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# External Clients

## Introduction

Netmaker allows for “external clients” to reach into a network and access services via an Ingress Gateway. So what is an “external client”? An external client is any machine which cannot or should not be meshed. This can include:

  - Phones

  - Laptops

  - Desktops

An external client is not “managed,” meaning it does not automatically pull the latest network configuration, or push changes to its configuration. Instead, it uses a generated WireGuard config file to access the designated Ingress Gateway, which is a managed server (running netclient). This server then forwards traffic to the appropriate endpoint, acting as a middle-man/relay.

By using this method, you can hook any machine into a netmaker network that can run WireGuard.

It is recommended to run the netclient where compatible, but for all other cases, a machine can be configured as an external client.

Important to note, an external client is not reachable by the network, meaning the client can establish connections to other machines, but those machines cannot independently establish a connection back. The External Client method should only be used in use cases where one wishes to access resource runnin on the virtual network, and not for use cases where one wishes to make a resource accessible on the network. For that, use netclient.