> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.symplax.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Public access > Open a database to the internet for a limited time, optionally only to the IP addresses you allow. Every database starts private. Its port is closed to the internet, and only apps on the same server can reach it, over Symplax's private network. The [console](https://docs.symplax.com/databases/console.md) and [backups](https://docs.symplax.com/databases/backups.md) keep working while it is private. Turn on public access when you need to connect from outside that server: your laptop, a GUI client like TablePlus or DBeaver, a local migration, or an app hosted somewhere else. ## Turn on public access **1. Open the database** Open the database from **Databases**. On the **Overview** tab, find **Public Access** under **Connection Details**. **2. Choose how long** Click **Enable**, then choose how long it stays on: **1 hour**, **24 hours**, **7 days** or **Never**. The default is 24 hours. **3. Confirm** Click **Enable public access**. The public **URL** now appears in **Connection Details**. Use it from your client. Turning public access on or off only changes the firewall rule for the database's port. The database does not restart, and the password stays the same. > [!WARNING] > > With public access on and no allowed IPs, anyone on the internet can reach the database's port, and only the password protects it. Add [allowed IPs](#allow-only-specific-ips) whenever you can, and pick the shortest duration that works. ## Automatic expiry If you chose 1 hour, 24 hours or 7 days, public access turns off by itself when the time is up. **Connection Details** shows when that will happen. About an hour before it turns off, you get a notification saying the database will stop being publicly reachable. To keep it on, enable it again from the database page. That starts a new window. If you choose **Never**, public access stays on with no reminder until you click **Disable**. The dashboard shows a warning that no auto-expiry is set. ## Allow only specific IPs The **Allowed IPs** section on the **Overview** tab restricts public access to the addresses you list. **1. Add an IP** Click **Add IP**. Type the address, or click **Use my current IP** to fill in the address you are browsing from. **2. Label it (optional)** Add a label such as `My laptop` so you remember whose address it is. **3. Save** Click **Add IP**. How the list works: * With an empty list, public access is open to any IP. The section shows **Accessible from any IP**. * As soon as the list has one address, only listed addresses can connect. The section shows **Restricted to N IPs**. * You can add IPs while public access is off. They take effect the moment you enable it. * The list is kept when you turn public access off, so it is still there next time. * Each database can have up to 10 allowed IPs. Enter single addresses, not ranges. To remove an address, click the cross next to it and then **Confirm**. > [!NOTE] > > Symplax's own servers can always reach the database, whatever is on the list, so the dashboard's console and backups keep working. ## Connecting from an app on another server An app on a different server reaches the database through its public URL, so that database needs public access on. For a long-running connection like this, add the other server's IP to **Allowed IPs** and choose **Never** as the duration, so the connection does not drop when a window expires. The simplest setup is still to run the app and its database on the same server, where they talk privately and no port needs to be open. See [Databases](https://docs.symplax.com/databases/overview.md#attach-a-database-to-an-app). This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.