Nodes
The Nodes page is where the hub connects to and manages its remote servers.
Overview
URL: /admin/nodes - under Cluster → Settings
Manage remote nodes. Connect to external panels via REST API to collect statistics and generate SSO tokens.
Each row is one node. Until a node is connected, the table is empty.
Managing the list
- Search - filter the node list by text.
- Filter - narrow by connection status (
Connected,Disconnected,Error,Unknown) and by activity (Active only,Inactive only). Reset clears the filters. - Toggle columns - show or hide table columns.
- Bulk actions - select rows and apply Delete selected.
Node list
Once nodes are paired, each row shows:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The node's display name (e.g. testing). |
| Address | The node panel's hostname/IP and port (e.g. node.example.com:8443). |
| Status | Connection state: Connected, Disconnected, Error, or Unknown. |
| Roles | The functions the node runs: WWW, SQL, Mail, DNS, and DNS Slave. |
| Install | Provisioning state - paired for an existing panel that was connected, or the install progress for a hub-installed node. |
| Version | The node's panel version (gated by the Minimum node panel version in Hub Mode). |
| Active | Whether the node is enabled in the hub. |
| Last Sync | When the hub last synced with the node. |
| Created | When the node was added. |
Node health and polling
Beyond the connection Status column, the hub tracks a health status for each node from its polling cycle. The hub polls every node every 5 minutes and shows the result with a last poll: X ago label:
- Online - the node answered its most recent poll.
- Degraded - the node answered, but a service or metric reported a problem.
- Stale - no successful poll for about 7 minutes. The node's cached metrics are flagged as too old / unreachable.
- Offline - no successful poll for about 15 minutes, or the node has never been polled.
Use Check Health Now to poll a node immediately rather than waiting for the next 5-minute cycle.
Per-node actions
Each node row provides these actions:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Login to node | Single sign-on into the node's own panel - no need to re-type credentials. |
| Test Connection | Verifies the hub can reach the node's panel API. |
| Check Health Now | Refreshes the node's health and service status immediately. |
| Synchronize | Re-pulls statistics and inventory from the node. |
| Resync DNS | Re-pushes the cluster DNS configuration to the node. |
| View | Opens the node's details. |
| Edit | Edits the node's connection settings and roles. |
| Unpair | Removes the node from the hub while leaving the node's own panel running. |
| Delete | Removes the node record from the hub. |
Connect Node
Click Connect Node to add a server. The form first asks how to add it:
- Connect an existing AdminBolt panel - the server already runs an AdminBolt panel. Paste its API key/secret; no SSH needed.
- Install AdminBolt on a new server - a fresh server: the hub installs the panel over SSH from
get.adminbolt.comand pairs it automatically.
Connection
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Node Name | A descriptive name to identify this node. |
| Connection Type | Connect by Node URL (hostname/domain) or Server IP Address. |
| Node URL | The hostname or domain name of the node (e.g., node.example.com). |
| Port | TCP port of the node's panel API (default: 8443). |
API credentials
The admin API key and secret from the existing panel (Settings → API in the node's panel). These are used for all day-to-day control.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| API Key | The node panel's API key. |
| API Secret | The node panel's API secret (masked by default). |
Roles
Node roles describe the functions a node fulfils in the multi-server setup; they drive dashboards, filtering, and targeted orchestration.
- WWW, SQL, Mail, DNS - the services this node runs (web, database, mail, and DNS).
- Act as a cluster DNS slave (public secondary nameserver) - turns the node into a public secondary nameserver for the whole cluster. When enabled, the hub notifies it and it pulls every hub-served zone over AXFR, so it can answer DNS for all federated domains. It is configured automatically over the node API (no SSH): the node's PowerDNS is switched to secondary/autosecondary with the hub as its primary. Requires the DNS role. Point one of your cluster nameservers (NS1-NS4) at this node's IP once enabled.
Finish with Connect Node, or use Save & Add Another to add several in a row.
Related
- Hub Dashboard - resource and service status for every server, including connected nodes.
- DNS Cluster - unified nameservers, slave servers, and external DNS sources.