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.

:::note Always use authentication when exposing the admin endpoint to the network. The admin API provides full access to configuration, cache management, and server control. :::

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 10 seconds by default. Adjust in the companion settings.