# WGDashboard: a WireGuard web dashboard that replaces wg show > WGDashboard is a Python and Vue.js web interface for managing WireGuard configurations, peers and QR codes. It suits self-hosters who already run WireGuard on a Linux box and want a browser instead of a shell, and it is the wrong tool if you need a managed service or a multi-tenant control plane. **WGDashboard/WGDashboard** — Simple dashboard for WireGuard VPN written in Python & Vue.js - Repository: https://github.com/WGDashboard/WGDashboard - Website: https://wgdashboard.dev - Stars: 3,738 · Forks: 474 - Language: Vue - License: Apache-2.0 - Published: 2026-09-23 · Updated: 2026-09-23 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/wgdashboard-wgdashboard ## Why a WireGuard dashboard exists at all WireGuard ships a small command line surface. The README states the problem plainly: monitoring WireGuard is not convenient, and in most cases you log into your server and type wg show. That is fine for one interface and two peers. It stops being fine when you hand out configs to a dozen devices, when you need to revoke one, or when someone asks whether their tunnel is up. WGDashboard is the browser layer over that gap. It reads and manages WireGuard configurations, shows peer status, and generates the client artifacts you would otherwise assemble by hand. The audience is the self-hoster running WireGuard on a Linux VPS or home server, not an enterprise network team. The README also states the project is not affiliated with the official WireGuard project, which matters when you read the name. The scope is deliberately narrow: view and manage configurations. It is not a mesh controller, not a zero-trust access broker, and not a replacement for WireGuard itself. ## How WGDashboard sits on top of WireGuard The repository layout tells most of the architecture story. There is src/ for the application code, templates/ for server-rendered pages, assets/ for static files, and docker/ for container builds. The topics list names Flask, SQLite, Python 3 and Vue.js. So the shape is a Flask backend that talks to the WireGuard configuration on the host, stores its own state in SQLite, and serves a Vue.js front end. That split explains what you actually get. WireGuard remains the data plane; WGDashboard never carries your traffic. Peer keys, allowed IPs and endpoints live in the configuration files that WireGuard reads, and the dashboard is a control surface over them. SQLite holds the dashboard's own records, which is why the setup is a single process plus a file rather than a cluster. The README screenshots show the surface area: a sign-in page, a cross-server view, the main index, a new configuration form, settings, light and dark themes, a configuration detail page, add-peers, ping and traceroute. Cross-server stands out because it implies the dashboard can reach more than one WireGuard host, which changes the deployment question from "one box" to "one box plus the peers it manages". The README does not document how that cross-server link is authenticated, so treat it as something to inspect in your own deployment rather than assume. ## Installing WGDashboard and adding your first peer The README points to the official website at wgdashboard.dev for installation details, and the repository ships a docker/ directory plus a Docker publishing workflow. If you prefer containers, that directory is where the image definition lives; the README itself does not print a docker run command, so read the files there rather than copying a command from a blog post. The source install path is the one the project describes in its own documentation. Clone the repository and look at the top-level entries before running anything: ```bash git clone https://github.com/WGDashboard/WGDashboard.git cd WGDashboard ls ``` You should see the entries the repository lists: LICENSE, README.md, SECURITY.md, assets/, docker/, src/ and templates/. If src/ or templates/ is missing, you have the wrong branch or a partial download. Once the service is running and you reach the sign-in page shown in the screenshots, the first useful action is creating a configuration, then adding peers to it. The screenshots name those flows directly: a new configuration form and an add-peers screen. Peer creation is also where the QR code feature appears, since the related searches people run include WGDashboard QR code and WGDashboard add client. That is the workflow to validate first: create a configuration, add one peer, scan the QR code with a phone, and confirm the tunnel comes up. If that loop works, the rest of the dashboard is bookkeeping. Do not expose the dashboard before you have changed whatever credentials the first login uses. The README's warning block is aimed at exactly this situation. ## The security update you should not skip The README opens with a warning block, not a feature list. It states that all users running WGDashboard v4.2.x or later and hosted on the public internet are strongly advised to update to the latest release immediately, and links to the v4.3.2 release notes for details. The release history lines up: v4.3.2 is titled "2026 March Security Update 1". Take that at face value. A dashboard that manages VPN peers is a high-value target: it holds the ability to add a peer, which means the ability to grant network access. Anything reachable from the internet that can do that needs to be patched on the vendor's schedule, not yours. The practical reading is that version choice is a security decision here, not a preference. If you are on v4.2.x and your instance is public, the README's own instruction is to move. If you cannot patch quickly, the alternative is to stop exposing the dashboard publicly and reach it over the VPN it manages or through an SSH tunnel, which the README does not spell out but follows from the warning's framing around public hosting. ## Where WGDashboard is the wrong choice The biggest limitation is structural: this is a single-operator tool. SQLite plus a Flask app means one instance owns its own state. There is no described role model, no tenant separation, and no audit trail in the README or the repository's security documentation. If you need to give five people scoped access to different WireGuard interfaces, or prove who changed a peer's allowed IPs last Tuesday, WGDashboard does not offer that. The second limitation is scope. The README is explicit that the project is not affiliated with the official WireGuard project, and the feature list is