A lot of people discover this problem backwards: remote access does not work, router port forwarding looks correct, but the server is still unreachable. In many cases the real issue is simple — your internet connection does not have a usable public IP. NeedPorts works around that by giving your server a stable public endpoint and dedicated forwarded ports.
The router is misconfigured, the firewall is wrong, or the service is not listening correctly.
The ISP connection is behind CGNAT or lacks a usable public IPv4 endpoint, so inbound traffic never reaches the router.
NeedPorts is most useful when you need something simpler than operating your own relay stack and more capable than a one-port VPN workaround.
For self-hosted installs, you can use the included needports-selftest helper on one assigned port and test that port from another machine. That gives you a fast check that the public endpoint is working end to end.
Works on Ubuntu and other Linux hosts, including Raspberry Pi and ARM64 systems.
NeedPorts plans start at $5/month or $30/year for 25 dedicated ports. That is enough for many small home-server and remote-access setups, with larger plans available when you need more ports or more throughput.
If you want the broader explanations, read the CGNAT guide, the homelab guide, and the static-public-IP alternatives guide.