *testing.T) {
 	setup := setupAuthCallbackTest(t)
 	defer setup.cleanup()

management/server/types/account.go

@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ type Account struct {
 	Onboarding       AccountOnboarding                `gorm:"foreignKey:AccountID;references:id;constraint:OnDelete:CASCADE"`
 
 	ReverseProxyFreeDomainNonce string
+
+	PostureValidation map[string]map[string]bool `gorm:"-"`
 }
 
 // this class is used by gorm only
@@ -874,6 +876,7 @@ func (a *Account) Copy() *Account {
 		Services:               services,
 		Onboarding:             a.Onboarding,
 		Domains:                domains,
+		PostureValidation:      a.PostureValidation,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1707,14 +1710,34 @@ func (a *Account) injectPrivateServicePolicies(svc *service.Service, proxyPeers
 	if len(proxyPeers) == 0 {
 		return
 	}
+	// A service's AccessGroups can name groups that no longer exist — persisted
+	// services and the agent-network synthesiser both carry the ids verbatim from
+	// their own state. An unresolvable source authorises nothing, so drop it here
+	// rather than let the network-map assembly resolve it to a nil group.
+	sources := a.existingGroupIDs(svc.AccessGroups)
+	if len(sources) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
 	for _, proxyPeer := range proxyPeers {
-		a.Policies = append(a.Policies, a.createPrivateServicePolicy(svc, proxyPeer))
+		a.Policies = append(a.Policies, a.createPrivateServicePolicy(svc, proxyPeer, sources))
 	}
 }
 
-func (a *Account) createPrivateServicePolicy(svc *service.Service, proxyPeer *nbpeer.Peer) *Policy {
+// existingGroupIDs returns the subset of groupIDs that resolve to a group in the account,
+// preserving the input order.
+func (a *Account) existingGroupIDs(groupIDs []string) []string {
+	out := make([]string, 0, len(groupIDs))
+	for _, groupID := range groupIDs {
+		if _, ok := a.Groups[groupID]; ok {
+			out = append(out, groupID)
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+func (a *Account) createPrivateServicePolicy(svc *service.Service, proxyPeer *nbpeer.Peer, accessGroups []string) *Policy {
 	policyID := fmt.Sprintf("private-access-%s-%s", svc.ID, proxyPeer.ID)
-	sources := append([]string(nil), svc.AccessGroups...)
+	sources := append([]string(nil), accessGroups...)
 	return &Policy{
 		ID:      policyID,
 		Name:    fmt.Sprintf("Private Access to %s", svc.Name),

management/server/types/account_components.go

@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import (
 	nbdns "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/dns"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/zones"
 	routerTypes "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/networks/routers/types"
+	nbpeer "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/peer"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/posture"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/telemetry"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/route"
 )
@@ -506,8 +508,8 @@ func (a *Account) getPeersGroupsPoliciesRoutes(
 func (a *Account) getPeersFromGroups(ctx context.Context, groups []string, peerID string, sourcePostureChecksIDs []string,
 	validatedPeersMap map[string]struct{}, postureFailedPeers *map[string]map[string]struct{}) ([]string, bool) {
 	peerInGroups := false
-	filteredPeerIDs := make([]string, 0, len(groups))
-	seenPeerIds := make(map[string]struct{}, len(groups))
+	var filteredPeerIDs []string
+	var seenPeerIds map[string]struct{}
 
 	for _, gid := range groups {
 		group := a.GetGroup(gid)
@@ -547,6 +549,17 @@ func (a *Account) getPeersFromGroups(ctx context.Context, groups []string, peerI
 			return filteredPeerIDs, peerInGroups
 		}
 
+		if seenPeerIds == nil {
+			totalGroupPeers := 0
+			for _, g := range groups {
+				if grp := a.GetGroup(g); grp != nil {
+					totalGroupPeers += len(grp.Peers)
+				}
+			}
+			filteredPeerIDs = make([]string, 0, totalGroupPeers)
+			seenPeerIds = make(map[string]struct{}, totalGroupPeers)
+		}
+
 		for _, pid := range group.Peers {
 			if _, seen := seenPeerIds[pid]; seen {
 				continue
@@ -589,21 +602,109 @@ func (a *Account) validatePostureChecksOnPeerGetFailed(ctx context.Context, sour
 	}
 
 	for _, postureChecksID := range sourcePostureChecksID {
+		if valid, cached := a.cachedPostureCheckResult(postureChecksID, peerID); cached {
+			if !valid {
+				return false, postureChecksID
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
 		postureChecks := a.GetPostureChecks(postureChecksID)
 		if postureChecks == nil {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		for _, check := range postureChecks.GetChecks() {
-			isValid, _ := check.Check(ctx, *peer)
-			if !isValid {
-				return false, postureChecksID
-			}
+		if !peerPassesPostureChecks(ctx, postureChecks.GetChecks(), peer) {
+			return false, postureChecksID
 		}
 	}
 	return true, ""
 }
 
