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headscale

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description headscale Overview

Headscale provides a secure, mesh VPN network using WireGuard. It’s an open source solution allowing users to self-host their own private network. This is particularly useful for individuals and small teams needing reliable access between devices without relying on centralized services. Tailscale users can migrate with Headscale due to protocol compatibility.

help headscale FAQ

What is Headscale and how does it relate to Tailscale?

Headscale is an open-source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale coordination server, allowing users to run a Tailscale-compatible mesh VPN on their own infrastructure. It was created as a community-driven alternative to Tailscale's managed SaaS control plane, giving organizations full sovereignty over their network's metadata.

Does Headscale use the WireGuard protocol?

Yes, like Tailscale, Headscale uses WireGuard as the underlying transport for encrypted peer-to-peer tunnels between devices. The Headscale server itself only acts as a coordination plane for key exchange and node management; actual data traffic flows directly between nodes using WireGuard tunnels.

Can I use the standard Tailscale client with Headscale?

Yes, Headscale is designed to be compatible with the official Tailscale client applications on Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS. Users point their Tailscale clients to their self-hosted Headscale server URL instead of Tailscale's default login server for authentication.

Is Headscale free to use?

Headscale is free and open-source software, distributed under the BSD license and maintained on GitHub. Unlike Tailscale, which offers both free and paid managed tiers, Headscale requires no licensing fees, but you must provide and maintain your own server to run it.

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