(noob) new nextcloud server unreachable from outside

Hello everyone,

I have just set up a brand new nextcloud server on my raspberry pi (4), running raspbian buster.
Everything seems to work locally, i can access it from multiple devices on my local network, both through the local address and the hosted address (using a NoIP domain).
From outside my network i get no connection however.

I forwarded ports 80 and 443 on my router, although it is an old arcadyan VGV7519 router and i am not entirely sure it is set up correctly.

I am a complete noob to this, which makes troubleshooting a little difficult. I hope someone can help me out.

system running nextcloud

  • raspberry pi 4, running raspbian.
  • HTTP: Apache2
  • router: Arcadyan VGV7519, forwarded port 80 and 443

Hostname: no-IP (free). - alternatives would be good to know!

You’ll want to setup port forwarding on your router. Google it for your specific device.

“i forwarded port 80 and port 443 on my router”
I found the instructions for my router and I seem to have it set up correctly.
Any specifics I am missing?

I don’t know. You’d need to post output. Are you able to connect to Nextcloud outside your local area network? Be sure you’ve set up https for your own protection.

Not sure what about my post is unclear, but I am not able to connect from outside my LAN, as the title indicates.
HTTPS is set up

Here you find from inside your outside ip

https://ifconfig.me

Perhaps post it.

Test from outside (not from inside)
https://the-ip-address

Will need more information, such as logs, or other information to reference. Too many factors at play in how you’ve possibly setup your server.

  • Are you running NextcloudPi?

not running nextcloud pi. as also in my original post: running raspbian.

Not sure what logs you are referring to that may help.

I cannot access the page via my outside IP. Which is the issue.

Fyi, if i go to https://[no-ip address] from within my local network (without the /nextcloud), i get the apache2 debian default page. Not sure if that is related, but just dropping it in here.

Are you able to connect to your “apache2 debian defaut page” from outside your local network?
If not, then this is not an problem with your Nextcloud installation.

Well, I wouldn’t know how, apart from using the No-IP hosted address, which does not work from outside.
can’t connect using my IP either.
How would i check this?

I use my smartphone without WLAN connection to test this cases. And if you use the No-IP hosted address and it will not work, you have a problem with your router and not with your Nextcloud.

I have 2 android phones here. Neither will connect at all, locally or remotely. No problems connecting locally from 3 other pc’s, 2 running win10, one running manjaro linux.
I have no clue.

Okay, but this is not a problem with your Nextcloud installation.

Looks like a DNS problem.
Just try to connect via the external IP address of your router outside your network with a smartphone, using a browser.
If this works: fine, your port forwarding works.
If not: you have a problem with your router.

I have a problem with my router. I’ll go over everything again, but i still have no clue where to start.

Maybe the manual of the router will help. Sorry, but here you will find only volunteers which can help you with your Nextcloud installation.

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I know. I will find a way. Appreciate the help, thanks!

Perhaps you can send a screenshot from router - port - forwarding.

When you say your “local address” I assume you mean your local IP? Not URL?

Honestly, it sounds like you’ve given NoIP your local LAN address, not your real-world address. That means, whenever you try to connect from outside your local network, NoIP is resolving to an unreachable address.

I think this is why your real-world URL works fine on your LAN. When I first set my home network up (before I started using Next/ownCloud), I also had to set up a local LAN DNS server. That way my laptop could connect easily within my LAN as well as when I was at a friend’s place on their wifi.

Without a local DNS server, trying to resolve my website’s URL from within my LAN would direct the machine to my router, not the computer on my LAN. Port forwarding only works when the port is being forwarded from the outside.

There’s an old haiku in the sysadmin world:

It’s not DNS
There’s no way it’s DNS
It was DNS

Recheck what IP address NoIP has assigned to it, make sure it’s the real-world IP an not a local LAN IP (e.g. 10.x.x.x or 192.168.x.x). That’s where I’d start.

Good luck!

I have checked all your suggestions. In the end, it was something else.

I have managed to solve it by replacing my ISP (and router… obviously). There were issues with portforwarding on the old, which are not present in the new. Added benefit; lower cost, better speeds, newer hardware.

Server is up and running. thank you all for your time.

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