The hardest part of my NAS dashboard was getting traffic to reach it
I built NAS Device Flow to choose which devices on my home Wi-Fi use rule-based proxy routing. The daily interaction is a switch beside each device. Shipping the first regular release, 0.1.0 , made me spend more time on the path to that switch: installation, DHCP leases, and making the page explain what it actually knows. The screenshot is a demo, with fictional devices and generated traffic. A…
The creator of NAS Device Flow aimed to assign traffic routes for devices on their home Wi-Fi using a rule-based proxy system. The user interface featured a switch next to each device, which proved to be the most challenging aspect. The initial release, version 0.1.0, required attention to various technical details such as installation processes, DHCP leases, and explaining the panel's capabilities.
Despite the demo screenshot displaying fictional devices and generated traffic, the primary challenge was ensuring the switch accurately reflected the actual network situation. NAS runs a Linux controller and a separate Mihomo routing container, while the Wi-Fi router remains the access point and upstream Internet gateway. Automatic onboarding was facilitated by the DHCP server advertising the routing container as the client's gateway and DNS server.
The system allowed clients to retain their old gateway until they renewed their DHCP lease. However, the switch did not automatically update the gateway stored on the tablet, causing confusion. The panel separated saved routing preferences from observed gateway activity, ensuring users understood the distinction. The installation process now explicitly advises users to test from another device on the same LAN to avoid misleading test results from the NAS itself.
The release included a prebuilt Linux x86-64 controller image and a NAS Compose installation file, with support for multiple languages and system configurations.
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