description: Protect the UI with a password and passkeys before exposing it.
---
# Security
OpenChamber gives access to your machine and your code, so lock it down before anyone but you can reach it. This page covers the UI password, passkeys, and what to know before exposing OpenChamber to a network.
## Set a UI password
Start OpenChamber with a password and the browser UI asks for it:
```bash
openchamber --ui-password be-creative-here
```
You can also set it with the `OPENCHAMBER_UI_PASSWORD` environment variable instead of putting it on the command line. After signing in, OpenChamber remembers the device for a while so you're not asked every time.
Always set a password if the instance is reachable by anyone else — especially over a [tunnel](/tunnels/) or the public internet.
## Passkeys
Once a password is set, you can add passkeys (Face ID, Touch ID, a security key) for quicker sign-in. Add them at **Settings → OpenChamber → Passkeys**.
Passkeys are tied to the current password. If you change or remove the password, saved passkeys are cleared and you'll add them again.
Devices paired through [Connect a Device](/connect-devices/) authenticate with their own per-device tokens, not the UI password. Pairing links are single-use and expire if unused; every paired device is listed at **Settings → Remote Instances → Connect to this server**, where you can revoke any of them at any time. Away-from-home connections go through the [Private Relay](/private-relay/), which is end-to-end encrypted and cannot read your traffic.
- By default OpenChamber only listens on your own machine (`127.0.0.1`). It takes a deliberate change to listen more widely, and you should set a password first.
