Skip to content

First Steps

This guide walks you through your first 10 minutes with VortexUI — from login to a working user subscription.

Step 1: Login

  1. Open https://your-domain.com (or http://server-ip:8080 if no domain)
  2. Enter the admin credentials you created during installation
  3. You'll land on the Dashboard

First-time? The onboarding tour will guide you through the main features. Click "Start Tour" or dismiss to explore on your own.

Step 2: Add a Node

Nodes are servers running proxy cores (Xray or sing-box) that serve your users.

Local Node (Single Server)

If panel and proxy run on the same machine:

  1. Go to Nodes → Add Node
  2. Select Local Node
  3. Choose core: Xray (recommended) or sing-box
  4. Click Create
  5. Status should show 🟢 Online within seconds

Remote Node

If proxy runs on a separate server:

  1. Go to Nodes → Add Node
  2. Select Remote Node
  3. Fill in:
  4. Name: e.g., "Frankfurt-01"
  5. Address: server IP or hostname
  6. Port: API port (default 62050)
  7. Copy the generated install command
  8. SSH into your node server and run:
bash <(curl -Ls https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iPmartNetwork/VortexUI/master/install-node.sh)
  1. Enter the panel address and enrollment token when prompted
  2. Back in the panel, status should show 🟢 Online

Step 3: Create an Inbound

Inbounds are protocol configurations that listen for client connections.

  1. Go to Nodes → select your node → Inbounds tab
  2. Click Add Inbound
  3. Choose a protocol:
Field Value
Protocol VLESS
Port 443
Transport TCP
Security Reality
Dest www.google.com:443
Server Names www.google.com
  1. Click Create

Tip: Use the Reality Scanner (Security → Reality) to find optimal SNI domains for your server location.

Alternative: VMess + WebSocket + TLS

Good for CDN fronting (Cloudflare):

Field Value
Protocol VMess
Port 443
Transport WebSocket
Path /vmws
Security TLS

Step 4: Create a User

  1. Go to Users → Add User
  2. Fill in:
Field Value
Username your-username
Data Limit 50 GB (or unlimited: 0)
Expire 30 days from now
Device Limit 2 (optional)
  1. In Inbounds section, check the inbound(s) you created
  2. Click Create
  1. On the user detail page, find Subscription
  2. Copy the subscription URL: 
    https://your-domain.com/sub/abc123xyz
  3. Or scan the QR Code directly with a mobile app

Import into Client Apps

App Platform How to Import
v2rayNG Android Scan QR or paste URL
v2rayN Windows Subscription → Add → Paste URL
Nekoray Windows/Linux Subscription → New → Paste URL
Clash Meta All Profiles → Import from URL
Shadowrocket iOS Scan QR or Add Subscription
Streisand iOS Settings → Subscriptions → Add

Step 6: Verify Connection

  1. In your client app, select the imported server
  2. Connect
  3. Visit https://ipinfo.io — you should see your node's IP

In VortexUI: - Dashboard → check real-time traffic - Monitor → see active connections - Users → verify traffic usage updating

Step 7: Harden Your Panel

Enable 2FA

  1. Click your avatar (top-right) → Profile
  2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication
  3. Scan QR with Google Authenticator / Authy
  4. Save backup codes securely

Set Strong JWT Secret

Ensure VORTEX_JWT_SECRET in your .env is at least 32 random bytes:

openssl rand -base64 32

Configure IP Whitelist

  1. Settings → Security → IP Guard
  2. Add your management IPs to the whitelist
  3. Enable enforcement

Set Up Backups

  1. Settings → Backup
  2. Configure Telegram or S3 destination
  3. Set schedule (e.g., daily at 3 AM)

What's Next?

Task Guide
Customize dashboard Dashboard
Bulk import users User Management
Add more nodes Node Management
Set up routing rules Network Policy
Configure anti-censorship Security
Create reseller accounts Plans & Payments
Enable notifications Notifications

Troubleshooting First Setup

Node shows "Offline"

  1. Check node server is reachable: ping node-ip
  2. Verify port is open: telnet node-ip 62050
  3. Check node agent logs: journalctl -u vortex-node -f
  4. Ensure panel address in node config is correct

Subscription URL returns 404

  1. Verify the user has at least one inbound assigned
  2. Check user hasn't expired or been suspended
  3. Verify the domain resolves to your panel server

Client can't connect

  1. Check inbound port is open: telnet node-ip 443
  2. Verify protocol settings match
  3. Check firewall rules on node server
  4. Test with curl -v https://node-ip:port

Login fails after panel restart

  1. Check database is running: systemctl status postgresql
  2. Verify JWT secret hasn't changed
  3. Check panel logs: journalctl -u vortexui -f