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Tailscale

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description Tailscale Overview

Tailscale is the leading mesh VPN built on WireGuard, offering near-zero configuration networking for self-hosters. It handles NAT traversal, key management, and device authentication automatically. MagicDNS provides internal DNS resolution, while granular ACLs control access between services. The free tier supports up to 100 devices, making it ideal for homelabs.

For full self-hosting, Headscale provides an open-source control server alternative. Tailscale's stability and polish make it the gold standard.

help Tailscale FAQ

What problem does Tailscale solve for a self-hosted network?

Tailscale builds a private mesh network on top of WireGuard and adds authentication, access policies, and NAT traversal. Devices can often connect directly without a static public IP or manually opened firewall ports ([Tailscale documentation](https://tailscale.com/docs/concepts/wireguard)).

How does MagicDNS help with a home lab?

MagicDNS automatically gives devices in a tailnet internal DNS names, so you can reach a server as `my-server` instead of remembering its Tailscale IP address. Tailscale says MagicDNS is available on all plans ([Tailscale documentation](https://tailscale.com/docs/features/magicdns)).

Can a small personal network use Tailscale for free?

The current Personal plan costs $0 forever and includes unlimited user devices for up to 6 users. It also includes up to 3 ACL groups and 50 tagged resources to start ([Tailscale pricing](https://tailscale.com/pricing)).

How do Tailscale ACLs control access?

ACLs let an administrator define which users, groups, or tagged devices can reach particular services instead of trusting every connected device equally. Tailscale describes this as least-privilege access, and its current Personal plan includes up to 3 ACL groups ([Tailscale pricing](https://tailscale.com/pricing)).

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