# Outline

Outline Server, developed by Jigsaw. The Outline Server is a proxy server that runs a Shadowsocks instance and provides a REST API for access key management.

Repository: https://github.com/OutlineFoundation/outline-server
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/outline-2
Homepage: https://getoutline.org/
Language: TypeScript
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: shadowsocks, docker, linux, proxy-server, outline, outline-vpn
Last push: 2026-05-13T08:51:02+00:00
Link (homepage): https://getoutline.org/
Link (site_page): https://getoutline.org/faq

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 71/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 82, release rhythm 40, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3095, "days_push": 112, "days_rel": 555, "gap_med": 6, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6249, forks 877 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:40.975721+00:00)

## What it is
Outline is a pair of open-source applications from Jigsaw (Google) for creating and using your own VPN server: Outline Manager sets up and manages servers, and Outline Client is a cross-platform Shadowsocks-compatible proxy client. It is designed to be resistant to censorship and blocking.

## Use cases
- set up my own VPN server
- bypass internet censorship
- share VPN access keys with friends
- connect to a shadowsocks proxy
- run a private VPN on a cloud provider
- access the open internet from a censored country

## When to choose
- you want to self-host a VPN that is hard to block
- you need clients across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS
- you want a GUI instead of manual server configuration
- you need to distribute access keys to a trusted network

## When to avoid
- you want a commercial VPN provider with no server management
- you need protocols other than Shadowsocks
- you need a command-line-only tooling workflow

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: vpn, proxy, security, privacy, gui, self-hosted
- domain: privacy, censorship-circumvention, security, networking, cross-platform
- platform: windows, cross-platform
- tags: shadowsocks, vpn-server-manager, anti-censorship, access-keys, jigsaw, open-internet, macos, linux, android, ios, electron

## Member repositories
- OutlineFoundation/outline-server (main) score 71
- OutlineFoundation/outline-apps (frontend) score 67

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:40.975721+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:23:15.667368+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/OutlineFoundation/outline-server (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:40.975721+00:00, sha 4154ddc4f3ff)
  - homepage: https://getoutline.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:43.418388+00:00, sha 71de513af37d)
  - site_page: https://getoutline.org/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:43.427954+00:00, sha 127b47287ae7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.