diff --git a/src/opnsense/service/modules/addons/template_helpers.py b/src/opnsense/service/modules/addons/template_helpers.py
index 8edfab3977..54043d6813 100644
--- a/src/opnsense/service/modules/addons/template_helpers.py
+++ b/src/opnsense/service/modules/addons/template_helpers.py
@@ -151,45 +151,57 @@ def physical_interfaces(self, names):
             result.append(self.getNodeByTag('interfaces.'+name+'.if'))
         return list(filter(None, result))
 
-    def host_for_port(self, host_tag: str):
-        return self.host_with_port(
-            host_tag=host_tag,
-            port_tag='',
-            brackets_on_bare_ipv6=True
-        )
-
-    def host_with_port(self, host_tag: str, port_tag: str, brackets_on_bare_ipv6: bool = False):
-        """ returns a formatting host and port and bracketed if IPv6 from tags
-        :param host_tag: string
-        :param port_tag: setting this < 0 will disable it's output and just output the ip formatted for inclusion with a separate formatted port
-        :param no_brackets_on_bare_ip: setting this to True means that there will be brackets on IPv6 even if it just returns an address with no port
-        :return: string
+    def host_str_for_port(self, host: str) -> str:
         """
-        host = self.getNodeByTag(host_tag)
-        port = self.getNodeByTag(port_tag)
-
-        if port is None or port == "":
-            port = -1
-        else:
-            port = int(port)
-
+        :param host: network host
+        :return: formatted host, bracketed if IPv6
+        """
+        if self.is_ipv6(host):
+            return "[" + host + "]"
+        return host
 
-        skip_port = port < 0
+    def host_str_with_port(self, host: str, port: str) -> str:
+        """
+        :param host: network host
+        :param port: network port; setting this to none or "" will make it so no port is included
+        :return: formatted host, bracketed if IPv6 and there is a port
+        """
+        skip_port = False
 
         if host is None or host == "":
             return ""
 
-        if skip_port and not brackets_on_bare_ipv6:
-            return host
-
-        if self.is_ipv6(host):
-            host = "[" + host + "]"
+        if port is None or port == "":
+            skip_port = True
+        else:
+            port = int(port)
 
         if skip_port:
             return host
 
+        host = self.host_str_for_port(host)
+
         return '{}:{}'.format(host, port)
 
+    def host_for_port(self, host_tag: str) -> str:
+        """
+        :param host_tag: tag of a network host
+        :return: formatted host and port, bracketed if IPv6
+        """
+        host = self.getNodeByTag(host_tag)
+        return self.host_str_for_port(host)
+
+    def host_with_port(self, host_tag: str, port_tag: str) -> str:
+        """
+        :param host_tag: tag of a network host
+        :param port_tag: tag of a network port; setting this to none or "" will make it so no port is included
+        :return: formatted host and port, bracketed if IPv6 and there is a port
+        """
+        host = self.getNodeByTag(host_tag)
+        port = self.getNodeByTag(port_tag)
+
+        return self.host_str_with_port(host, port)
+
     @staticmethod
     def is_ipv6(ip: str) -> bool:
         return ":" in ip