+// PrecomputePostureValidation evaluates every posture check referenced by an enabled
+// policy once against the peers of that policy's source groups and stores the results,
+// so the per-peer network map calculations that follow look them up instead of
+// re-evaluating checks for every peer pair. It must be called before the account is
+// shared across goroutines; lookups not covered by the precomputed results fall back
+// to direct evaluation.
+func (a *Account) PrecomputePostureValidation(ctx context.Context) {
+	if len(a.PostureChecks) == 0 {
+		a.PostureValidation = nil
+		return
+	}
+
+	checkPeerIDs := make(map[string]map[string]struct{})
+	for _, policy := range a.Policies {
+		if !policy.Enabled || len(policy.SourcePostureChecks) == 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		peerIDs := a.getUniquePeerIDsFromGroupsIDs(ctx, policy.SourceGroups())
+		for _, rule := range policy.Rules {
+			if rule.SourceResource.Type == ResourceTypePeer && rule.SourceResource.ID != "" {
+				peerIDs = append(peerIDs, rule.SourceResource.ID)
+			}
+		}
+
+		for _, postureChecksID := range policy.SourcePostureChecks {
+			set := checkPeerIDs[postureChecksID]
+			if set == nil {
+				set = make(map[string]struct{}, len(peerIDs))
+				checkPeerIDs[postureChecksID] = set
+			}
+			for _, pid := range peerIDs {
+				set[pid] = struct{}{}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	results := make(map[string]map[string]bool, len(checkPeerIDs))
+	for postureChecksID, peerIDs := range checkPeerIDs {
+		results[postureChecksID] = a.evaluatePostureChecksForPeers(ctx, postureChecksID, peerIDs)
+	}
+	a.PostureValidation = results
+}
+
+func (a *Account) evaluatePostureChecksForPeers(ctx context.Context, postureChecksID string, peerIDs map[string]struct{}) map[string]bool {
+	postureChecks := a.GetPostureChecks(postureChecksID)
+	if postureChecks == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	checks := postureChecks.GetChecks()
+	results := make(map[string]bool, len(peerIDs))
+	for peerID := range peerIDs {
+		peer, ok := a.Peers[peerID]
+		if !ok || peer == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		results[peerID] = peerPassesPostureChecks(ctx, checks, peer)
+	}
+	return results
+}
+
+func (a *Account) cachedPostureCheckResult(postureChecksID, peerID string) (bool, bool) {
+	results, ok := a.PostureValidation[postureChecksID]
+	if !ok {
+		return false, false
+	}
+	if results == nil {
+		return true, true
+	}
+	valid, found := results[peerID]
+	return valid, found
+}
+
+func peerPassesPostureChecks(ctx context.Context, checks []posture.Check, peer *nbpeer.Peer) bool {
+	for _, check := range checks {
+		isValid, _ := check.Check(ctx, *peer)
+		if !isValid {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
 func (a *Account) getPostureValidPeersSaveFailed(inputPeers []string, postureChecksIDs []string, validatedPeersMap map[string]struct{}, postureFailedPeers *map[string]map[string]struct{}) []string {
 	var dest []string
 	for _, peerID := range inputPeers {

management/server/types/account_posture_validation_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+package types_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	nbdns "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/dns"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/server/posture"
+)
+
+func TestPrecomputePostureValidation_MatchesDirectEvaluation(t *testing.T) {
+	account, validatedPeers := scalableTestAccount(60, 5)
+
+	account.PostureChecks = append(account.PostureChecks, &posture.Checks{
+		ID: "posture-check-strict", Name: "Strict version",
+		Checks: posture.ChecksDefinition{
+			NBVersionCheck: &posture.NBVersionCheck{MinVersion: "0.50.0"},
+		},
+	})
+	account.Policies[0].SourcePostureChecks = []string{"posture-check-ver", "posture-check-unknown"}
+	account.Policies[1].SourcePostureChecks = []string{"posture-check-strict"}
+	account.Policies[2].SourcePostureChecks = []string{"posture-check-ver"}
+	account.Policies[2].Enabled = false
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	resourcePolicies := account.GetResourcePoliciesMap()
+	routers := account.GetResourceRoutersMap()
+
+	type result struct {
+		peers              map[string]struct{}
+		postureFailedPeers map[string]map[string]struct{}
+	}
+	snapshot := func() map[string]result {
+		results := make(map[string]result, len(account.Peers))
+		for peerID := range account.Peers {
+			components := account.GetPeerNetworkMapComponents(ctx, peerID, nbdns.CustomZone{}, nil, validatedPeers, resourcePolicies, routers, nil)
+			require.NotNil(t, components)
+			peerSet := make(map[string]struct{}, len(components.Peers))
+			for id := range components.Peers {
+				peerSet[id] = struct{}{}
+			}
+			results[peerID] = result{peers: peerSet, postureFailedPeers: components.PostureFailedPeers}
+		}
+		return results
+	}
+
+	direct := snapshot()
+	account.PrecomputePostureValidation(ctx)
+	memoized := snapshot()
+
+	require.Equal(t, len(direct), len(memoized))
+	for peerID, want := range direct {
+		got := memoized[peerID]
+		assert.Equal(t, want.peers, got.peers, "visible peers changed for %s", peerID)
+		assert.Equal(t, want.postureFailedPeers, got.postureFailedPeers, "posture failed peers changed for %s", peerID)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPrecomputePostureValidation_NoPostureChecks(t *testing.T) {
+	account, validatedPeers := scalableTestAccount(10, 2)
+	account.PostureChecks = nil
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	account.PrecomputePostureValidation(ctx)
+
+	components := account.GetPeerNetworkMapComponents(ctx, "peer-0", nbdns.CustomZone{}, nil, validatedPeers, account.GetResourcePoliciesMap(), account.GetResourceRoutersMap(), nil)
+	require.NotNil(t, components)
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, components.Peers)
+}

