Network Appliance

Build a Linux-based network appliance image for routing, firewalling, VPN, DNS, or DHCP workflows.

Goal

Create a Debian or Ubuntu image with:

• SSH access for administrators
• Firewall rules for management and service traffic
• WireGuard or another supported VPN package
• DNS forwarding or DHCP packages when needed
• Default verification tests

Example Prompt

Create a Debian network appliance image with WireGuard, DHCP, DNS forwarding, firewall rules, SSH on port 2222, and an admin user with sudo access.

Suggested Recipe Shape

{
  "name": "branch-network-appliance",
  "baseImage": "debian-bookworm",
  "features": ["ssh", "firewall"],
  "packages": ["wireguard-tools", "dnsmasq", "nftables"],
  "users": [
    {
      "username": "admin",
      "groups": ["sudo"]
    }
  ],
  "services": [
    {
      "name": "ssh",
      "config": {
        "port": 2222,
        "disable_password_auth": true
      }
    }
  ]
}

Verification Ideas

• VM boots successfully.
• SSH is listening on the expected port.
• Firewall rules are present.
• VPN packages are installed.
• DNS or DHCP services start when configured.

Hardware Notes

Network appliance images often need hardware-specific network drivers, interface naming, and boot settings. Use a Pro or Enterprise workflow to test the image against the VM topology or hardware profile closest to your target deployment.