tinc
A VPN daemon that builds an encrypted mesh network between hosts over the internet.
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1 more ways to get tinc
Package managers
- Homebrew
brew install tinc
About tinc
tinc creates a secure private network between hosts by tunnelling and encrypting traffic. The VPN appears as a normal network device, so existing software works over it unchanged. Traffic is encrypted with LibreSSL or OpenSSL and can optionally be compressed with zlib or LZO.
Routing is automatically full mesh, so packets go directly to their destination where possible. NAT traversal works as long as one node accepts incoming connections. Version 1.0.37 is described as the last of the 1.0 series, with the 1.1 branch in prerelease.
Strengths
- Automatic full mesh routing with direct peer traffic
- Appears as a normal network device to existing software
- NAT traversal with only one publicly reachable node
Limitations
- The 1.1 branch has been in prerelease for a long time
- Configured by hand with config files
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree software under GPL version 2 or later.
- License
- GPL-2.0-or-later
- Developer
- The tinc contributors
- Platforms
- Linux, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Best suited for
- Administrators linking servers and sites into a self-managed mesh VPN
- Categories
- VPN, Network tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to tinc
Compare allSoftware that can replace tinc for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
nebula
Connect devices through an encrypted overlay network.
nebula builds an encrypted overlay network under the MIT license with builds for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, but requires certificate management.
ZeroTier One
Puts machines anywhere in the world on the same virtual Ethernet network, as if they were plugged into one switch.
ZeroTier One creates a virtual Ethernet mesh with NAT traversal and clients for desktop and mobile, using a hosted controller unless you run your own.
n2n
A lightweight peer-to-peer layer-2 VPN for linking machines into a virtual network.
n2n provides peer-to-peer layer-2 networking with a supernode for discovery, and is also configured by hand on the command line.
Tailscale
Builds a private network between your own devices using WireGuard, without opening ports or running a server.
Tailscale replaces hand-written config files with centrally managed WireGuard access rules, but requires an account and a hosted coordination server.
EasyTier
A decentralized mesh VPN written in Rust that links devices into one private network, with WireGuard support.
EasyTier is a Rust mesh VPN with WireGuard support, a graphical interface and no central server, with builds for Windows, macOS and Android.
NetBird
A WireGuard-based mesh network with single sign-on, multi-factor authentication and access policies, self-hostable or managed.
NetBird replaces manual configuration with a WireGuard mesh managed through an admin web interface with SSO and access policies, self-hosted or managed.
innernet
Private network manager built on WireGuard with peer invitations.
innernet builds a WireGuard private network with invitation-based enrolment and central access rules, and also relies on a coordination server you run.
Yggdrasil
An experimental, end-to-end encrypted IPv6 mesh network run as a lightweight userspace software router.
Yggdrasil offers a decentralised end-to-end encrypted IPv6 mesh with self-healing routing, but is alpha-stage and experimental.
tinc as an alternative
Listings that name tinc as an alternative.
Husarnet
A peer-to-peer VPN that connects laptops, servers and microcontrollers directly, with built-in support for ROS.
tinc builds an open-source full mesh with direct peer traffic between Linux hosts, but is configured by hand with config files.
LogMeIn Hamachi
A hosted VPN service that creates LAN-like virtual networks between remote computers.
tinc is a free open source daemon that builds a self-managed encrypted mesh with NAT traversal, configured by hand with config files and focused on Linux.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
WireGuard
A small, fast VPN protocol and set of official clients that connect two machines by exchanging public keys.
headscale
A self-hosted, open-source implementation of the Tailscale control server, so your mesh VPN does not depend on a company.
Netmaker
Self-hosted platform for building and managing WireGuard mesh networks.
OpenVPN Community
The VPN protocol and client that has been the default for two decades, and still runs on everything.