management/server/types/networkmap_benchmark_test.go

@@ -86,6 +86,43 @@ func BenchmarkNetworkMapGeneration_AllPeers(b *testing.B) {
 			b.ReportAllocs()
 			b.ResetTimer()
 			for range b.N {
+				account.PrecomputePostureValidation(ctx)
+				for _, peerID := range peerIDs {
+					_ = account.GetPeerNetworkMapFromComponents(ctx, peerID, nbdns.CustomZone{}, nil, validatedPeers, resourcePolicies, routers, nil, groupIDToUserIDs)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// BenchmarkNetworkMapGeneration_AllPeersPostureChecks benchmarks the UpdateAccountPeers
+// hot path with a posture check attached to the account-wide policy, so posture
+// validation runs for every source peer of every target peer's map.
+func BenchmarkNetworkMapGeneration_AllPeersPostureChecks(b *testing.B) {
+	skipCIBenchmark(b)
+	scales := []benchmarkScale{
+		{"500peers_20groups", 500, 20},
+		{"1000peers_50groups", 1000, 50},
+	}
+
+	for _, scale := range scales {
+		account, validatedPeers := scalableTestAccount(scale.peers, scale.groups)
+		account.Policies[0].SourcePostureChecks = []string{"posture-check-ver"}
+		ctx := context.Background()
+
+		peerIDs := make([]string, 0, len(account.Peers))
+		for peerID := range account.Peers {
+			peerIDs = append(peerIDs, peerID)
+		}
+
+		b.Run("components/"+scale.name, func(b *testing.B) {
+			resourcePolicies := account.GetResourcePoliciesMap()
+			routers := account.GetResourceRoutersMap()
+			groupIDToUserIDs := account.GetActiveGroupUsers()
+			b.ReportAllocs()
+			b.ResetTimer()
+			for range b.N {
+				account.PrecomputePostureValidation(ctx)
 				for _, peerID := range peerIDs {
 					_ = account.GetPeerNetworkMapFromComponents(ctx, peerID, nbdns.CustomZone{}, nil, validatedPeers, resourcePolicies, routers, nil, groupIDToUserIDs)
 				}

management/server/user.go

@@ -593,7 +593,8 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) SaveOrAddUsers(ctx context.Context, accountID,
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	var updateAccountPeers bool
+	var snaps []*affectedpeers.Snapshot
+	var changes []affectedpeers.Change
 	var peersToExpire []*nbpeer.Peer
 	var addUserEvents []func()
 	var usersToSave = make([]*types.User, 0, len(updates))
@@ -629,20 +630,25 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) SaveOrAddUsers(ctx context.Context, accountID,
 		}
 
 		err = am.Store.ExecuteInTransaction(ctx, func(transaction store.Store) error {
-			_, updatedUser, userPeersToExpire, userEvents, err := am.processUserUpdate(
+			change, updatedUser, userPeersToExpire, userEvents, err := am.processUserUpdate(
 				ctx, transaction, groupsMap, accountID, initiatorUserID, initiatorUser, update, addIfNotExists, settings,
 			)
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to process update for user %s: %w", update.Id, err)
 			}
 
-			updateAccountPeers = true
-
 			err = transaction.SaveUser(ctx, updatedUser)
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to save updated user %s: %w", update.Id, err)
 			}
 
+			snap, err := affectedpeers.Load(ctx, transaction, accountID, change)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+
+			snaps = append(snaps, snap)
+			changes = append(changes, change)
 			usersToSave = append(usersToSave, updatedUser)
 			addUserEvents = append(addUserEvents, userEvents...)
 			peersToExpire = append(peersToExpire, userPeersToExpire...)
@@ -683,11 +689,11 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) SaveOrAddUsers(ctx context.Context, accountID,
 			log.WithContext(ctx).Errorf("failed update expired peers: %s", err)
 			return nil, err
 		}
-	} else if updateAccountPeers {
+	} else if len(usersToSave) > 0 {
 		if err = am.Store.IncrementNetworkSerial(ctx, accountID); err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to increment network serial: %w", err)
 		}
-		am.UpdateAccountPeers(ctx, accountID, types.UpdateReason{Resource: types.UpdateResourceUser, Operation: types.UpdateOperationUpdate})
+		go am.dispatchAffected(ctx, accountID, snaps, changes)
 	}
 
 	return updatedUsersInfo, globalErr
@@ -759,19 +765,21 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) prepareUserUpdateEvents(ctx context.Context, ac
 }
 
 func (am *DefaultAccountManager) processUserUpdate(ctx context.Context, transaction store.Store, groupsMap map[string]*types.Group,
-	accountID, initiatorUserId string, initiatorUser, update *types.User, addIfNotExists bool, settings *types.Settings) (bool, *types.User, []*nbpeer.Peer, []func(), error) {
+	accountID, initiatorUserId string, initiatorUser, update *types.User, addIfNotExists bool, settings *types.Settings) (affectedpeers.Change, *types.User, []*nbpeer.Peer, []func(), error) {
+
+	var change affectedpeers.Change
 
 	if update == nil {
-		return false, nil, nil, nil, status.Errorf(status.InvalidArgument, "provided user update is nil")
+		return change, nil, nil, nil, status.Errorf(status.InvalidArgument, "provided user update is nil")
 	}
 
 	oldUser, isNewUser, err := getUserOrCreateIfNotExists(ctx, transaction, accountID, update, addIfNotExists)
 	if err != nil {
-		return false, nil, nil, nil, err
+		return change, nil, nil, nil, err
 	}
 
 	if err := validateUserUpdate(groupsMap, initiatorUser, oldUser, update); err != nil {
-		return false, nil, nil, nil, err
+		return change, nil, nil, nil, err
 	}
 
