Xray. Managing the module

This article continues Xray quick start. If you haven't installed the module and created the first user yet, start there. Collected here are the operations on the module itself: starting and stopping the service, viewing logs, connection settings (the port and the masquerade domain), updating, reinstalling, and uninstalling. Managing VPN users is covered in a separate article — Xray. Managing users.

Page header and action menu

The page header exposes the core module actions — start, stop, and restart the service. The service state is shown by an indicator and a chip with the Xray version. The three-dot menu next to it groups the rest: open logs, run an update, reinstall, or uninstall the module.

Managing the service

• Start — brings the Xray service up from a stopped state.
• Stop — shuts the service down. All active VPN connections are dropped, and new ones can't be established.
• Restart — stops and starts the service back to back. Open connections are dropped.

Changes in the user list are applied by the server on the fly, without a service restart: a user added, disabled, or deleted — the new configuration is picked up right away. After editing a user, their connection string stays the same — there's no need to re-import the link or rescan the QR code on the device.

⚠️ Stopping the service drops all VPN connections

While the service is off, no user can connect. Plan stops and restarts for a maintenance window or warn users in advance.

While the module is updating, being reinstalled, or being uninstalled, the service controls and the action menu are temporarily unavailable.

Module logs

In the action menu pick Logs — the lifecycle log opens with entries for install, update, reinstall, and uninstall. Each entry shows its status and the full execution output. Useful when an action ended with an error and you need to understand why.

Connection

The General settings page of the module holds a Connection group — this is where you change the two parameters that devices use to reach the server: the port and the masquerade domain. The panel picks both for you at install time, but if connecting over the current port or domain has stopped working, you can change them without reinstalling the module.

• Port — the TCP port Xray accepts incoming connections on. The default is 8443. Change it if the port is taken by another service on the host or if connecting over it has stopped going through.
• Masquerade domain — the real public website your traffic is masked as ordinary HTTPS traffic to (more on masking — in Xray. How the service works). You can type your own domain or pick one from the suggestions in the list: the panel offers a few proven sites. Enter the domain without https:// and without a port. If connecting over the current domain has stopped working, switch to another one.

The save button becomes active only once you've changed the port or the domain. When you click it, the panel asks for confirmation — not an extra precaution, but a safeguard against cutting off every user at once.

‼️ Changing the port or domain drops all current connections

The port and the masquerade domain are baked into every issued vless://… link and QR code. The moment you change them, the panel shows the Confirm module settings change dialog with a warning: the change will restart the module and drop active connections. After you confirm, every previously issued link and QR code becomes invalid for good — client apps stop connecting. You'll have to reissue the link to each active user and re-import it on their devices. Plan the change for a maintenance window and warn users in advance.

If the module was installed with read-only rights, the fields in the Connection group are read-only — only a user with edit rights can change the settings.

Updating the module

In the action menu pick Update Xray. The panel checks whether a newer version of Xray is available in the repository, installs it on top of the current one, and restarts the service. The user list and their connection strings are preserved — there's no need to re-import the link or rescan the QR code on the device.

There's no confirmation for the update — the action starts right away. While the update is in progress, the service controls and the menu items are unavailable; the current module version is visible on the Xray chip in the header. If the latest version is already installed, the update doesn't run — the panel will tell you so.

Reinstalling the module

In the action menu pick Reinstall Xray. The panel asks for confirmation in the Confirm Xray reinstall dialog — click Confirm. The same version of Xray is rolled out on top of the current one, and the service restarts. The user list, their identifiers, and connection strings are preserved — there's no need to re-import the link or rescan the QR code in the client app.

Use reinstall when the module is acting up and you want to run the install again without losing users. Unlike uninstall, reinstall doesn't wipe users or their identifiers — already issued vless://… connection strings keep working without reconnection.

Reinstall doesn't change the connection parameters — the module comes back up on the same port and with the same masquerade domain that were set before it. There's no parameters dialog before reinstall, nothing to enter again; if you need to change the port or domain, that's done separately in the Connection group.

If clients stop connecting after a reinstall, copy the link again from the expanded user row or rescan the QR code in the client app. If errors persist, the last resort is to fully uninstall the module and install it from scratch.

Uninstalling the module

In the action menu pick Uninstall Xray. The panel asks for confirmation in the Confirm Xray module uninstall dialog: along with the module, all related data is removed, including the user settings; after a fresh install the module starts from scratch.

‼️ Uninstalling the module wipes all VPN users

Uninstall is irreversible: along with the module, all Xray users disappear — their identifiers and generated vless://… connection strings. Already configured client apps won't be able to connect after uninstall — the parameters in them become invalid. After a fresh install, the module and users have to be created again; new identifiers and links are issued, and clients have to import the configuration anew. The Xray licence slots are freed — you can reuse them or forget about the module until next install.

After confirmation, the panel runs the uninstall. When it finishes, the module page returns to its initial state with the Install button.

What's next

• Xray quick start — installing the module and the first connection.
• Xray. Managing users — creating, editing, deleting users, and purchasing slots.
• How to set up an SMTP relay for sending emails — so you can email users the connection link.