headscale/README.md

Headscale

An open source implementation of the Tailscale coordination server.

Status

• Basic functionality (nodes can communicate with each other)
• Node registration through the web flow
• Network changes are relied to the nodes
• Node registration via pre-auth keys
• (WIP) Multiuser support
• ACLs
• DNS

... and probably lots of stuff missing

Roadmap 🤷

Adding multiuser support seems doable. Rather than actual users, this multi-tenancy will probably look more like namespaces in Kubernetes - a logical partitioning of resources created with a CLI.

Pre-auth keys should also be feasible.

Suggestions/PRs welcomed!

Running it

1. Compile the headscale binary

go build cmd/headscale/headscale.go 

2. Get youself a PostgreSQL DB running (yes, I know)

docker run --name headscale -e POSTGRES_DB=headscale -e \
  POSTGRES_USER=foo -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=bar -p 5432:5432 -d postgres

3. Sort some stuff up (headscale Wireguard keys & the config.json file)

wg genkey > private.key
wg pubkey < private.key > public.key  # not needed 
cp config.json.example config.json

4. Create a namespace (equivalent to a user in tailscale.com)

./headscale namespace create myfirstnamespace

5. Run the server

./headscale serve

6. Add your first machine

tailscale up -login-server YOUR_HEADSCALE_URL

7. Navigate to the URL you will get with tailscale up, where you'll find your machine key.

8. In the server, register your machine to a namespace with the CLI

./headscale register YOURMACHINEKEY myfirstnamespace

Disclaimer

1. I have nothing to do with Tailscale, or Tailscale Inc.
2. The purpose of writing this was to learn how Tailscale works.
3. I don't use Headscale myself.