 	// only auto groups, revoked status, and integration reference can be updated for now
@@ -792,13 +800,13 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) processUserUpdate(ctx context.Context, transact
 	var transferredOwnerRole bool
 	result, err := handleOwnerRoleTransfer(ctx, transaction, initiatorUser, update)
 	if err != nil {
-		return false, nil, nil, nil, err
+		return change, nil, nil, nil, err
 	}
 	transferredOwnerRole = result
 
 	userPeers, err := transaction.GetUserPeers(ctx, store.LockingStrengthNone, updatedUser.AccountID, update.Id)
 	if err != nil {
-		return false, nil, nil, nil, err
+		return change, nil, nil, nil, err
 	}
 
 	var peersToExpire []*nbpeer.Peer
@@ -807,6 +815,32 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) processUserUpdate(ctx context.Context, transact
 		peersToExpire = userPeers
 	}
 
+	// A user reaches a peer's network map only through the SSH rules: as part of a
+	// group -> user mapping, and as part of the account's allowed-user set. Creating,
+	// blocking or unblocking a user adds it to or removes it from both, so every group
+	// it maps into changes — including the All group that holds every active user.
+	// Otherwise only the auto-groups it joined or left do.
+	if isNewUser || oldUser.IsBlocked() != updatedUser.IsBlocked() {
+		change.AllowedUsersChanged = true
+		change.UserGroupIDs = slices.Concat(oldUser.AutoGroups, updatedUser.AutoGroups, allGroupIDs(groupsMap))
+	} else {
+		change.UserGroupIDs = slices.Concat(
+			util.Difference(oldUser.AutoGroups, updatedUser.AutoGroups),
+			util.Difference(updatedUser.AutoGroups, oldUser.AutoGroups),
+		)
+	}
+
+	// The user's peers are the changed entity in every scenario the update can
+	// produce — group membership, IPv6 assignment, SSH mappings — so they refresh
+	// together with every peer they can connect to, like on a regular peer update.
+	// An update that changes neither the auto-groups nor the active-user set has no
+	// peer-visible effect and refreshes nobody.
+	if len(change.UserGroupIDs) > 0 || change.AllowedUsersChanged {
+		for _, peer := range userPeers {
+			change.ChangedPeerIDs = append(change.ChangedPeerIDs, peer.ID)
+		}
+	}
+
 	var removedGroups, addedGroups []string
 	if update.AutoGroups != nil && settings.GroupsPropagationEnabled {
 		removedGroups = util.Difference(oldUser.AutoGroups, update.AutoGroups)
@@ -814,26 +848,38 @@ func (am *DefaultAccountManager) processUserUpdate(ctx context.Context, transact
 		for _, peer := range userPeers {
 			for _, groupID := range removedGroups {
 				if err := transaction.RemovePeerFromGroup(ctx, peer.ID, groupID); err != nil {
-					return false, nil, nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to remove peer %s from group %s: %w", peer.ID, groupID, err)
+					return change, nil, nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to remove peer %s from group %s: %w", peer.ID, groupID, err)
 				}
 			}
 			for _, groupID := range addedGroups {
 				if err := transaction.AddPeerToGroup(ctx, accountID, peer.ID, groupID); err != nil {
-					return false, nil, nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to add peer %s to group %s: %w", peer.ID, groupID, err)
+					return change, nil, nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to add peer %s to group %s: %w", peer.ID, groupID, err)
 				}
 			}
 		}
 
 		allGroupChanges := slices.Concat(removedGroups, addedGroups)
+		change.LinkGroups = allGroupChanges
+
 		if err := am.reconcileIPv6ForGroupChanges(ctx, transaction, accountID, allGroupChanges); err != nil {
-			return false, nil, nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("reconcile IPv6 for group changes: %w", err)
+			return change, nil, nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("reconcile IPv6 for group changes: %w", err)
 		}
 	}
 
-	updateAccountPeers := len(userPeers) > 0
 	userEventsToAdd := am.prepareUserUpdateEvents(ctx, updatedUser.AccountID, initiatorUserId, oldUser, updatedUser, transferredOwnerRole, isNewUser, removedGroups, addedGroups, transaction)
 
-	return updateAccountPeers, updatedUser, peersToExpire, userEventsToAdd, nil
+	return change, updatedUser, peersToExpire, userEventsToAdd, nil
+}
+
+// allGroupIDs returns the ID of the account's All group, which every active user maps
+// into, as a slice so callers can concatenate it.
+func allGroupIDs(groupsMap map[string]*types.Group) []string {
+	for _, group := range groupsMap {
+		if group.IsGroupAll() {
+			return []string{group.ID}
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 // getUserOrCreateIfNotExists retrieves the existing user or creates a new one if it doesn't exist.

proxy/auth/auth.go

@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ const (
 	SessionJWTIssuer     = "netbird-management"
 )
 
+const ClientIPMetadataKey = "nb-client-ip"
+
 // ResolveProto determines the protocol scheme based on the forwarded proto
 // configuration. When set to "http" or "https" the value is used directly.
 // Otherwise TLS state is used: if conn is non-nil "https" is returned, else "http".

