juanfont/headscale
An open source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server observed · 2026-08-28
Health v2 · maintenance only
98/100
- Activity 99
- Release rhythm 95
- Longevity 100
How is this computed?
round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10) — computed 2026-09-03. Adoption (stars, forks) is never an input.
- gap_med: 15
- age_days: 2264
- days_rel: 35
- days_push: 8
- n_releases_24m: 16
Adoption not part of the score
43205 stars · 2519 forks observed · 2026-08-28
What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-29, confidence not recorded
Headscale is an open-source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server written in Go. It coordinates WireGuard-based mesh VPN networks by exchanging node keys, assigning IP addresses, and managing users and routes without relying on Tailscale's proprietary control plane.
Use cases
- self-host a Tailscale control server for my own tailnet
- build a private WireGuard mesh VPN without Tailscale's cloud
- replace Tailscale SaaS for a small team or homelab
- manage VPN node keys and IP assignment on my own infrastructure
- run a single tailnet for a personal lab or open-source project
- share machines and routes between users in a private overlay network
When to choose
- you want full control and data sovereignty over your Tailscale coordination server
- you run a personal network, homelab, or small organisation with a single tailnet
- you want to avoid Tailscale's proprietary control plane and per-user pricing
- you are comfortable self-hosting a Go binary or container on a Linux server
When to avoid
- you need multi-tailnet management or enterprise features of the official Tailscale control plane
- you want a fully managed, zero-maintenance VPN solution
- you need official GUI client support guarantees for all proprietary OS features
- you rely on Tailscale's hosted features like MagicDNS integrations with their SaaS ecosystem
Facets
service · maturity active
vpn networking security self-hosted http-server networking security self-hosted privacy go self-hosted cross-platform tailscale wireguard control-server mesh-vpn tailnet coordination-server linux docker
1 source
- readme: https://github.com/juanfont/headscale · fetched 2026-08-28 · 0de089f552d8
Member repositories
| Repository | Role | Health v2 |
|---|---|---|
| juanfont/headscale | main | 98 |
For agents
markdown · JSON · MCP: product_card(name="juanfont/headscale")
Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00 · Report a problem