about viewing and managing configurations. It is not a policy engine. It will not enforce device posture, rotate keys on a schedule, or integrate with an identity provider, because none of those appear in what the project documents. Third, the documentation surface is thin in places. The README is largely badges, screenshots and community links; installation and configuration details live on wgdashboard.dev. The README does not document rollback, does not print a Docker command, and does not describe how cross-server access is secured. That is not fatal for a homelab, but it is a real cost if you are deploying on a schedule and need to know what a failed upgrade leaves behind. Finally, if you have one WireGuard interface and three peers that never change, the dashboard is more moving parts than the problem. wg show is one command. ## WGDashboard compared with wg-easy and other WireGuard UIs The comparison people search for is wgdashboard vs wg easy, and the difference is mostly about what each project assumes. A minimal WireGuard UI typically bundles WireGuard and the interface into one container: you deploy the image, it owns the configuration, and the UI is the only way in. That is convenient and it is also a commitment, because the tool becomes the source of truth for your tunnels. WGDashboard takes the other position. It manages WireGuard configurations that already exist on the host, which is why the README frames the problem as "you would otherwise type wg show". You keep your existing configuration files and your existing WireGuard install, and the dashboard reads and edits them. That is better if you already have a working setup and want visibility into it. It is worse if you want a single artifact you can throw at a fresh VPS and forget about. The same logic applies to wgdashboard vs wireguard ui comparisons generally: check whether the tool owns the WireGuard configuration or merely manages it. That single question predicts how painful migration and rollback will be. WGDashboard's repository has a LICENSE, a SECURITY.md and a docker/ directory, so there is a defined upgrade and disclosure path, but the README does not promise a migration story between major versions. ## Licence, maintenance and what an upgrade costs you WGDashboard is Apache-2.0. For most self-hosted use that is permissive: you can run it, modify it and redistribute it, with the licence's notice and attribution conditions attached. Apache-2.0 also carries an explicit patent grant, which matters if you fork it inside a company. This is a description of the licence text, not legal advice; read LICENSE in the repository if the distinction affects you. The maintenance signal is straightforward. The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-09-07, which is recent. Releases are frequent enough to be worth tracking: v4.3.1 in December 2025, v4.3.2 in March 2026, v4.3.3 in April 2026. The v4.3.2 release being a security update tells you the project patches, and the README warning tells you it expects you to follow. Upgrade cost is where the architecture helps and hurts. A Flask app with SQLite is easy to back up: copy the database and your WireGuard configuration files before you pull a new release, and you can put things back. The hurt is that the README does not document rollback or a migration path between major versions, so the safe pattern is to snapshot the state directory and the WireGuard configs yourself, then test the upgrade on a non-critical interface. The project also runs a testing program that offers free WireGuard access to a Toronto server for 24 hours or 1GB of traffic, whichever comes first; that is a way to see the dashboard against a real server, not a substitute for testing your own upgrade. ## Conclusion Adopt WGDashboard if you run WireGuard on your own Linux server and want peer management, QR codes and live status in a browser instead of typing wg show. Do not adopt it if you need a hosted service, per-tenant isolation, or a dashboard that the maintainers support under a commercial SLA, because this is a self-hosted project with community chat channels. Before exposing it, verify three things: which port the service listens on in your install, what credentials the first login expects, and whether your version is at or above v4.3.2, since the README tells v4.2.x and later public hosts to update immediately. ## FAQ ### What is WGDashboard? It is a web dashboard for WireGuard written in Python and Vue.js. The README describes its purpose as viewing and managing WireGuard configurations without logging into the server to type wg show, and notes the project is not affiliated with the official WireGuard project. ### How do I install WGDashboard? The README points to wgdashboard.dev for installation details, and the repository contains a docker/ directory for the container build. The README does not print an install command itself, so use the official documentation or the files in docker/. ### How do I set up WGDashboard? The screenshots show the setup flow: a sign-in page, a new configuration form, an add-peers screen, and settings. Create a configuration, add a peer, then use the QR code to bring a client online. ### Is WGDashboard safe? The README warns that all users on v4.2.x or later hosted on the public internet should update to the latest release immediately, and v4.3.2 is titled a security update. Staying current, and not exposing the dashboard publicly without reason, is the posture the project itself describes. ### How is WGDashboard different from wg-easy? WGDashboard manages WireGuard configurations that already exist on the host, rather than bundling WireGuard and the interface into a single deployment. That suits an existing setup but gives you less of a one-shot install. ### How do I access WGDashboard? You reach it through a browser at the address where the service runs, which starts at the sign-in page shown in the README screenshots. The README does not state the port or default credentials, so those come from the documentation at wgdashboard.dev. ## Sources - [License: Apache-2.0](https://github.com/WGDashboard/WGDashboard/blob/main/LICENSE) - [Project website](https://wgdashboard.dev) - [README](https://github.com/WGDashboard/WGDashboard/blob/main/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/WGDashboard/WGDashboard/releases) - [WGDashboard/WGDashboard on GitHub](https://github.com/WGDashboard/WGDashboard) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/wgdashboard-wgdashboard