proxy/internal/auth/header_cache.go

@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+package auth
+
+import (
+	"crypto/hmac"
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"golang.org/x/sync/singleflight"
+
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/proxy/internal/types"
+)
+
+const headerAuthCacheTTL = 60 * time.Second
+
+const envHeaderAuthCacheTTL = "NB_PROXY_HEADER_AUTH_CACHE_TTL"
+
+const headerAuthCachePerService = 1024
+
+const headerAuthCacheSkew = 30 * time.Second
+
+const headerAuthRPCTimeout = 10 * time.Second
+
+type headerCacheKey struct {
+	serviceID  types.ServiceID
+	headerName string
+	credential [sha256.Size]byte
+}
+
+type headerCacheEntry struct {
+	token     string
+	expiresAt time.Time
+}
+
+type headerAuthCache struct {
+	mu      sync.Mutex
+	entries map[types.ServiceID]*headerServiceBucket
+	flight  singleflight.Group
+	ttl     time.Duration
+	maxSize int
+	macKey  []byte
+	now     func() time.Time
+}
+
+type headerServiceBucket struct {
+	items map[headerCacheKey]headerCacheEntry
+	order []headerCacheKey
+}
+
+func newHeaderAuthCache() *headerAuthCache {
+	macKey := make([]byte, sha256.Size)
+	_, _ = rand.Read(macKey)
+
+	return &headerAuthCache{
+		entries: make(map[types.ServiceID]*headerServiceBucket),
+		ttl:     headerAuthCacheTTLFromEnv(),
+		maxSize: headerAuthCachePerService,
+		macKey:  macKey,
+		now:     time.Now,
+	}
+}
+
+func headerAuthCacheTTLFromEnv() time.Duration {
+	raw := strings.TrimSpace(os.Getenv(envHeaderAuthCacheTTL))
+	if raw == "" {
+		return headerAuthCacheTTL
+	}
+	d, err := time.ParseDuration(raw)
+	if err != nil || d <= 0 {
+		log.Warnf("ignoring invalid %s=%q (want a positive Go duration like 30s or 2m); using default %s",
+			envHeaderAuthCacheTTL, raw, headerAuthCacheTTL)
+		return headerAuthCacheTTL
+	}
+	return d
+}
+
+func (c *headerAuthCache) key(serviceID types.ServiceID, headerName, credential string) headerCacheKey {
+	mac := hmac.New(sha256.New, c.macKey)
+	mac.Write([]byte(credential))
+
+	key := headerCacheKey{serviceID: serviceID, headerName: headerName}
+	copy(key.credential[:], mac.Sum(nil))
+	return key
+}
+
+func (c *headerAuthCache) get(key headerCacheKey) string {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	bucket, ok := c.entries[key.serviceID]
+	if !ok {
+		return ""
+	}
+	entry, ok := bucket.items[key]
+	if !ok {
+		return ""
+	}
+	if !c.now().Before(entry.expiresAt) {
+		delete(bucket.items, key)
+		bucket.order = removeKey(bucket.order, key)
+		return ""
+	}
+	return entry.token
+}
+
+func (c *headerAuthCache) put(key headerCacheKey, token string, sessionExpiration time.Duration) {
+	lifetime := c.ttl
+	if sessionExpiration > 0 && sessionExpiration-headerAuthCacheSkew < lifetime {
+		lifetime = sessionExpiration - headerAuthCacheSkew
+	}
+	if lifetime <= 0 {
+		return
+	}
+
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	bucket, ok := c.entries[key.serviceID]
+	if !ok {
+		bucket = &headerServiceBucket{items: make(map[headerCacheKey]headerCacheEntry)}
+		c.entries[key.serviceID] = bucket
+	}
+	if _, exists := bucket.items[key]; !exists {
+		bucket.order = append(bucket.order, key)
+	}
+	bucket.items[key] = headerCacheEntry{token: token, expiresAt: c.now().Add(lifetime)}
+
+	for len(bucket.order) > c.maxSize {
+		oldest := bucket.order[0]
+		bucket.order = bucket.order[1:]
+		delete(bucket.items, oldest)
+	}
+}
+
+func (c *headerAuthCache) invalidate(key headerCacheKey) {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	bucket, ok := c.entries[key.serviceID]
+	if !ok {
+		return
+	}
+	delete(bucket.items, key)
+	bucket.order = removeKey(bucket.order, key)
+}
+
+func (c *headerAuthCache) invalidateService(serviceID types.ServiceID) {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	delete(c.entries, serviceID)
+}
+
+type authenticateHeaderFn func() (string, error)
+
+func (c *headerAuthCache) fetch(key headerCacheKey, sessionExpiration time.Duration, authenticate authenticateHeaderFn) (string, bool, error) {
+	if token := c.get(key); token != "" {
+		return token, true, nil
+	}
+
+	res, err, _ := c.flight.Do(headerFlightKey(key), func() (any, error) {
+		if token := c.get(key); token != "" {
+			return token, nil
+		}
+		token, err := authenticate()
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		if token != "" {
+			c.put(key, token, sessionExpiration)
+		}
+		return token, nil
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", false, err
+	}
+
+	token, _ := res.(string)
+	return token, false, nil
+}
+
+func headerFlightKey(key headerCacheKey) string {
+	return string(key.serviceID) + "|" + key.headerName + "|" + string(key.credential[:])
+}

