Enterprise-Grade Intrusion Detection System Management Platform
Swiss-made open-source solution for centralized Fail2Ban management across distributed infrastructure
Features β’ Quick Start β’ Documentation β’ Screenshots β’ Security Notes
Fail2Ban UI is a production-ready, enterprise-grade web-based management platform to create a distributed Fail2Ban intrusion detection system. Designed for organizations managing single or multible fail2ban instances. It provides centralized ban-control, real-time monitoring and alerting across all servers.
Modern enterprises face increasing security challenges with generally distributed infrastructure, cloud deployments, and multi-location operations. Traditional Fail2Ban management requires a manual SSH access to individual servers, manual configuration changes, and lacks centralized visibility. Fail2Ban UI solves these challenges by providing:
- Centralized Management: Control multible Fail2Ban instances from a single interface
- Real-Time Visibility: Monitor ban / security events across your entire proxy / webserver infrastructure (also planned to ingest all via connector to SIEM)
- Operational Efficiency: Reduce administrative overhead with automated workflows e.g. auto-banning for recurring IPs, directly on the firewall.
Developed by Swissmakers GmbH β Trusted by enterprises swisswide for mission-critical security infrastructure.
Centralized Control Across Distributed Fail2Ban Instances
- Unified Dashboard: Monitor and manage multiple Fail2Ban servers from a single interface
- Flexible Connectivity: Support for local, SSH, and API agent connections form Fail2Ban-UI to other Fail2Ban Instances
- Connection Testing: Validate backend connectivity before activate them on the management UI
Use Cases:
- Multi-datacenter deployments with several reverse proxies
- Hybrid cloud environments
- Also integrate external Webservers
Malicious Actor Visibility and Analytics
- Live Event Monitoring: Real-time ban events from all configured / connected servers
- Historical Analysis: SQLite-based event storage with advanced querying
- Geographic Intelligence: Country-based threat analysis and visualization (Will be later send to SIEM - planned)
- Recurring Threat Detection: Identify persistent attackers across time windows
- Ban Insights Dashboard: Aggregated statistics
- Event Correlation: Track attack patterns across multiple servers and jails (planned with Elasticsearch)
Business Value:
- Faster threat response times
- Proactive security posture management
- Compliance reporting and audit trails
IP Blocking and Unblocking
- Cross-Jail Search: Find banned IPs across all active jails instantly
- Bulk Operations: Manage multiple bans simultaneously
- Ban History: Complete audit trail with timestamps, ban-reasons, and context like whois information of the attacker
- Whitelist Management: Configure trusted IPs and networks
- Automatic Unban: Time-based ban expiration with configurable policies
- Permanent Ban for Reccuring IPs: Set a threshold in the Settings, after what amount of Bans a IP is automatically banned permanently on Firewall (Currently Supported Mikrotik/PFSense)
- Remote Configuration: Edit Fail2Ban jail and filter configurations remotely
- Jail Management: Enable/disable jails across multiple servers
- Filter Testing: Debug and validate filters using
fail2ban-regexbefore enabeling - Template Management: Standardize configurations across server groups (planned)
Security Notifications
- Multi-Language Email Alerts: Localized notifications in currently 5 supported languages
- Country-Based Filtering: Alert only on threats from specific geographic regions to reduce alert fatigue
- SMTP Integration: Support M365 Mail-Servers with STARTTLS
- Emai Templates: Currentls features a Modern and classic email design (more to come)
- Alert Aggregation: This feature is planned for the SIEM-modul
Hardened for Production Environments
- SELinux Support: Full compatibility with SELinux-enabled systems and pre-created custom policies
- Container Security: Secure containerized deployment with proper best-practisies
- Least Privilege: Only minimal permissions are used using FACLs and special sudo-rules
- Audit Logging: Comprehensive logging for compliance and forensics also in the future planned to ingest into a Elastic SIEM
- Encrypted Communications Only: Secure data transmission for all remote operations will be enforced
- Multi-Language UI: English, German (DE/CH), French, Italian, Spanish
- Localized Content: All user-facing content translated
- RTL Support Ready: Architecture supports right-to-left languages
- Easy Extension: Simple JSON-based translation system
- Responsive Design: Full functionality also on mobile devices
- Progressive Web App: Works also in a no-internet / offline and restricted environment with local CSS/JS builds only
- Fast Performance: Go-based backend with minimal resource footprint
The central command center for monitoring all Fail2Ban instances and security events.
