Getting Started

Getting Started with UniFi Network on Azure

2026-07-30 · unifi docs · azure

The CloudSOE UniFi Network image runs the UniFi Network Application — the controller for Ubiquiti access points, switches and gateways — on a hardened Ubuntu base with Java 21 and MongoDB 8.0. A cloud-hosted controller manages devices at any number of sites without hardware at each one. There is no credentials file: you create the admin account yourself in the setup wizard.

What you’ll need

  • An Azure subscription
  • An SSH public key (password login is disabled in the image)
  • About ten minutes, plus access to the UniFi devices you’ll adopt

Step 1 — Create the VM

  1. Find the CloudSOE UniFi Network offer in the Azure Marketplace and click Create.
  2. Choose a resource group, region and VM name.
  3. Pick a size — 2 vCPU / 4 GB (for example Standard_B2s or Standard_D2as_v4) suits most deployments; the controller and MongoDB are light until you manage hundreds of devices.
  4. Under Administrator account, select SSH public key, pick a username (e.g. azureuser) and paste your key.
  5. Attach a public IP and set it to Static. This is essential for UniFi: every adopted device phones home to this address, and if it changes your whole estate goes offline until you re-inform each device.

Step 2 — Open the firewall ports

In the VM’s network security group, allow inbound — the image uses the standard UniFi ports, unchanged:

PortProtocolPurpose
22TCPSSH administration — restrict to your IP
8443TCPWeb UI (HTTPS) — restrict to your IP
8080TCPDevice inform — open to your devices’ networks
3478UDPSTUN — open to your devices’ networks
8880TCPGuest portal (HTTP) — only if you use guest hotspots
8843TCPGuest portal (HTTPS) — only if you use guest hotspots

Port 10001/UDP (device discovery) is only used on the local network — remote devices don’t need it through the NSG.

Step 3 — Complete the setup wizard

The unifi service starts automatically; give it a minute or two after deployment. From your own machine (an Azure VM often cannot reach its own public IP from inside), browse to https://<public-ip>:8443. Your browser will warn about the controller’s self-signed certificate — expected on a fresh instance.

The wizard asks you to name the controller and create your admin account (a Ubiquiti account for remote management, or a local-only account via the advanced option). That account is yours — it is never stored in the image.

Step 4 — Adopt your remote devices

Devices on other networks won’t discover a cloud controller by themselves — point them at it:

  1. In the controller, go to Settings → System → Advanced, enable Override Inform Host and enter your VM’s public IP.
  2. On each device, set the inform address. SSH to the device (default credentials ubnt/ubnt on factory-fresh gear) and run:
set-inform http://<public-ip>:8080/inform
  1. The device appears in the controller as Pending Adoption — click Adopt. Once adoption completes, the device persists the inform address and reconnects on its own from then on.

Make sure the device’s site allows outbound traffic to your VM on TCP 8080 and UDP 3478.

Next steps