Troubleshooting - Pangolin Docs

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Use this guide to troubleshoot Newt Kubernetes deployments installed with Helm, Kustomize, Argo CD, or Flux. Start with the basic checks, then move to the section that matches the symptom.

Quick checks

Set the namespace and release name used by your installation:

export NEWT_NAMESPACE=pangolin
export NEWT_RELEASE=newt

Check the Helm release:

helm status "$NEWT_RELEASE" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"
helm history "$NEWT_RELEASE" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

Check Newt pods:

kubectl get pods --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt

Check recent events:

kubectl get events --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  --sort-by=.lastTimestamp

Check logs:

kubectl logs --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt \
  --tail=100

Check the applied Helm values:

helm get values "$NEWT_RELEASE" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

Do not assume the pod or Deployment name. Chart-generated names can change with the Helm release name, instance name, nameOverride, or fullnameOverride.

Get the generated resource names

List Newt resources:

kubectl get deploy,sts,svc,secret,cm --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt

List pods with labels:

kubectl get pods --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt \
  --show-labels

Store the first Newt pod name:

export NEWT_POD="$(kubectl get pod --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt \
  -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}')"

Then use:

echo "$NEWT_POD"

Pod fails to start

Symptoms

STATUS             RESTARTS
CrashLoopBackOff   5
Error              3
CreateContainerConfigError
ImagePullBackOff

Check pod details

kubectl describe pod "$NEWT_POD" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

Check logs:

kubectl logs "$NEWT_POD" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" --tail=100

If the container restarts quickly, check the previous logs:

kubectl logs "$NEWT_POD" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" --previous --tail=100

Common causes

Symptom	Likely cause	Check
`Secret "..." not found`	Secret name does not match `auth.existingSecretName`	`kubectl get secret -n "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"`
Missing env var or empty credential	Secret exists but key names do not match `auth.keys.*`	`kubectl describe secret <secret> -n "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"`
Authentication failure	Wrong `NEWT_ID`, `NEWT_SECRET`, or provisioning key	Check credentials in Pangolin
Endpoint connection errors	`PANGOLIN_ENDPOINT` is wrong or unreachable	Test DNS and HTTPS from the pod
Image pull failure	Registry or image settings are wrong	`kubectl describe pod`

Secret issues

Verify the Secret exists

kubectl get secret newt-auth --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

Check Secret keys

kubectl describe secret newt-auth --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

The default keys are:

PANGOLIN_ENDPOINT
NEWT_ID
NEWT_SECRET

If your Secret uses different key names, map them in values:

newtInstances:
  - name: main-tunnel
    enabled: true
    auth:
      existingSecretName: newt-auth
      keys:
        endpointKey: PANGOLIN_ENDPOINT
        idKey: NEWT_ID
        secretKey: NEWT_SECRET

Do not paste decoded secrets into issue reports, logs, screenshots, or public repositories.

Check which Secret the pod uses

kubectl get pod "$NEWT_POD" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -o jsonpath='{range .spec.containers[*].envFrom[*]}{.secretRef.name}{"\n"}{end}'

Also inspect explicit Secret references:

kubectl get pod "$NEWT_POD" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" -o yaml | grep -A5 -B2 secretKeyRef

Newt cannot reach Pangolin

Test DNS from the Newt pod

kubectl exec "$NEWT_POD" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" -- \
  nslookup pangolin.example.com

Test HTTPS from the Newt pod

kubectl exec "$NEWT_POD" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" -- \
  wget -S -O- https://pangolin.example.com 2>&1 | head -40

Depending on the image, curl, wget, nc, or nslookup may not be available. If needed, run a temporary debug pod in the same namespace:

kubectl run net-debug \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  --rm -it \
  --image=curlimages/curl:latest \
  --restart=Never \
  -- sh

Then test:

curl -vk https://pangolin.example.com

Common causes

Problem	What to check
DNS fails	CoreDNS, NetworkPolicy egress to DNS, wrong hostname
HTTPS fails	ingress, TLS certificate, firewall, proxy, wrong endpoint
TLS verification fails	certificate chain, hostname mismatch, private CA
Works locally but not in cluster	egress policies, proxy settings, DNS split-horizon

Newt pod is running but site is offline

Check logs:

kubectl logs "$NEWT_POD" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" --tail=200

Check the site in the Pangolin dashboard. Verify:

the site credentials belong to the same site
the site was not deleted or regenerated in Pangolin
PANGOLIN_ENDPOINT points to the correct Pangolin URL
the cluster can resolve and reach the Pangolin endpoint
outbound HTTPS is allowed from the Newt namespace
the Secret is in the same namespace as the Newt workload

If you use provisioning, also verify:

provisioningKey is valid
newtName is set as expected
configPersistence.enabled=true
the configured CONFIG_FILE path is writable

Provisioning issues

Provisioning requires writable config persistence.