proxy/internal/auth/header_cache_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,244 @@
+package auth
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/sessionkey"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/proxy/auth"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/proxy/internal/proxy"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/management/proto"
+)
+
+func newCountingHeaderScheme(t *testing.T, kp *sessionkey.KeyPair, headerName, expectedValue string, calls *atomic.Int32) Header {
+	t.Helper()
+	token, err := sessionkey.SignToken(kp.PrivateKey, "header-user", "", "example.com", auth.MethodHeader, nil, nil, time.Hour)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	mock := &mockAuthenticator{fn: func(_ context.Context, req *proto.AuthenticateRequest) (*proto.AuthenticateResponse, error) {
+		calls.Add(1)
+		ha := req.GetHeaderAuth()
+		if ha != nil && ha.GetHeaderValue() == expectedValue {
+			return &proto.AuthenticateResponse{Success: true, SessionToken: token}, nil
+		}
+		return &proto.AuthenticateResponse{Success: false}, nil
+	}}
+	return NewHeader(mock, "svc1", "acc1", headerName)
+}
+
+func doHeaderRequest(t *testing.T, mw *Middleware, credential string) *httptest.ResponseRecorder {
+	t.Helper()
+	handler := mw.Protect(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+	}))
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "http://example.com/path", nil)
+	req.Header.Set("X-API-Key", credential)
+	req = req.WithContext(proxy.WithCapturedData(req.Context(), proxy.NewCapturedData("")))
+
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	handler.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	return rec
+}
+
+func TestProtect_HeaderAuth_ReusesSessionTokenAcrossRequests(t *testing.T) {
+	var calls atomic.Int32
+	mw := NewMiddleware(log.StandardLogger(), nil, nil)
+	kp := generateTestKeyPair(t)
+	hdr := newCountingHeaderScheme(t, kp, "X-API-Key", "secret-key", &calls)
+	require.NoError(t, mw.AddDomain("example.com", []Scheme{hdr}, kp.PublicKey, time.Hour, "acc1", "svc1", nil, false))
+
+	for i := 0; i < 25; i++ {
+		rec := doHeaderRequest(t, mw, "secret-key")
+		require.Equal(t, http.StatusOK, rec.Code)
+	}
+
+	assert.Equal(t, int32(1), calls.Load(), "a repeated credential must be verified once")
+}
+
+func TestProtect_HeaderAuth_DoesNotCacheFailures(t *testing.T) {
+	var calls atomic.Int32
+	mw := NewMiddleware(log.StandardLogger(), nil, nil)
+	kp := generateTestKeyPair(t)
+	hdr := newCountingHeaderScheme(t, kp, "X-API-Key", "secret-key", &calls)
+	require.NoError(t, mw.AddDomain("example.com", []Scheme{hdr}, kp.PublicKey, time.Hour, "acc1", "svc1", nil, false))
+
+	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+		rec := doHeaderRequest(t, mw, "wrong-key")
+		require.Equal(t, http.StatusUnauthorized, rec.Code)
+	}
+
+	assert.Equal(t, int32(3), calls.Load(), "rejected credentials must not be cached")
+}
+
+func TestProtect_HeaderAuth_MissingHeaderSkipsRPC(t *testing.T) {
+	var calls atomic.Int32
+	mw := NewMiddleware(log.StandardLogger(), nil, nil)
+	kp := generateTestKeyPair(t)
+	hdr := newCountingHeaderScheme(t, kp, "X-API-Key", "secret-key", &calls)
+	require.NoError(t, mw.AddDomain("example.com", []Scheme{hdr}, kp.PublicKey, time.Hour, "acc1", "svc1", nil, false))
+
+	rec := doHeaderRequest(t, mw, "")
+	assert.NotEqual(t, http.StatusOK, rec.Code)
+	assert.Zero(t, calls.Load(), "an absent header must not reach management")
+}
+
+func TestHeaderAuthCache_EvictsExpiredEntries(t *testing.T) {
+	c := newHeaderAuthCache()
+	now := time.Now()
+	c.now = func() time.Time { return now }
+
+	key := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "secret")
+	c.put(key, "token", time.Hour)
+	require.Equal(t, "token", c.get(key))
+
+	now = now.Add(c.ttl + time.Second)
+	assert.Empty(t, c.get(key))
+}
+
+func TestHeaderAuthCache_SkipsCacheWhenSessionExpiresWithinSkew(t *testing.T) {
+	c := newHeaderAuthCache()
+
+	key := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "secret")
+	c.put(key, "token", headerAuthCacheSkew)
+
+	assert.Empty(t, c.get(key), "a token must never outlive the session it was minted for")
+}
+
+func TestHeaderAuthCache_SessionExpirationShortensTTL(t *testing.T) {
+	c := newHeaderAuthCache()
+	now := time.Now()
+	c.now = func() time.Time { return now }
+
+	key := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "secret")
+	c.put(key, "token", headerAuthCacheSkew+10*time.Second)
+	require.Equal(t, "token", c.get(key))
+
+	now = now.Add(11 * time.Second)
+	assert.Empty(t, c.get(key))
+}
+
+func TestHeaderAuthCache_BoundsEntriesPerService(t *testing.T) {
+	c := newHeaderAuthCache()
+	c.maxSize = 4
+
+	var first headerCacheKey
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		key := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", fmt.Sprintf("secret-%d", i))
+		if i == 0 {
+			first = key
+		}
+		c.put(key, "token", time.Hour)
+	}
+
+	assert.Len(t, c.entries["svc1"].items, 4)
+	assert.Empty(t, c.get(first), "the oldest entry must be evicted")
+}
+
+func TestHeaderAuthCache_DistinguishesCredentials(t *testing.T) {
+	c := newHeaderAuthCache()
+
+	good := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "good")
+	other := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "other")
+	c.put(good, "token", time.Hour)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "token", c.get(good))
+	assert.Empty(t, c.get(other))
+}
+
+func TestProtect_HeaderAuth_MappingUpdateInvalidatesCache(t *testing.T) {
+	var calls atomic.Int32
+	mw := NewMiddleware(log.StandardLogger(), nil, nil)
+	kp := generateTestKeyPair(t)
+	hdr := newCountingHeaderScheme(t, kp, "X-API-Key", "secret-key", &calls)
+	require.NoError(t, mw.AddDomain("example.com", []Scheme{hdr}, kp.PublicKey, time.Hour, "acc1", "svc1", nil, false))
+
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusOK, doHeaderRequest(t, mw, "secret-key").Code)
+	require.Equal(t, int32(1), calls.Load())
+
+	require.NoError(t, mw.AddDomain("example.com", []Scheme{hdr}, kp.PublicKey, time.Hour, "acc1", "svc1", nil, false))
+
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusOK, doHeaderRequest(t, mw, "secret-key").Code)
+	assert.Equal(t, int32(2), calls.Load(), "a mapping update must drop the service's cached credentials")
+}
+
+func TestHeaderAuthCache_InvalidateService(t *testing.T) {
+	c := newHeaderAuthCache()
+
+	key := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "secret")
+	other := c.key("svc2", "X-API-Key", "secret")
+	c.put(key, "token", time.Hour)
+	c.put(other, "token", time.Hour)
+
+	c.invalidateService("svc1")
+
+	assert.Empty(t, c.get(key))
+	assert.Equal(t, "token", c.get(other), "other services must be untouched")
+}
+
+func TestHeaderAuthCache_Invalidate(t *testing.T) {
+	c := newHeaderAuthCache()
+
+	key := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "secret")
+	other := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "second")
+	c.put(key, "token", time.Hour)
+	c.put(other, "token", time.Hour)
+
+	c.invalidate(key)
+
+	assert.Empty(t, c.get(key))
+	assert.Equal(t, "token", c.get(other))
+}
+
+func TestProtect_HeaderAuth_RevalidatesWhenCachedTokenRejected(t *testing.T) {
+	var calls atomic.Int32
+	mw := NewMiddleware(log.StandardLogger(), nil, nil)
+	kp := generateTestKeyPair(t)
+	hdr := newCountingHeaderScheme(t, kp, "X-API-Key", "secret-key", &calls)
+	require.NoError(t, mw.AddDomain("example.com", []Scheme{hdr}, kp.PublicKey, time.Hour, "acc1", "svc1", nil, false))
+
+	key := mw.headerCache.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "secret-key")
+	mw.headerCache.put(key, "not-a-valid-token", time.Hour)
+
+	rec := doHeaderRequest(t, mw, "secret-key")
+
+	assert.Equal(t, http.StatusOK, rec.Code, "an unusable cached token must not fail the request")
+	assert.Equal(t, int32(1), calls.Load(), "the credential must be re-verified once")
+}
+
+func TestHeaderAuthCache_CollapsesConcurrentMisses(t *testing.T) {
+	c := newHeaderAuthCache()
+	key := c.key("svc1", "X-API-Key", "secret")
+
+	var calls atomic.Int32
+	release := make(chan struct{})
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+
+	for i := 0; i < 20; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			_, _, _ = c.fetch(key, time.Hour, func() (string, error) {
+				calls.Add(1)
+				<-release
+				return "token", nil
+			})
+		}()
+	}
+
+	time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond)
+	close(release)
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, int32(1), calls.Load(), "a burst of cold requests must collapse into one RPC")
+}

