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ResourcesPublic Resources

VNC

View and control a remote display through a VNC client rendered in the browser

VNC public resources render a full VNC client in the browser. Users visit a FQDN, complete Pangolin authentication, and get an interactive remote display session without installing a VNC viewer.

Benefits

  • Users get a remote display from any browser, with no VNC viewer or Pangolin client to install.
  • The VNC server is never exposed to the internet. Pangolin authentication happens before a session can start.
  • SSO, identity providers, and access rules protect VNC servers that often have weak or no passwords of their own.
  • Works with Linux desktops, macOS screen sharing, and embedded devices that expose a VNC server.

Use Cases

  • Remotely support a Linux or macOS desktop.
  • Reach the display of a kiosk, digital sign, or industrial HMI panel behind NAT.
  • Get console access to a virtual machine whose hypervisor exposes VNC.

How It Works

  1. You assign a FQDN on a domain managed in Pangolin.
  2. The user completes authentication and access rules in the browser.
  3. Pangolin renders the VNC session and proxies traffic to the VNC server through a site connector.

No Pangolin client is required.

Video Walkthrough

Site and Host Configuration

VNC public resources do not use targets. Instead, you:

  1. Select which sites can route to the resource.
  2. Enter the backend VNC server host and port (commonly 5900 or 5900 + display number).

Pangolin routes through the site that is online and healthiest, using the same intelligent multi-site routing model as private resources.

Authentication and Access Rules

VNC public resources are protocol-aware and support the full set of Pangolin authentication and access rules, including platform SSO, identity providers, user/role assignments, and context-based allow/deny rules. You can share these settings across resources with a resource policy.

VNC session credentials (if configured on the VNC server) are entered in the browser-rendered client after Pangolin authentication succeeds.

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