Headscale

Name: Headscale
Author: SelfHostedCompare

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

Pending verificationdrafted Oct 26, 2026VPN & Mesh NetworkingBSD-3-ClauseGo

Official site ↗Source code ↗

GitHub stars: 45,028; verified 2026-10-26
Docker pulls: 6,522,939
Forks: 2,617; verified 2026-10-26
Open issues: 137; verified 2026-10-26
Latest version: v0.29.6; verified 2026-10-26

Client platform matrix

Headscale official and third-party clients across 8 platforms · 1 with an official client

Probed daily · last check 2026-10-26 01:16:49

Platform	Support	Client	Channels	Verified
iOS	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
Android	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
Android TV	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
Web	Official	Headscale Web UI	Not documented	Pending verification
Windows	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
macOS	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
Linux	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
tvOS	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented

About Headscale

Headscale is an open-source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server (BSD-3-Clause, Go) that lets self-hosters run their own Tailscale-compatible coordination server for a single tailnet, using the official Tailscale clients (headscale.net). Distribution covers Docker (headscale/headscale on Docker Hub), a Snap and the Arch extra repository; the project's GHCR image (juanfont/headscale) was last pushed 2021-09-13 (stale). An optional web UI is documented (Integration > Web UI).

Alternatives

Other self-hosted apps in the same category.

NetBirdOpen-source Zero Trust networking powered by peer-to-peer WireGuardBSD-3-Clause★ 30,2141 official client TailscaleThe easiest, most secure way to use WireGuard and 2FA.BSD-3-Clause★ 38,0701 official client

Key facts

License: Data verified
Primary language: Data verified
Category: VPN & Mesh Networking
Official clients: 1 of 8 platforms
Third-party clients: 0
Deployment methods: 5
Repository: https://github.com/juanfont/headscale
Homepage: https://headscale.net
Documentation: https://headscale.net/stable/

Deployment

verified Oct 26, 2026

# Headscale — official deployment identifiers (database)
Docker             headscale/headscale                    official
Docker             ghcr.io/juanfont/headscale             official
Package (deb/rpm)  headscale.canonical                    official
Package (deb/rpm)  extra/headscale                        official
Build from source  —                                      official

headscale/headscale · https://hub.docker.com/r/headscale/headscale
headscale.canonical · https://snapcraft.io/headscale
extra/headscale · https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/headscale/
Build from source · https://github.com/juanfont/headscale

Headscale compared

Head-to-head pages generated from the same database rows.

All comparisons →

Headscale vs NetBird

Headscale and NetBird side by side on license, stars, Docker pulls, official clients and deployment methods.

VPN & Mesh Networking

Headscale vs Tailscale

Headscale and Tailscale side by side on license, stars, Docker pulls, official clients and deployment methods.

VPN & Mesh Networking

Platform pages

Every platform matrix on this site, and the slice for this app's category.