Set up your fleet
- Turn on each machine's sharing service first: Screen Sharing or Remote Login on a Mac, Remote Desktop on Windows, SSH or desktop sharing on Linux and Raspberry Pi. The Setup section links the official guides.
- Open PortPane — machines that advertise Screen Sharing, SSH or Remote Desktop appear under Discover. Add any of them with one click.
- Machines behind a VPN? Add them by IP or hostname instead of discovery.
- Group them into spaces by project or place — Home lab, Office, Production — and give each space its own colour.
- Connect with ⌘K (Quick Connect): type a name, an address or a space and press Return. Or use the menu bar for your five most recent machines.
Why PortPane fits a home lab
- Discovery, not setup. Bonjour finds machines that advertise Screen Sharing, SSH or RDP on your network.
- Uses what you already have. Screen Sharing for Macs and VNC, Terminal for SSH, your installed Remote Desktop app for Windows.
- Local-first. Your library lives on your Mac. No account, no agent to install on your machines, no stored passwords.
- One key to everything. ⌘K quick connect, and the menu bar keeps your most recent machines one click away.
Ports you will use
PortPane checks whether each machine answers on its port before showing it as connected: Screen Sharing on 5900, SSH on 22, Remote Desktop on 3389.
studio.local or their VPN IP.Common questions
How does PortPane find my machines?
PortPane uses Bonjour to find Macs, PCs and servers on your local network that advertise Screen Sharing, SSH or Remote Desktop, and adds them with one click. Machines behind a VPN can be added by IP or hostname instead.
Do I need to install anything on my other machines?
No agent and no account. Each machine only needs its sharing service turned on: Screen Sharing or Remote Login on a Mac, Remote Desktop on Windows, and SSH or desktop sharing on Linux and Raspberry Pi.
Is it safe to manage my home lab this way?
Yes. PortPane is local-first: your library lives on your Mac, no passwords are stored, and nothing is sent to a PortPane cloud service. For machines away from home, join a VPN such as Tailscale or WireGuard instead of opening ports to the internet.