# moby/vpnkit

A toolkit for embedding VPN capabilities in your application

Repository: https://github.com/moby/vpnkit
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/vpnkit
Language: OCaml
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-06-10T09:49:52+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 62/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 86, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3768, "days_push": 84, "days_rel": 496, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1205, forks 214 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:59.208619+00:00)

## What it is
VPNKit is a set of OCaml tools and services that provide VPN-friendly networking for HyperKit virtual machines. It translates VM ethernet traffic into user-space connections, avoiding clashes between host VPN configurations and typical VM networking setups like bridges, NAT, and DNS changes.

## Use cases
- run a VM alongside a host VPN without breaking connectivity
- give HyperKit VMs network access without modifying host routing or firewall rules
- forward VM traffic through the host's network stack in user space
- embed VPN-aware networking into a desktop virtualization application
- provide DNS and NTP forwarding for lightweight VMs
- debug VM network traffic with pcap capture

## When to choose
- you use HyperKit or a similar hypervisor and need VM networking that coexists with host VPNs
- you want user-space networking without touching host network configuration
- you're building a Docker Desktop-like VM-based application on macOS or Windows

## When to avoid
- you need full-featured VPN client software rather than VM networking glue
- your hypervisor already provides robust bridged or NAT networking that works with your VPN
- you need a general-purpose VPN solution for end users

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: networking, vpn, proxy, http-client, developer-tools
- domain: networking, developer-tools, privacy
- platform: windows, cross-platform
- tags: vpn, hyperkit, virtualization, vm-networking, ocaml, user-space-networking, docker, macos, linux

## Member repositories
- moby/vpnkit (main) score 62

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:59.208619+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 2026-08-30T06:19:36.327084+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/moby/vpnkit (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:59.208619+00:00, sha 73454b2ba7c4)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.