Add, configure, and manage multiple Fail2Ban servers from the "Manage Servers" modal.
Quickly locate and review / manage banned IPs across all jails and servers.
One-click unban action with confirmation dialog.
Edit Fail2Ban jail and filter configurations (with syntax highlighting - planned) and validation.
Reload or restart Fail2Ban services when needed, with integrated change detection.
Test and validate Fail2Ban filters using fail2ban-regex.
Comprehensive settings management for alerts, advanced banning, and system preferences.
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β Fail2Ban UI Web Interface β
β ββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββββββββ β
β β Dashboard β β Management β β Settings β β
β ββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββββββββ β
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β Go Backend API Server β
β βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββββββββββββββββ β
β β Fail2Ban UI (Backend) β--->β Send Alerts via Mail β β
β β - Gin handlers + REST API β β (planned: Elastic) β β
β β - Vanilla JS + Tailwind UI β ββββββββββββββββββββββββ β
β ->β - SQLite storage β β
β β ββββββββββββββββ¬βββββββββββββββ β
β β β β
β β ββββββββββββ΄βββββββββββββ βββββββββββββββββββββββ β
β β β Connector Manager and β-------β Integrations β β
β β β handlers / actions β β Mikrotik / pfSense β β
β β ββββββββββββββββββββββ¬βββ βββββββββββββββββββββββ β
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β β
β βΌ
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β β Connection to remote Server β
β β βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ β
β β β β β β
β β βΌ βΌ βΌ β
β β ββββββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββββββ β
β β β Local β β SSH β β API β β
β β β Server β β Server β β Agent β β
β β ββββββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββββββ β
β β β β β β
β β β β β β
β β βββββββ΄ββββββββββββββ΄ββββββββββββββ΄ββββββ β
β β β Fail2Ban instances on Reverse Proxies β β
β β β or remote / local Webserver β β
β β βββββββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββββββββββ β
β β β β
β β ββββββββββββ΄βββββββββββββ β
β β β Report Alerts back to β β
β <----------β Fail2Ban-UI REST with β β
β β custom action β β
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- Backend: Go 1.21+ (Golang)
- Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript, Tailwind CSS
- Database: SQLite (embedded)
- Container Runtime: Podman/Docker compatible
- Service Management: systemd
- Security: SELinux compatible
- Operating System: Linux (RHEL 8+, Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, or containerized)
- Fail2Ban: At least version 0.10+ installed and configured
- Go: Version 1.21+ (only for source builds)
- Node.js: Version 16+ (for Tailwind CSS builds)
- Permissions: Root access to configure FACL and sudo-rules and Fail2Ban socket access
Option A: Using Pre-built Image
Pull and run the official image:
# Pull the image
podman pull registry.swissmakers.ch/infra/fail2ban-ui:latest
# or with Docker:
docker pull registry.swissmakers.ch/infra/fail2ban-ui:latest
# Run the container
podman run -d \
--name fail2ban-ui \
--network=host \
-v /opt/podman-fail2ban-ui:/config:Z \
-v /etc/fail2ban:/etc/fail2ban:Z \
-v /var/log:/var/log:ro \
-v /var/run/fail2ban:/var/run/fail2ban \
-v /usr/share/GeoIP:/usr/share/GeoIP:ro \
registry.swissmakers.ch/infra/fail2ban-ui:latestOption B: Build from Source
Build your own container image:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/swissmakers/fail2ban-ui.git
cd fail2ban-ui
# Build the image
sudo podman build -t fail2ban-ui:latest .
# or with Docker:
sudo docker build -t fail2ban-ui:latest .
