ZeroTier: A More Flexible Networking Solution Than Tailscale

Solves in a sentence: Tailscale is simple, but you want more control? ZeroTier gives you more configuration freedom.

ZeroTier and Tailscale share the same goal — connecting devices in different locations into a virtual LAN. But their implementation approaches differ.

What is ZeroTier?

ZeroTier is a P2P virtual LAN tool. It creates a virtual network adapter on each device, assigns virtual IPs, making devices feel like they’re on the same physical switch.

The problem it solves: Same as Tailscale — connecting remote devices into a LAN. But offers more network-level configuration options.

Key Differences from Tailscale

• Network Customization: You can define your own subnets, routing rules, and flow control policies
• Self-hosted Moon Nodes: In complex network environments, self-hosted relay nodes improve connection rates
• More Flexible Permission Model: Set different network permissions for different devices
• More Open Source: Both the control server and client are open source

Selection Advice

• Want the simplest setup → Tailscale
• Need more network control → ZeroTier
• Want to self-host the entire system → ZeroTier (can self-host root servers)

Download

• Official Site: https://www.zerotier.com/download/
• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/zerotier/ZeroTierOne

Quick Start

1. Install the ZeroTier client on each device
2. Create a network at my.zerotier.com
3. Note the Network ID
4. Enter the Network ID in each device’s client to join the network
5. Authorize these devices in the Web dashboard

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