# Can't connect to insecure repository server

**URL:** <https://kopia.discourse.group/t/cant-connect-to-insecure-repository-server/871>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [January 23, 2022, 6:30am UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/cant-connect-to-insecure-repository-server/871 "2022-01-23T06:30:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jorgenman](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/jorgenman/32/300_2.png) [@jorgenman](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/jorgenman)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2022, 6:30am UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/cant-connect-to-insecure-repository-server/871/1 "2022-01-23T06:30:46Z")

</div>

Am I meant to be able to connect to an insecure repository server?

I’m running the [“selfhosters” kopia UnRAID template](https://github.com/selfhosters/unRAID-CA-templates/blob/master/templates/kopia.xml), which runs a server with `--insecure`. I’ve also repeated the problem running a test server locally and trying to connect to it.

If I run `kopia repository connect server --url="http://<servername>:51515"`, I get this response:

```auto
Connecting to server 'http://<servername>:51515' as 'jorgenman@laptop'...
Enter password to open repository: 

ERROR failed to open repository: invalid server address, must be 'https://host:port'
kopia: error: error connecting to API server: invalid server address, must be 'https://host:port', try --help

```

On the other hand if I run `kopia repository connect server --url="https://<servername>:51515"` or `kopia repository connect server --url="kopia://<servername>:51515"`, I get this response:

```auto
Connecting to server 'https://<servername>:51515' as 'jorgenman@laptop'...
Enter password to open repository: 

ERROR failed to open repository: unable to establish session for purpose=: error establishing session: Session(): rpc error: code = Unavailable desc = connection error: desc = "transport: authentication handshake failed: tls: first record does not look like a TLS handshake"
kopia: error: error connecting to API server: unable to establish session for purpose=: error establishing session: Session(): rpc error: code = Unavailable desc = connection error: desc = "transport: authentication handshake failed: tls: first record does not look like a TLS handshake", try --help

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kees](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/kees/32/266_2.png) [@kees](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/kees)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/cant-connect-to-insecure-repository-server/871/2 "2022-01-25T15:55:16Z")

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It says: _must_ be `https://host:port`  
And since you do not have a secure http connection, you get an error if you try to connect over https.  
Maybe you can put a reverse proxy like nginx in front of it with a self signed certificate?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jorgenman](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/jorgenman/32/300_2.png) [@jorgenman](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/jorgenman)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 5:05am UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/cant-connect-to-insecure-repository-server/871/3 "2022-01-26T05:05:41Z")

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Yeah, I get that I can’t connect to an insecure server with https. That’s the point of the question - I’m really asking about the intended use case for insecure mode. Why enable me to run an insecure server if I can’t connect to it?

After thinking about it a bit, I’m realizing that it’s probably meant to run a local server for scheduling local tasks, etc., not to run a repository server that clients can send snapshots to. Part of the problem is that the `--insecure` flag isn’t documented anywhere (that I could find), so I wasn’t sure I was using it right, or that I understood how it was meant to be used.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jkowalski](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/jkowalski/32/3_2.png) [@jkowalski](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/jkowalski)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 6:52am UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/cant-connect-to-insecure-repository-server/871/4 "2022-02-02T06:52:37Z")

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`--insecure` is primarily used for development of the UI and for running UI behind a proxy which provides TLS and/or authentication.

The issue you’re seeing is due to the fact that GRPC (which is used by Repository Server) requires TLS and starting with --insecure does not support it.