# Run the container
sudo podman run -d \
--name fail2ban-ui \
--network=host \
-v /opt/podman-fail2ban-ui:/config:Z \
-v /etc/fail2ban:/etc/fail2ban:Z \
-v /var/log:/var/log:ro \
-v /var/run/fail2ban:/var/run/fail2ban \
-v /usr/share/GeoIP:/usr/share/GeoIP:ro \
fail2ban-ui:latestOption C: Using Docker Compose
For easier management, use Docker Compose:
# Copy the example file
cp docker-compose.example.yml docker-compose.yml
# Edit docker-compose.yml to customize (e.g., change PORT)
# Then start:
docker-compose up -dCustom Port Configuration
Change the default port (8080) using the PORT environment variable:
podman run -d \
--name fail2ban-ui \
--network=host \
-e PORT=3080 \
-v /opt/podman-fail2ban-ui:/config:Z \
-v /etc/fail2ban:/etc/fail2ban:Z \
-v /var/log:/var/log:ro \
-v /var/run/fail2ban:/var/run/fail2ban \
-v /usr/share/GeoIP:/usr/share/GeoIP:ro \
registry.swissmakers.ch/infra/fail2ban-ui:latestAccess the web interface at http://localhost3080.
Volume Mounts Explained
| Volume | Required | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
/config |
β Yes | Stores SQLite database, application settings, and SSH keys for remote connections |
/etc/fail2ban |
β Yes* | Access to Fail2Ban configuration files (jails, filters, actions) |
/var/run/fail2ban |
β Yes* | Access to Fail2Ban control socket for local management |
/var/log |
Read-only access to system logs for filter testing | |
/usr/share/GeoIP |
Read-only access to GeoIP databases for geographic analysis |
*Required only if managing a local Fail2Ban instance. Not needed for remote-only deployments.
π Complete Container Deployment Guide - Detailed documentation including volume descriptions, SELinux configuration, and troubleshooting.
Clone and build:
git clone https://github.com/swissmakers/fail2ban-ui.git /opt/fail2ban-ui
cd /opt/fail2ban-ui
# Build Tailwind CSS (optional, for offline use)
./build-tailwind.sh
# Build Go application
go build -o fail2ban-ui ./cmd/server/main.goπ Complete Systemd Setup Guide
-
Access the Web Interface
- Navigate to
http://localhost:8080(or your configured port) - Default port:
8080(configurable viaPORTenvironment variable or in UI settings)
- Navigate to
-
Add Your First Server
- Local Server: Enable the local connector if Fail2Ban runs on the same host
- Remote Server: Add via SSH or API agent connection
-
Configure Settings
- Set up email alerts (optional)
- Configure language preferences
- Adjust security settings
-
- Building container images from source
- Running containers with Docker/Podman
- Volume mount explanations (required vs optional)
- Custom port configuration via
PORTenvironment variable - Docker Compose examples
- SELinux configuration
- Troubleshooting common issues
-
Systemd Service Setup: Standalone installation and service configuration for non-containerized deployments
-
SELinux Configuration: Security policies for SELinux-enabled systems
The Fail2Ban Callback URL is a critical setting that determines how Fail2Ban instances send ban alerts back to Fail2Ban UI. This URL is embedded in a custom Fail2Ban action file that gets deployed to all managed Fail2Ban instances (local, SSH, and API agent connections).
How it works:
- When a Fail2Ban instance bans an IP, it executes the custom action which sends a POST request to the callback URL (
/api/banendpoint) - Fail2Ban UI receives these notifications and stores them in the database for monitoring and analysis
- The callback URL is automatically synchronized with the server port when using the default localhost pattern
Configuration Guidelines:
-
Local Deployments:
- Use the same port as Fail2Ban UI:
http://127.0.0.1:8080(or your configured port) - The callback URL automatically updates when you change the server port
- Example: If Fail2Ban UI runs on port
3080, usehttp://127.0.0.1:3080
- Use the same port as Fail2Ban UI:
-
Reverse Proxy Setups:
- Use your TLS-encrypted endpoint:
https://fail2ban.example.com - Ensure the reverse proxy forwards requests to the correct Fail2Ban UI port
- The callback URL must be accessible from all Fail2Ban instances (local and remote)
- Use your TLS-encrypted endpoint:
-
Port Changes:
- When you change the Fail2Ban UI port (via
PORTenvironment variable or UI settings), the callback URL automatically updates if it's using the default localhost pattern - For custom callback URLs (e.g., reverse proxy or custom IP), you must manually update them to match your setup
- When you change the Fail2Ban UI port (via
Important Notes:
- The callback URL must be accessible from all Fail2Ban instances that need to send alerts
- For remote Fail2Ban instances, ensure network connectivity to the callback URL
- If using a reverse proxy, configure it to forward
/api/banrequests to Fail2Ban UI - The callback URL is stored in
/etc/fail2ban/action.d/ui-custom-action.confon each managed Fail2Ban instance
The local connector allows managing Fail2Ban on the same host where Fail2Ban UI runs.
