Unable to achieve User authentication for passwordless login

[Chesster1981]

Thanks anyone who can contribute to my query!

I've replaced Rustdesk server with Betterdesk in order to handle user generation and administration on a more practical level for our use.
We run a server park of about 10 servers for gaming use, and members have different access rights to these servers via Rustdesk RD clients.
When a members access i changed or revoked, the betterdesk environment is a great way for us to administrate these access rights, but I cannot get this to work in the way I imagined it, which might be because I've misunderstood Betterdesks abilities.

When a user is created in the Betterdesk console and added to a User Group with access to a Device Group. The address book in Rustdesk is updated correctly. However, during Client connection, the client is prompted for the password which is either the fixed or temporary password to the Rustdesk Client (Target machine). This is what I expected not to occur with a user being logged in to the Client. Obviously we cannot administer the fixed Rustdesk password as that would defy the purpose of a centralized User administration.

Does betterdesk even allow passwordless logins to RD-targets via the API ?

[noelhibbard]

I had the same understanding and I'm also struggling to get this to work.

[Chesster1981]

Thank you @noelhibbard for your input!

I've been testing this up and down for the last 3 weeks, without success. I've run Docker installations, BM installations, windows installs, self-compiled, Virtualbox/Linux you name it. But I just cant make it work. For now we are just back to using the fixed password distribution awaiting some update that will clear the mystery, or hoping for a Eureka moment :) Tried 3.3.153 today with same result.

[UNITRONIX]

Thanks for the detailed write-up — and thanks @noelhibbard for chiming in. This is expected today, not a broken install.

BetterDesk login + user/device groups control who can see which machines (address book / ACL) and how sessions show up in audit. They do not replace the RustDesk peer password on the target. That handshake is between the two RustDesk clients over the relay; the BetterDesk API does not skip it.

So: AB updating correctly means group scoping is working. The password prompt on connect is the target’s permanent/temporary password (or approve mode), not your BetterDesk account password.

For unattended access without someone clicking Accept every time, set a permanent password on each target during deploy (e.g. rustdesk.exe --password '…' / client Security settings) and give that peer password to authorized operators. Panel Access Policy can store a copy for inventory/reference; it does not remotely reconfigure stock RustDesk or enable passwordless peer login from API identity alone.

We do not currently offer “passwordless RD to targets via API” based on BetterDesk user membership. If that is a feature you need (server-enforced connect grants / shared peer secret per group), say so and we can track it as a product request — it would be new work, not a config fix.

Docs clarification (two auth layers / Access Policy vs peer password) is landing on dev shortly.

[noelhibbard]

In my case, if my Rustdesk client is logged into my BetterDesk account, I'm not prompted at all for a password, it just spins and never connects. If I log out, I can then connect to the peer with the permanent password.

[Chesster1981]

@noelhibbard
This sounds more like a network, firewall issue between the client servers and the betterdesk signal server og even between the Signal server and the betterdesk web console ?

Can you be more specific in your setup ? What does your console and server logs say ?