diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d80363f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Dashboard auth for external clients (non-RFC1918 source IPs)
+DASHBOARD_AUTH_USERNAME=admin
+DASHBOARD_AUTH_PASSWORD=change-me-now
diff --git a/DASHBOARD.md b/DASHBOARD.md
index b503994..bbad80b 100644
--- a/DASHBOARD.md
+++ b/DASHBOARD.md
@@ -154,8 +154,14 @@ curl http://localhost:8080/api/health | jq
 
 ## Security Note
 
-The dashboard is exposed on `0.0.0.0:8080` making it accessible from your network. If you're running this on a public server, consider:
+The dashboard is exposed on `0.0.0.0:8080`.
+Requests from localhost/LAN private ranges are allowed directly.
+Requests from public/external IPs require HTTP Basic Auth.
 
-1. Using a reverse proxy (nginx) with authentication
-2. Restricting access with firewall rules
-3. Using HTTPS with SSL certificates
+Set credentials with:
+
+```bash
+# .env (copy from .env.example)
+DASHBOARD_AUTH_USERNAME=admin
+DASHBOARD_AUTH_PASSWORD=change-me-now
+```
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9f78b10..8fe5b3a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -242,6 +242,7 @@ For your ElectrumX server to be accessible from the internet, you **must** confi
 **Security Notes:**
 - Only forward port **8080** if you want the dashboard accessible from internet (not recommended without authentication)
 - Consider using a VPN for dashboard access instead
+- External dashboard clients (public IPs) require Basic Auth. Configure `DASHBOARD_AUTH_USERNAME` and `DASHBOARD_AUTH_PASSWORD` in `.env` (see `.env.example`).
 - Ports **50001** and **50002** need to be public for Electrum wallets to connect
 - Port **2333** is required for the node to sync with the Palladium network
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 5d2774d..ea9c269 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ services:
       PALLADIUM_RPC_PORT: "2332"
       ELECTRUMX_RPC_HOST: "electrumx"
       ELECTRUMX_RPC_PORT: "8000"
+      DASHBOARD_AUTH_USERNAME: "${DASHBOARD_AUTH_USERNAME:-admin}"
+      DASHBOARD_AUTH_PASSWORD: "${DASHBOARD_AUTH_PASSWORD:-change-me-now}"
 
     volumes:
       - ./.palladium/palladium.conf:/palladium-config/palladium.conf:ro
diff --git a/web-dashboard/app.py b/web-dashboard/app.py
index 3916694..0839c69 100644
--- a/web-dashboard/app.py
+++ b/web-dashboard/app.py
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ import time
 import copy
 import threading
 import ssl
+import ipaddress
+import base64
+import hmac
 from datetime import datetime
 import psutil
 import socket
@@ -19,6 +22,66 @@ import socket
 app = Flask(__name__)
 CORS(app)
 
+TRUSTED_CLIENT_NETWORKS = (
+    ipaddress.ip_network('127.0.0.0/8'),
+    ipaddress.ip_network('10.0.0.0/8'),
+    ipaddress.ip_network('172.16.0.0/12'),
+    ipaddress.ip_network('192.168.0.0/16'),
+    ipaddress.ip_network('::1/128'),
+)
+
+
+def is_trusted_client_ip(ip_text):
+    """Allow direct access for localhost and private RFC1918 LAN clients."""
+    if not ip_text:
+        return False
+    try:
+        ip_obj = ipaddress.ip_address(ip_text.strip())
+        if getattr(ip_obj, 'ipv4_mapped', None):
+            ip_obj = ip_obj.ipv4_mapped
+        return any(ip_obj in network for network in TRUSTED_CLIENT_NETWORKS)
+    except ValueError:
+        return False
+
+
+def unauthorized_response():
+    response = jsonify({'error': 'Authentication required'})
+    response.status_code = 401
+    response.headers['WWW-Authenticate'] = 'Basic realm="Palladium Dashboard"'
+    return response
+
+
+@app.before_request
+def enforce_external_auth():
+    """
+    Localhost and LAN clients can access directly.
+    External clients must authenticate via Basic Auth credentials from env vars.
+    """
+    client_ip = request.remote_addr or ''
+    if is_trusted_client_ip(client_ip):
+        return None
+
+    expected_user = os.getenv('DASHBOARD_AUTH_USERNAME', '').strip()
+    expected_pass = os.getenv('DASHBOARD_AUTH_PASSWORD', '').strip()
+    if not expected_user or not expected_pass:
+        return jsonify({'error': 'Dashboard auth is not configured'}), 503
+
+    auth_header = request.headers.get('Authorization', '')
+    if not auth_header.startswith('Basic '):
+        return unauthorized_response()
+
+    try:
+        decoded = base64.b64decode(auth_header.split(' ', 1)[1]).decode('utf-8')
+        username, password = decoded.split(':', 1)
+    except Exception:
+        return unauthorized_response()
+
+    user_ok = hmac.compare_digest(username, expected_user)
+    pass_ok = hmac.compare_digest(password, expected_pass)
+    if not (user_ok and pass_ok):
+        return unauthorized_response()
+    return None
+
 
 @app.after_request
 def disable_api_cache(response):