https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird
Connect your devices into a secure WireGuard®-based overlay network with SSO, MFA and granular access controls.
https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird
golang mesh mesh-networks nat-traversal netbird vpn wireguard wireguard-vpn wiretrustee zero-trust-network-access
Last synced: 8 days ago
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Connect your devices into a secure WireGuard®-based overlay network with SSO, MFA and granular access controls.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird
- Owner: netbirdio
- License: bsd-3-clause
- Created: 2021-04-14T12:27:20.000Z (about 5 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-05-06T15:31:05.000Z (about 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-05-06T16:06:47.943Z (about 1 year ago)
- Topics: golang, mesh, mesh-networks, nat-traversal, netbird, vpn, wireguard, wireguard-vpn, wiretrustee, zero-trust-network-access
- Language: Go
- Homepage: https://netbird.io
- Size: 37.9 MB
- Stars: 13,523
- Watchers: 101
- Forks: 645
- Open Issues: 864
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
- License: LICENSE
- Code of conduct: CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
- Security: SECURITY.md
- Authors: AUTHORS
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README
Start using NetBird at netbird.io
See Documentation
Join our Slack channel or our Community forum
🚀 We are hiring! Join us at careers.netbird.io
**NetBird combines a configuration-free peer-to-peer private network and a centralized access control system in a single platform, making it easy to create secure private networks for your organization or home.**
**Connect.** NetBird creates a WireGuard-based overlay network that automatically connects your machines over an encrypted tunnel, leaving behind the hassle of opening ports, complex firewall rules, VPN gateways, and so forth.
**Secure.** NetBird enables secure remote access by applying granular access policies while allowing you to manage them intuitively from a single place. Works universally on any infrastructure.
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/10cec749-bb56-4ab3-97af-4e38850108d2
### Self-host NetBird (video)
[](https://youtu.be/bZAgpT6nzaQ)
### Key features
| Connectivity | Management | Security | Automation | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ [Kernel WireGuard](https://docs.netbird.io/about-netbird/why-wireguard-with-netbird) | ✓ [Admin Web UI](https://github.com/netbirdio/dashboard) | ✓ [SSO & MFA support](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/installation#running-net-bird-with-sso-login) | ✓ [Public API](https://docs.netbird.io/api) | ✓ [Linux](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/linux) |
| ✓ [Peer-to-peer connections](https://docs.netbird.io/about-netbird/how-netbird-works) | ✓ Auto peer discovery and configuration | ✓ [Access control: groups & rules](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/manage-network-access) | ✓ [Setup keys for bulk provisioning](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/register-machines-using-setup-keys) | ✓ [macOS](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/macos) |
| ✓ Connection relay fallback | ✓ [IdP integrations](https://docs.netbird.io/selfhosted/identity-providers) | ✓ [Activity logging](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/audit-events-logging) | ✓ [Self-hosting quickstart script](https://docs.netbird.io/selfhosted/selfhosted-quickstart) | ✓ [Windows](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/windows) |
| ✓ [Routes to external networks](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/routing-traffic-to-private-networks) | ✓ [Private DNS](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/manage-dns-in-your-network) | ✓ [Traffic events](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/activity/traffic-events-logging) | ✓ [IdP groups sync with JWT](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/team/idp-sync) | ✓ [Android](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/android) |
| ✓ [Domain-based DNS routes](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/dns/dns-aliases-for-routed-networks) | ✓ [Custom DNS zones](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/dns/custom-zones) | ✓ [Device posture checks](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/manage-posture-checks) | ✓ [Terraform provider](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/netbirdio/netbird/latest) | ✓ [Android TV](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/android-tv) |
| ✓ [Exit nodes](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/network-routes/use-cases/exit-nodes) | ✓ [Multiuser support](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/add-users-to-your-network) | ✓ Peer-to-peer encryption | ✓ [Ansible collection](https://github.com/netbirdio/ansible-netbird) | ✓ [iOS](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/ios) |
| ✓ [IPv6 dual-stack overlay](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/settings/ipv6) | ✓ [Multi-account profile switching](https://docs.netbird.io/client/profiles) | ✓ [SSH with central access policies](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/peers/ssh) | | ✓ [Apple TV](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/tvos) |
| ✓ [Browser SSH & RDP](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/peers/browser-client) | | ✓ [Quantum-resistance with Rosenpass](https://netbird.io/knowledge-hub/the-first-quantum-resistant-mesh-vpn) | | ✓ FreeBSD |
| ✓ [Reverse proxy with auto-TLS](https://docs.netbird.io/manage/reverse-proxy) | | ✓ [Periodic re-authentication](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/enforce-periodic-user-authentication) | | ✓ [pfSense](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/pfsense) |
| | | | | ✓ [OPNsense](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/opnsense) |
| | | | | ✓ [MikroTik RouterOS](https://docs.netbird.io/use-cases/homelab/client-on-mikrotik-router) |
| | | | | ✓ OpenWRT |
| | | | | ✓ [Synology](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/synology) |
| | | | | ✓ [TrueNAS](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/truenas) |
| | | | | ✓ [Proxmox](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/proxmox-ve) |
| | | | | ✓ [Raspberry Pi](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/raspberrypi) |
| | | | | ✓ [Serverless](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/netbird-on-faas) |
| | | | | ✓ [Container](https://docs.netbird.io/get-started/install/docker) |
### Quickstart with NetBird Cloud
- Download and install NetBird at [https://app.netbird.io/install](https://app.netbird.io/install).