Symptoms

Newt starts but does not keep generated credentials after restart.
Newt provisions repeatedly.
Logs mention config file or write errors.
Pod restarts cause the site to appear as a new or unconfigured instance.

Check values

helm get values "$NEWT_RELEASE" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

Provisioning example:

newtInstances:
  - name: main-tunnel
    enabled: true
    auth:
      pangolinEndpoint: https://pangolin.example.com
      provisioningKey: "<provisioning-key>"
      newtName: "my-site"
    configPersistence:
      enabled: true
      type: emptyDir
      mountPath: /var/lib/newt
      fileName: config.json

For durable state, use an existing PVC:

newtInstances:
  - name: main-tunnel
    enabled: true
    auth:
      pangolinEndpoint: https://pangolin.example.com
      provisioningKey: "<provisioning-key>"
      newtName: "my-site"
    configPersistence:
      enabled: true
      type: persistentVolumeClaim
      existingClaim: my-newt-config
      mountPath: /var/lib/newt
      fileName: config.json

emptyDir is recreated when the pod is recreated. Use a PVC if the generated configuration must survive pod replacement.

Service not created or not reachable

Important behavior

acceptClients does not create a Service. A Service is created through:

newtInstances:
  - name: main-tunnel
    service:
      enabled: true

The chart also has service.enabledWhenAcceptClients, but runtime client behavior and Service rendering should still be verified in the rendered manifests.

Check Services

kubectl get svc --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt

Describe the Service:

kubectl describe svc <service-name> --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

LoadBalancer stuck in pending

EXTERNAL-IP   <pending>

Common causes:

the cluster has no cloud load balancer integration
bare-metal cluster without MetalLB or equivalent
cloud provider quota or permission issue
invalid loadBalancerClass
invalid loadBalancerSourceRanges

For bare-metal clusters, use MetalLB or another load balancer implementation, or use NodePort if appropriate.

Metrics scraping does not work

Metrics are disabled by default. Enable metrics:

global:
  metrics:
    enabled: true

The chart default admin address is:

global:
  metrics:
    adminAddr: ":2112"

This listens on all interfaces and allows in-cluster scraping. Do not set it to 127.0.0.1:2112 if Prometheus scrapes from another pod.

Metrics Service

Enable the metrics Service:

global:
  metrics:
    enabled: true
    service:
      enabled: true
      port: 2112

ServiceMonitor

If you use Prometheus Operator:

global:
  metrics:
    enabled: true
    service:
      enabled: true
    serviceMonitor:
      enabled: true

Check resources:

kubectl get svc,podmonitor,servicemonitor,prometheusrule \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt

The chart has separate metrics values for container port, admin address, and metrics Service port. Check the rendered manifest when changing these values.

NetworkPolicy blocks traffic

If NetworkPolicy is enabled, check that the policy allows required egress. Newt usually needs egress to:

DNS
Pangolin endpoint over HTTPS
any tunnel or connectivity endpoints used by your deployment

Check policies:

kubectl get networkpolicy --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"
kubectl describe networkpolicy --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

If DNS is blocked, enable or add DNS egress rules. Example:

global:
  networkPolicy:
    enabled: true
    components:
      dns:
        enabled: true

If HTTPS egress is blocked, add an appropriate custom egress rule for your environment.

Multiple Newt instances conflict

Symptoms

Multiple pods run, but only one site connects.
Both instances use the same credentials.
A site appears to flap between instances.
Logs show authentication or registration conflicts.

Check values

helm get values "$NEWT_RELEASE" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

Each instance should use its own credentials or provisioning identity:

newtInstances:
  - name: site-a
    enabled: true
    auth:
      existingSecretName: newt-auth-site-a

  - name: site-b
    enabled: true
    auth:
      existingSecretName: newt-auth-site-b

Create separate Secrets:

kubectl create secret generic newt-auth-site-a \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  --from-literal=PANGOLIN_ENDPOINT=https://pangolin.example.com \
  --from-literal=NEWT_ID=<site-a-newt-id> \
  --from-literal=NEWT_SECRET=<site-a-newt-secret>

kubectl create secret generic newt-auth-site-b \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  --from-literal=PANGOLIN_ENDPOINT=https://pangolin.example.com \
  --from-literal=NEWT_ID=<site-b-newt-id> \
  --from-literal=NEWT_SECRET=<site-b-newt-secret>

RBAC or service account issues

Chart 1.4.0 disables RBAC creation by default. Check service account and RBAC:

kubectl get serviceaccount,role,rolebinding \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt

If your configuration requires Kubernetes API access, enable RBAC:

rbac:
  create: true
  clusterRole: false

For most Newt deployments, RBAC is not required.