proxy/internal/auth/middleware.go

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/metadata"
 
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/proxy/auth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/proxy/internal/proxy"
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ type Middleware struct {
 	sessionValidator SessionValidator
 	geo              restrict.GeoResolver
 	tunnelCache      *tunnelValidationCache
+	headerCache      *headerAuthCache
 }
 
 // NewMiddleware creates a new authentication middleware. The sessionValidator is
@@ -96,6 +98,7 @@ func NewMiddleware(logger *log.Logger, sessionValidator SessionValidator, geo re
 		sessionValidator: sessionValidator,
 		geo:              geo,
 		tunnelCache:      newTunnelValidationCache(),
+		headerCache:      newHeaderAuthCache(),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -452,7 +455,23 @@ func (mw *Middleware) forwardWithHeaderAuth(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Reque
 }
 
 func (mw *Middleware) tryHeaderScheme(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, host string, config DomainConfig, hdr Header, next http.Handler) bool {
-	token, _, err := hdr.Authenticate(r)
+	credential := r.Header.Get(hdr.headerName)
+	if credential == "" {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	key := mw.headerCache.key(hdr.id, hdr.headerName, credential)
+	authenticate := func() (string, error) {
+		ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.WithoutCancel(r.Context()), headerAuthRPCTimeout)
+		defer cancel()
+		if clientIP := mw.resolveClientIP(r); clientIP.IsValid() {
+			ctx = metadata.AppendToOutgoingContext(ctx, auth.ClientIPMetadataKey, clientIP.String())
+		}
+		token, _, err := hdr.Authenticate(r.WithContext(ctx))
+		return token, err
+	}
+
+	token, cached, err := mw.headerCache.fetch(key, config.SessionExpiration, authenticate)
 	if err != nil {
 		return mw.handleHeaderAuthError(w, r, err)
 	}
@@ -461,6 +480,17 @@ func (mw *Middleware) tryHeaderScheme(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ho
 	}
 
 	result, err := mw.validateSessionToken(r.Context(), host, token, config.SessionPublicKey, auth.MethodHeader)
+	if err != nil && cached {
+		mw.headerCache.invalidate(key)
+		if token, err = authenticate(); err != nil {
+			return mw.handleHeaderAuthError(w, r, err)
+		}
+		if token == "" {
+			return false
+		}
+		mw.headerCache.put(key, token, config.SessionExpiration)
+		result, err = mw.validateSessionToken(r.Context(), host, token, config.SessionPublicKey, auth.MethodHeader)
+	}
 	if err != nil {
 		setHeaderCapturedData(r.Context(), "", "", nil, nil)
 		status := http.StatusBadRequest
@@ -645,6 +675,8 @@ func wasCredentialSubmitted(r *http.Request, method auth.Method) bool {
 // AddDomain registers authentication schemes for the given domain. With schemes a valid session public key is required.
 // private=true forces ValidateTunnelPeer enforcement (403 on failure) regardless of the schemes list.
 func (mw *Middleware) AddDomain(domain string, schemes []Scheme, publicKeyB64 string, expiration time.Duration, accountID types.AccountID, serviceID types.ServiceID, ipRestrictions *restrict.Filter, private bool) error {
+	mw.headerCache.invalidateService(serviceID)
+
 	if len(schemes) == 0 {
 		mw.domainsMux.Lock()
 		defer mw.domainsMux.Unlock()
@@ -681,6 +713,10 @@ func (mw *Middleware) AddDomain(domain string, schemes []Scheme, publicKeyB64 st
 
