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Gateway Proxy

The Swarm Gateway is the standard way to expose a Bee node over HTTP.

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Another tool which is currently popular for running Bee in gateway mode is Gateway Proxy. It offers several features not yet included in Swarm Gateway. However, since it is set for deprecation, unless you have a specific need, it is recommended to use Swarm Gateway instead.

It acts as a reverse proxy that runs in front of a Bee node, allowing you to expose your node publicly. It proxies the Bee HTTP API and content endpoints, while optionally adding access control, postage batch auto-buy, and other optional features.

Public Access to Swarm​

A gateway can be used to run a public endpoint that allows users to:

  • Access content stored on Swarm using standard HTTP URLs
  • Browse websites hosted on Swarm
  • Interact with Swarm through a familiar web interface

This makes Swarm content accessible to any web client, even if the user is not running a Bee node locally.

Authentication, Access Control, and Policy​

The Swarm Gateway also acts as an access control and content moderation layer in front of a Bee node.

Rather than exposing a Bee node directly to the public internet, the gateway allows operators to place a managed HTTP interface in front of it. Through this interface, the gateway can:

  • Expose a Bee node through a single public HTTP endpoint
  • Restrict or control uploads and other sensitive operations
  • Require authentication for selected endpoints or request types
  • Apply basic access control and usage policies before requests reach the Bee node

This makes it possible to run public, private, or semi-public gateways while retaining control over how the underlying Bee node is used.

For production deployments, the gateway is typically run behind an HTTPS reverse proxy to ensure encrypted connections.

Stamp Management​

The Swarm Gateway can optionally manage postage stamps on behalf of the operator, including:

  • Automatically buying new batches
  • Monitoring batch usage and expiration
  • Keeping batches alive based on specified TTL

This is especially useful for gateways that accept uploads from users or applications.

Setting up a Gateway​

For a step by step guide on setting up a gateway yourself, refer to the guide in the Develop on Swarm section.