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https://github.com/juanfont/headscale

An open source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server
https://github.com/juanfont/headscale

tailscale tailscale-control-server tailscale-server wireguard

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An open source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server

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README 

        
![headscale logo](./docs/logo/headscale3_header_stacked_left.png)



![ci](https://github.com/juanfont/headscale/actions/workflows/test.yml/badge.svg)



An open source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server.



Join our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/c84AZQhmpx) for a chat.



**Note:** Always select the same GitHub tag as the released version you use

to ensure you have the correct example configuration and documentation.

The `main` branch might contain unreleased changes.



## What is Tailscale



Tailscale is [a modern VPN](https://tailscale.com/) built on top of

[Wireguard](https://www.wireguard.com/).

It [works like an overlay network](https://tailscale.com/blog/how-tailscale-works/)

between the computers of your networks - using

[NAT traversal](https://tailscale.com/blog/how-nat-traversal-works/).



Everything in Tailscale is Open Source, except the GUI clients for proprietary OS

(Windows and macOS/iOS), and the control server.



The control server works as an exchange point of Wireguard public keys for the

nodes in the Tailscale network. It assigns the IP addresses of the clients,

creates the boundaries between each user, enables sharing machines between users,

and exposes the advertised routes of your nodes.



A [Tailscale network (tailnet)](https://tailscale.com/kb/1136/tailnet/) is private

network which Tailscale assigns to a user in terms of private users or an

organisation.



## Design goal



Headscale aims to implement a self-hosted, open source alternative to the Tailscale

control server.

Headscale's goal is to provide self-hosters and hobbyists with an open-source

server they can use for their projects and labs.

It implements a narrow scope, a single Tailnet, suitable for a personal use, or a small

open-source organisation.



## Supporting Headscale



If you like `headscale` and find it useful, there is a sponsorship and donation

buttons available in the repo.



## Features



Please see ["Features" in the documentation](https://headscale.net/stable/about/features/).



## Client OS support



Please see ["Client and operating system support" in the documentation](https://headscale.net/stable/about/clients/).



## Running headscale



**Please note that we do not support nor encourage the use of reverse proxies

and container to run Headscale.**



Please have a look at the [`documentation`](https://headscale.net/stable/).



## Talks



- Fosdem 2023 (video): [Headscale: How we are using integration testing to reimplement Tailscale](https://fosdem.org/2023/schedule/event/goheadscale/)

  - presented by Juan Font Alonso and Kristoffer Dalby



## Disclaimer



This project is not associated with Tailscale Inc.



However, one of the active maintainers for Headscale [is employed by Tailscale](https://tailscale.com/blog/opensource) and he is allowed to spend work hours contributing to the project. Contributions from this maintainer are reviewed by other maintainers.



The maintainers work together on setting the direction for the project. The underlying principle is to serve the community of self-hosters, enthusiasts and hobbyists - while having a sustainable project.



## Contributing



Please read the [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md) file.



### Requirements



To contribute to headscale you would need the latest version of [Go](https://golang.org)

and [Buf](https://buf.build) (Protobuf generator).



We recommend using [Nix](https://nixos.org/) to setup a development environment. This can

be done with `nix develop`, which will install the tools and give you a shell.

This guarantees that you will have the same dev env as `headscale` maintainers.



### Code style



To ensure we have some consistency with a growing number of contributions,

this project has adopted linting and style/formatting rules:



The **Go** code is linted with [`golangci-lint`](https://golangci-lint.run) and

formatted with [`golines`](https://github.com/segmentio/golines) (width 88) and

[`gofumpt`](https://github.com/mvdan/gofumpt).

Please configure your editor to run the tools while developing and make sure to

run `make lint` and `make fmt` before committing any code.



The **Proto** code is linted with [`buf`](https://docs.buf.build/lint/overview) and

formatted with [`clang-format`](https://clang.llvm.org/docs/ClangFormat.html).



The **rest** (Markdown, YAML, etc) is formatted with [`prettier`](https://prettier.io).



Check out the `.golangci.yaml` and `Makefile` to see the specific configuration.



### Install development tools



- Go

- Buf

- Protobuf tools



Install and activate:



```shell

nix develop

```



### Testing and building



Some parts of the project require the generation of Go code from Protobuf

(if changes are made in `proto/`) and it must be (re-)generated with:



```shell

make generate

```



**Note**: Please check in changes from `gen/` in a separate commit to make it easier to review.



To run the tests:



```shell

make test

```



To build the program:



```shell

nix build

```



or



```shell

make build

```



## Contributors





  




Made with [contrib.rocks](https://contrib.rocks).