- Follow the steps to sign up with Google, Microsoft, GitHub or your email address.
- Check the NetBird [admin UI](https://app.netbird.io/).
### Quickstart with self-hosted NetBird
This is the quickest way to try self-hosted NetBird. It should take around 5 minutes to get started if you already have a public domain and a VM. Follow the [Advanced guide with a custom identity provider](https://docs.netbird.io/selfhosted/selfhosted-guide#advanced-guide-with-a-custom-identity-provider) for installations with different IdPs.
**Infrastructure requirements:**
- A Linux VM with at least **1 CPU** and **2 GB** of memory.
- The VM should be publicly accessible on TCP ports **80** and **443** and UDP port **3478**.
- A **public domain** name pointing to the VM.
**Software requirements:**
- Docker with the Compose plugin (Compose v2 or higher). See the [Docker installation guide](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/).
**Steps**
- Download and run the installation script:
```bash
export NETBIRD_DOMAIN=netbird.example.com; curl -fsSL https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/releases/latest/download/getting-started.sh | bash
```
### A bit on NetBird internals
- Every machine in the network runs the [NetBird agent](client/), which manages WireGuard.
- Every agent connects to the [Management Service](management/), which holds network state, manages peer IPs, and distributes updates to agents.
- Agents use ICE (via [pion/ice](https://github.com/pion/ice)) to discover connection candidates for peer-to-peer connections.
- Candidates are discovered with the help of [STUN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STUN) servers.
- Agents negotiate a connection through the [Signal Service](signal/), exchanging end-to-end encrypted messages with candidates.
- When NAT traversal fails (e.g. mobile carrier-grade NAT) and a direct p2p connection isn't possible, the system falls back to a [Relay Service](relay/) and a secure WireGuard tunnel is established through it.
See a complete [architecture overview](https://docs.netbird.io/about-netbird/how-netbird-works#architecture) for details.
### Community projects
- [NetBird installer script](https://github.com/physk/netbird-installer)
- [netbird-tui](https://github.com/n0pashkov/netbird-tui) - terminal UI for managing NetBird peers, routes, and settings
- [caddy-netbird](https://github.com/lixmal/caddy-netbird) - Caddy plugin that embeds a NetBird client for proxying HTTP and TCP/UDP traffic through NetBird networks
**Note**: The `main` branch may be in an *unstable or even broken state* during development.
For stable versions, see [releases](https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/releases).
### Support acknowledgement
In November 2022, NetBird joined the [StartUpSecure program](https://www.forschung-it-sicherheit-kommunikationssysteme.de/foerderung/bekanntmachungen/startup-secure) sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany. Together with the [CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security](https://cispa.de/en), NetBird brings security best practices and simplicity to private networking.
### Acknowledgements
We build on open-source technologies like [WireGuard®](https://www.wireguard.com/), [Pion ICE](https://github.com/pion/ice), and [Rosenpass](https://rosenpass.eu). We greatly appreciate the work these projects are doing, and we'd love it if you could support them too (e.g., by starring or contributing).
### Legal
This repository is licensed under the BSD-3-Clause license, which applies to all parts of the repository except for the directories management/, signal/ and relay/.
Those directories are licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3.0 (AGPLv3). See the respective LICENSE files inside each directory.
_WireGuard_ and the _WireGuard_ logo are [registered trademarks](https://www.wireguard.com/trademark-policy/) of Jason A. Donenfeld.