How to Set Up noVNC on Ubuntu 24.04 for Remote Access via Web Browser?

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Introduction 

noVNC is a web-based VNC client that allows you to access your Ubuntu 24.04 system remotely via a browser. This guide will show you how to install and configure noVNC for seamless remote access.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 24.04 installed
• Sudo privileges
• A stable internet connection

sudo apt install xfce4 -y

echo "xfce4-session" > ~/.xsession

Step-By-Step Instruction

STEP 1: Update Your System

Before installing any software, update your package list:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

STEP 2: Install a VNC Server

noVNC requires a VNC server to function. Install TigerVNC:

sudo apt install -y tigervnc-standalone-server

Set a VNC password:

vncpasswd

Start the VNC server to check if it starts correctly:

tigervncserver -xstartup /usr/bin/xfce4-session -SecurityTypes VncAuth,TLSVnc -geometry 1280x720 -localhost no :1

Stop it if it started correctly:

tigervncserver -kill :1

STEP 3: Install and Configure noVNC

Install noVNC and websockify:

sudo apt -y install novnc python3-websockify python3-numpy

Start noVNC with:

websockify -D --web=/usr/share/novnc/ --cert=/home/ubuntu/novnc.pem 6080 localhost:5901

STEP 4: Allow Access Through the Firewall

Open the necessary ports:

sudo ufw allow 6080/tcp
sudo ufw reload

STEP 5: Connect to Ubuntu via Web Browser

1. Open a web browser and navigate to:

http://<your-server-ip>:6080/vnc.html

2. Click Connect and enter your VNC password.

STEP 6: Enable noVNC to Start Automatically

• Open the crontab editor:

sudo crontab -u username -e

• At the end of the file, add the following line:

@reboot websockify -D --web=/usr/share/novnc/ --cert=/home/ubuntu/novnc.pem 6080 localhost:5901

If using nano, press CTRL + X, then Y, and Enter to save.

• Open a new systemd service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/vncserver@:1.service

• Paste the following configuration, replacing USERNAME with your actual username:

[Unit]
Description=Start TigerVNC server at startup
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=forking
User=USERNAME
PAMName=login
PIDFile=/home/USERNAME/.vnc/%H:1.pid
ExecStart=/usr/bin/tigervncserver -geometry 1280x720 -depth 24 :1
ExecStop=/usr/bin/tigervncserver -kill :1
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

If display :1 is already in use, change it to another available number.

• After saving the file, run the following commands to enable the service at startup:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable vncserver@:1
sudo systemctl start vncserver@:1

• To verify that the service is running, use:

systemctl status vncserver@:1

If you encounter issues, check the service logs:

sudo journalctl -u novnc --no-pager | less

To restart service use:

sudo systemctl restart vncserver@:1

If you want to explore more topics, be sure to check out our other guides, including:

How to Set Up RDP on Ubuntu 24.04 for Remote Access?

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