Connecting Instances

bext companion connects to your bext instances via the admin API at /__bext/admin.

Local instance#

If bext is running on your machine:

1. Click the system tray icon
2. Select Add Instance
3. Enter http://localhost:3000 (or your configured port)
4. The companion auto-discovers the admin endpoint

Remote instance#

For remote servers, you need network access to the admin port. Two options:

Option 1: SSH tunnel (recommended)#

ssh -L 3000:localhost:3000 user@your-server.com

Then connect the companion to http://localhost:3000 as if it were local.

Option 2: Expose admin endpoint#

In bext.config.toml:

[admin]
enabled = true
listen = "0.0.0.0:9100"  # Separate port for admin
username = "admin"
password = "your-secure-password"

Then connect the companion to https://your-server.com:9100.

Multiple instances#

The companion supports connecting to multiple instances simultaneously. Each appears in the sidebar with a color-coded health indicator:

• Green — Healthy, responding normally
• Yellow — Degraded (high latency or partial errors)
• Red — Unreachable or error state

Health is polled every 30 seconds by default. Adjust in the companion settings.

Related#

• Companion Overview — feature list and licensing tiers
• Download — install the companion first
• Request Inspector — inspect traffic once connected
• Cache Explorer — browse and purge cache once connected
• Configuration → Environment Variables — BEXT_ADMIN_TOKEN and related settings