 // RemoveDomain unregisters authentication for the given domain.
 func (mw *Middleware) RemoveDomain(domain string) {
+	if config, exists := mw.getDomainConfig(domain); exists {
+		mw.headerCache.invalidateService(config.ServiceID)
+	}
+
 	mw.domainsMux.Lock()
 	defer mw.domainsMux.Unlock()
 	delete(mw.domains, domain)

proxy/internal/auth/tunnel_cache.go

@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func (c *tunnelValidationCache) put(key tunnelCacheKey, resp *proto.ValidateTunn
 
 // removeKey drops the first occurrence of needle from order. The cache
 // uses small slices so a linear scan is cheaper than a map+slice combo.
-func removeKey(order []tunnelCacheKey, needle tunnelCacheKey) []tunnelCacheKey {
+func removeKey[T comparable](order []T, needle T) []T {
 	for i, k := range order {
 		if k == needle {
 			return append(order[:i], order[i+1:]...)

release_files/darwin_pkg/preinstall

@@ -4,9 +4,67 @@ set -x
 
 LOG_FILE=/var/log/netbird/client_pre_install.log
 AGENT=/usr/local/bin/netbird
+UI_PROCESS=netbird-ui
 
 mkdir -p /var/log/netbird/
 
+# wait_for_ui_exit polls for up to $1 seconds, returning 0 as soon as no UI
+# process is left and 1 if one is still running when the time is up.
+wait_for_ui_exit() {
+    waited=0
+    while [ "$waited" -lt "$1" ]; do
+        pgrep -x "$UI_PROCESS" > /dev/null 2>&1 || return 0
+        sleep 1
+        waited=$((waited + 1))
+    done
+    return 1
+}
+
+# request_ui_quit asks the UI to quit from inside the console user's session and
+# reports whether the request could be sent at all. The installer runs as root
+# outside that session, so a quit Apple event sent straight from here always
+# fails with -600.
+request_ui_quit() {
+    console_user=$(stat -f%Su /dev/console 2>/dev/null)
+    case "$console_user" in
+        ""|root|loginwindow|_mbsetupuser)
+            echo "No active GUI user session (console user: '${console_user:-none}'); skipping the quit request."
+            return 1
+            ;;
+    esac
+
+    uid=$(id -u "$console_user" 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ -z "$uid" ]; then
+        echo "Could not resolve uid for console user '$console_user'; skipping the quit request."
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    echo "Asking the NetBird UI to quit as console user $console_user (uid $uid)."
+    launchctl asuser "$uid" sudo -u "$console_user" -H osascript -e 'quit app "NetBird"' || true
+}
+
+# quit_ui stops a running UI so the app bundle can be replaced underneath it. A
+# UI process that survives the install keeps serving the old binary until it is
+# quit by hand, so anything still running once the quit request is out of the
+# way is signalled. Waiting for a graceful exit only makes sense when a quit
+# request was actually sent.
+quit_ui() {
+    if request_ui_quit && wait_for_ui_exit 10; then
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    pgrep -x "$UI_PROCESS" > /dev/null 2>&1 || return 0
+
+    echo "NetBird UI still running; terminating it."
+    pkill -x "$UI_PROCESS" || true
+    if wait_for_ui_exit 3; then
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    echo "NetBird UI ignored SIGTERM; killing it."
+    pkill -KILL -x "$UI_PROCESS" || true
+}
+
 {
     # check if it was installed with brew
     brew list --formula | grep netbird
@@ -15,10 +73,9 @@ mkdir -p /var/log/netbird/
         echo "NetBird has been installed with Brew. Please use Brew to update the package."
         exit 1
     fi
-    osascript -e 'quit app "Netbird"' || true
+    quit_ui
     $AGENT service stop || true
 
     echo "Preinstall complete"
     exit 0 # all good
 } &> $LOG_FILE
-

shared/management/proto/management.proto

@@ -110,6 +110,10 @@ message BundleParameters {
   int64  bundle_for_time  = 2;
   int32  log_file_count   = 3;
   bool   anonymize        = 4;
+  // anonymize_level selects how much the anonymizer redacts: "default"
+  // (or empty) keeps internal IP ranges, "strict" also anonymizes them.
+  // Unknown values are treated as "strict".
+  string anonymize_level  = 5;
 }
 
 message BundleResult {

shared/relay/client/guard.go

@@ -156,9 +156,11 @@ func (g *Guard) notifyReconnected() {
 func (g *Guard) exponentTicker(ctx context.Context) *backoff.Ticker {
 	bo := backoff.WithContext(&backoff.ExponentialBackOff{
 		InitialInterval: 2 * time.Second,
-		Multiplier:      2,
-		MaxInterval:     g.maxBackoffInterval,
-		Clock:           backoff.SystemClock,
+		// Spreads the reconnects of every client that lost the same relay server.
+		RandomizationFactor: backoff.DefaultRandomizationFactor,
+		Multiplier:          2,
+		MaxInterval:         g.maxBackoffInterval,
+		Clock:               backoff.SystemClock,
 	}, ctx)
 
 	return backoff.NewTicker(bo)