Requirements:
- Fail2Ban installed and running
- Special FACL Rules and passwordless sudo to
/usr/bin/fail2ban-client - Socket access:
/var/run/fail2ban/fail2ban.sock
Enable in UI:
- Navigate to Settings β Manage Servers
- Enable Local Connector
- Test connection to verify access
Connect to remote Fail2Ban instances via SSH for centralized management.
Prerequisites:
- SSH key-based authentication (passwordless login)
- Network connectivity from UI host to remote server
- Service account with appropriate permissions
Recommended Service Account Setup:
# Create dedicated service account
sudo useradd -r -s /bin/bash sa_fail2ban
# Configure sudoers for Fail2Ban operations
sudo visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/fail2ban-uiAdd the following sudoers configuration:
sa_fail2ban ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/fail2ban-client *
sa_fail2ban ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl restart fail2ban
Set file system ACLs:
# Grant read/write access to Fail2Ban configuration directory
sudo setfacl -Rm u:sa_fail2ban:rwX /etc/fail2ban
sudo setfacl -dRm u:sa_fail2ban:rwX /etc/fail2banAdd Server in UI:
- Navigate to Settings β Manage Servers
- Click Add Server
- Select SSH connection type
- Configure:
- Name: Descriptive server identifier
- Host: IP address or hostname
- Port: SSH port (default: 22)
- SSH User: Service account username
- SSH Key: Select from
~/.ssh/directory
- Click Test Connection to verify
- Save configuration
Security Benefits:
- Least privilege access model
- No full sudo access required
- Fine-grained file system permissions
- Audit trail via sudo logs
- Reverse Proxy: Use nginx or Apache as reverse proxy with SSL/TLS termination to secure the Fail2ban-UI
- VPN Access: Require VPN connection for access to Fail2Banu-UI only
- IP Whitelisting: Restrict access to specific IPs / ranges e.g. internal IT
- SSH Key Management: Use strong SSH keys like 4096-bit RSA or even better Ed25519. When using RSA no smaler bit size please.
- Service Accounts: Use dedicated service accounts, not personal accounts
- Sudoers Configuration: Minimal sudo permissions, no passwordless full sudo
- Database Permissions: Restrict SQLite database file permissions (600)
- Log Files: Secure log file access and don't forget to setup a rotation
- Backup Encryption: It's always a good idea, to encrypt backups of configuration and database files
For SELinux-enabled systems, apply the required policies:
# Basic rule to allow Fail2Ban to access the UI API
semodule -i fail2ban-curl-allow.pp
# Container deployment policies
semodule -i fail2ban-container-ui.pp
semodule -i fail2ban-container-client.ppπ SELinux Policies Documentation
Fail2Ban UI uses an embedded SQLite database (fail2ban-ui.db) for persistent storage:
Tables:
servers: Server configurations (local, SSH, API agent)app_settings: Application preferences and settings of Fail2Ban-UIban_events: Historical ban records with full contextpermanent_blocks: Permanent block records for integrations
Data Retention:
- Ban events are stored indefinitely (configurable)
- Automatic database migrations on version updates
- Backup recommended before major updates
- English (en) - Default
- German (de, de_CH) - Standard and Swiss variants
- French (fr)
- Italian (it)
- Spanish (es)
- Create translation file:
internal/locales/{language_code}.json - Copy structure from
internal/locales/en.json - Translate all key-value pairs
- Test in UI: Settings β Language β Select new language
Translation File Structure:
{
"page.title": "Fail2ban UI Dashboard",
"nav.dashboard": "Dashboard",
"nav.settings": "Settings",
...