High CPU or memory usage

Check resource usage:

kubectl top pod --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt

Check current resource settings:

kubectl get pod "$NEWT_POD" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -o jsonpath='{.spec.containers[0].resources}'

Tune resources in values:

newtInstances:
  - name: main-tunnel
    resources:
      requests:
        cpu: 200m
        memory: 256Mi
      limits:
        cpu: 1000m
        memory: 512Mi

Then upgrade:

helm upgrade "$NEWT_RELEASE" fossorial/newt \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  --values values-newt.yaml

Common causes of high usage:

high tunnel traffic
too low resource limits
repeated reconnect loops
excessive debug logging
MTU or network path issues

MTU issues

Symptoms

Connections establish but large transfers fail.
Some websites or services work, others hang.
Logs show repeated reconnects.
Throughput is much lower than expected.

Newt defaults to MTU 1280. Try another MTU only after confirming basic connectivity:

newtInstances:
  - name: main-tunnel
    mtu: 1280

Upgrade after changing values:

helm upgrade "$NEWT_RELEASE" fossorial/newt \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  --values values-newt.yaml

Helm debugging

Preview an upgrade:

helm upgrade "$NEWT_RELEASE" fossorial/newt \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  --values values-newt.yaml \
  --dry-run

Render the chart locally:

helm template "$NEWT_RELEASE" fossorial/newt \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  --values values-newt.yaml

Show rendered manifests from the live release:

helm get manifest "$NEWT_RELEASE" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

Show values from the live release:

helm get values "$NEWT_RELEASE" --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

Rollback:

helm rollback "$NEWT_RELEASE" <revision> --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE"

Kustomize debugging

Validate the overlay:

kustomize build overlays/site-a

Run a server-side dry run:

kustomize build overlays/site-a | kubectl apply -f - --dry-run=server

Preview live changes:

kustomize build overlays/site-a | kubectl diff -f -

If a patch does not apply, inspect generated resource names:

kustomize build base | grep -E "^(kind:|  name:)"

Collect diagnostics

Collect logs and resource information:

kubectl logs --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt \
  --tail=200 > newt-logs.txt

kubectl get pods --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/name=newt \
  -o yaml > newt-pods.yaml

kubectl get events --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" \
  --sort-by=.lastTimestamp > newt-events.txt

helm get values "$NEWT_RELEASE" \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" > newt-helm-values.yaml

helm get manifest "$NEWT_RELEASE" \
  --namespace "$NEWT_NAMESPACE" > newt-helm-manifest.yaml

If using Kustomize:

kustomize build overlays/site-a > newt-kustomize-output.yaml

Before sharing diagnostics, remove:

Newt credentials
provisioning keys
TLS private keys
tokens
passwords
internal hostnames if sensitive

Next steps

Configuration

Review Newt chart options.

Helm Install

Install Newt with Helm.

Kustomize Install

Install Newt with rendered manifests and Kustomize overlays.

GitOps

Deploy Newt with Argo CD or Flux.

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Documentation Index

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​Quick checks

​Get the generated resource names

​Pod fails to start

​Symptoms

​Check pod details

​Common causes

​Secret issues

​Verify the Secret exists

​Check Secret keys

​Check which Secret the pod uses

​Newt cannot reach Pangolin

​Test DNS from the Newt pod

​Test HTTPS from the Newt pod

​Common causes

​Newt pod is running but site is offline

​Provisioning issues

​Symptoms

​Check values

​Service not created or not reachable

​Important behavior

​Check Services

​LoadBalancer stuck in pending

​Metrics scraping does not work

​Metrics Service

​ServiceMonitor

​NetworkPolicy blocks traffic

​Multiple Newt instances conflict

​Symptoms

​Check values

​RBAC or service account issues

​High CPU or memory usage

​MTU issues

​Symptoms

​Helm debugging

​Kustomize debugging

​Collect diagnostics

​Next steps

Configuration

Helm Install

Kustomize Install

GitOps

Quick checks

Get the generated resource names

Pod fails to start

Symptoms

Check pod details

Common causes

Secret issues

Verify the Secret exists

Check Secret keys

Check which Secret the pod uses

Newt cannot reach Pangolin

Test DNS from the Newt pod

Test HTTPS from the Newt pod

Common causes

Newt pod is running but site is offline

Provisioning issues

Symptoms

Check values

Service not created or not reachable

Important behavior

Check Services

LoadBalancer stuck in pending

Metrics scraping does not work

Metrics Service

ServiceMonitor

NetworkPolicy blocks traffic

Multiple Newt instances conflict

Symptoms

Check values

RBAC or service account issues

High CPU or memory usage

MTU issues

Symptoms

Helm debugging

Kustomize debugging

Collect diagnostics

Next steps