Tailscale

Zero Trust connectivity platform that creates a private mesh network across devices and infrastructure. Enables secure access to internal apps, databases, and Kubernetes clusters without traditional VPN setup or bastion hosts.

Tailscale is used by over 20,000 businesses including Microsoft, Nvidia, Duolingo, and Hugging Face. It differentiates from raw WireGuard by adding identity-based access control, SSO integration, and a coordination layer that handles NAT traversal so tunnels work through firewalls and double NAT. Compared to OpenVPN, deployment is serverless, always-on, and uses the same config in office and field.

Key capabilities:

• WireGuard-based mesh overlay with automatic NAT traversal and peer discovery
• Zero Trust access with SSO, ACLs, and least-privilege enforcement
• Cross-platform clients for Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and embedded devices
• CI/CD and Kubernetes integration, connecting runners and clusters across clouds without VPN hassle
• Multi-cloud and hybrid connectivity, bridging on-prem and cloud resources

Common scenarios: remote teams accessing internal tools and data, replacing legacy VPNs for infrastructure access, direct SSH and database access to servers and Kubernetes clusters without bastions, and connecting CI/CD pipelines and IoT or edge devices across distributed environments.