}Fail2Ban UI provides a RESTful API for programmatic access:
Server Management:
GET /api/servers- List all configured serversPOST /api/servers- Add or update serverDELETE /api/servers/:id- Remove serverPOST /api/servers/:id/test- Test server connection
Jail Management:
GET /api/summary- Get summary of all jailsPOST /api/jails/:jail/unban/:ip- Unban IP addressGET /api/jails/manage- List jail management statusPOST /api/jails/manage- Update jail enabled states
Configuration:
GET /api/jails/:jail/config- Get jail/filter configurationPOST /api/jails/:jail/config- Update jail/filter configuration
Events and Analytics:
GET /api/events/bans- List ban eventsGET /api/events/bans/stats- Get ban statisticsGET /api/events/bans/insights- Get ban insights and analytics
Settings:
GET /api/settings- Get application settingsPOST /api/settings- Update application settingsPOST /api/settings/test-email- Test email configuration
Filter Debugging:
GET /api/filters- List available filtersPOST /api/filters/test- Test filter against log lines
Service Control:
POST /api/fail2ban/restart- Restart Fail2Ban service
Notifications:
POST /api/ban- Receive ban notification from Fail2Ban
Symptoms: Cannot access web interface
Solution / Check:
# Check if service is running
systemctl status fail2ban-ui
# Check firewall rules
sudo firewall-cmd --list-ports
sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=8080/tcp --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
# Check logs
journalctl -u fail2ban-ui.service -fSymptoms: Empty dashboard, no servers visible
Solution / Check:
- Navigate to Settings β Manage Servers
- Enable Local Connector (if Fail2Ban runs locally)
- Add remote server via SSH or API agent
- Verify server connection status
Symptoms: Cannot connect to remote server
Solution / Check:
# Test SSH connection manually
ssh -i ~/.ssh/your_key user@remote-host
# Verify SSH user permissions
sudo -l -U sa_fail2ban
# Check ACLs on /etc/fail2ban
getfacl /etc/fail2ban
# Enable debug mode in UI settings for detailed error messagesSymptoms: Local server shows as disconnected
Solution / Check:
# Verify Fail2Ban is running
sudo systemctl status fail2ban
# Check socket permissions
ls -la /var/run/fail2ban/fail2ban.sock
# Verify UI has access (runs as root or has sudo permissions)
sudo fail2ban-client statusSymptoms: Database-related errors in logs
Solution / Check:
# Check database file permissions
ls -la /opt/fail2ban-ui/fail2ban-ui.db
# Verify database integrity
sqlite3 /opt/fail2ban-ui/fail2ban-ui.db "PRAGMA integrity_check;"
# Backup and recreate if corrupted
cp fail2ban-ui.db fail2ban-ui.db.backupWe welcome contributions from the community! Whether it's bug fixes, feature enhancements, or documentation improvements, your contributions help make Fail2Ban UI better for everyone.
-
Fork the Repository
git clone https://github.com/swissmakers/fail2ban-ui.git cd fail2ban-ui -
Create a Feature Branch
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
-
Make Your Changes
- Follow Go coding standards
- Add tests for new features
- Update documentation as needed
-
Commit Your Changes
git commit -m "Add: Description of your feature" -
Push and Create Pull Request
git push origin feature/your-feature-name
- Code Style: Follow Go standard formatting (
gofmt) - Testing: Test your changes thoroughly
- Documentation: Update README and inline documentation
- Commit Messages: Use clear, descriptive commit messages
- Pull Requests: Provide detailed description of changes
Fail2Ban UI is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0).
This means:
- β Free to use in commercial and non-commercial projects
- β Free to modify and distribute
- β Source code available for inspection and auditing
β οΈ Copyleft: Modifications must be released under the same license
Full License Text: LICENSE
Swissmakers GmbH offers professional services for Fail2Ban UI:
- Enterprise Deployment: Custom deployment and configuration
- Training and Support: On-site or remote training sessions
- Custom Development: Feature development and integrations
- Security Audits: Security assessment and hardening
Contact: https://swissmakers.ch
- GitHub Issues: Report bugs and request features
- Documentation: Comprehensive guides and API reference
- Community: Join discussions and share experiences
Fail2Ban UI is built on the foundation of the excellent Fail2Ban project and the open-source community.
Special Thanks:
- Fail2Ban developers and contributors
- Go community and ecosystem
- All contributors and users of Fail2Ban UI
Fail2Ban UI β Enterprise-Grade Intrusion Detection System Management








