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Configure Basic Authentication for MLflow

You can use the steps below to configure NGINX as a reverse proxy that protects access to MLflow running on a node with basic authentication (username and password).

Access http://<your-server> and enter the username and password to reach the MLflow UI running on a node.

Steps to install

  • Install Nginx (if not already installed)

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx -y
On RHEL/CentOS:

sudo yum install nginx -y
sudo systemctl enable nginx
  • Install apache2-utils to create .htpasswd.
sudo apt install apache2-utils # Debian_Ubuntu
# OR
sudo yum install httpd-tools # RHEL_CentOS
  • Create the password file (.htpasswd).
sudo htpasswd -c _etc_nginx_.htpasswd mlflowuser
You’ll be prompted to enter a password. Replace mlflowuser with your preferred username.
  • Configure Nginx reverse proxy with basic authentication.

Edit or create the file:

sudo nano _etc_nginx_conf.d_mlflow.conf
Paste this configuration:

server {
listen 80;
server_name 10.100.11.72;
location _ {
proxy_pass http:__10.100.11.72:5000;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
auth_basic "Restricted Access";
auth_basic_user_file _etc_nginx_.htpasswd;
}
}
Optional: Replace mlflow.local with your domain or server IP, or use _ to match all incoming requests.
  • Test and reload Nginx
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx
  • (Optional) Add a hosts entry for mlflow.local.

If you're using a custom domain name like mlflow.local, add an entry on your local machine to map it to the MLflow server.

Open the hosts file:

sudo nano _etc_hosts
Add the following line (replace with your server IP if different):

<IP address> mlflow.local
Save and close the file.
This is only needed if you're using a fake domain instead of the IP.

Secure MLflow with SSL (Optional but Recommended)

  • Generate a self-signed SSL certificate
sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 \\
-keyout _etc_ssl_private_mlflow.key \\
-out _etc_ssl_certs_mlflow.crt
  • Update your NGINX config to use SSL.
server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name mlflow.local;
ssl_certificate _etc_ssl_certs_mlflow.crt;
ssl_certificate_key _etc_ssl_private_mlflow.key;
location _ {
proxy_pass http:__10.100.11.72:5000;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
auth_basic "Restricted Access";
auth_basic_user_file _etc_nginx_.htpasswd;
}
}
  • Open port 443 in the firewall.
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full' # Ubuntu
sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=https --permanent # RHEL_CentOS
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Optional: Test Access Using curl

Run the following command to test basic authentication with your MLflow server.

curl -u mlflowuser <IP Address>
Username - mlflowuser
Password - admin

This verifies that the NGINX reverse proxy and basic authentication are working as expected.