Implementing Zero Trust Security for Self-Hosted Infrastructure

What Is Zero Trust?

Zero trust means: never trust, always verify. Every request is authenticated and authorized, regardless of where it comes from. No network boundary provides implicit trust.

The Zero Trust Stack

Layer 1: No Open Ports (Cloudflare Tunnel)

Your server has zero inbound ports open. All traffic enters via Cloudflare Tunnel (outbound connection). Attackers can't even find your server on the internet.

Layer 2: Identity Verification (Authelia)

Every request goes through Authelia for identity verification:

• Username + password (argon2id hashed)
• Two-factor authentication (TOTP or WebAuthn)
• Session management with secure cookies

Layer 3: Role-Based Access (Authelia Policies)

Different services require different access levels:

• Admin services: only the admin group
• Development tools: senior developers
• Documentation: all developers

Layer 4: Intrusion Prevention (CrowdSec)

Community-powered threat intelligence blocks known malicious IPs before they reach your services.

Layer 5: Network Segmentation (Docker Networks)

Docker networks isolate services:

• Frontend services can't access databases directly
• Monitoring services have read-only access
• Only the reverse proxy is exposed

Layer 6: Secrets Management (Vaultwarden + .env)

• Application secrets in environment variables
• Team passwords in Vaultwarden
• SSH keys rotated regularly
• Docker secrets for sensitive configuration

At TechSaaS

Our production infrastructure implements all six layers:

• 0 open ports (Cloudflare Tunnel)
• Authelia SSO with TOTP 2FA
• 3 access control groups
• CrowdSec blocking 12,000+ attacks/month
• Isolated Docker networks
• Vaultwarden for team credentials

This setup costs $0/month (all open-source) and provides enterprise-grade security.

TechSaaS implements zero-trust architecture for companies of all sizes. From startups to enterprises, we design security that doesn't get in the way of productivity. Contact [email protected].