After a very enlightening discussion in a previous thread, I decided to plunge into a mesh type network to connect my various servers and devices.
Nebula has been fairly straight forward to set up so far, but I’m having some trouble with the details and am curious if anybody has successfully got Nebula up and running for their network.
Installation on Linux platforms has been a breeze. Windows I can’t seem to get working. I was able to install but the service refuses to start. Can’t find any documentation besides random GitHub issue threads. MacOS was easy to install but having issues due to a VPN that’s running already.
I use a VPN because I travel a lot. I also use my MacBook to SSH into my servers or access remote file storage. My previous network configuration was connecting via wireguard to my network. I was able to do this while maintaining an always on VPN with the mullvad app. With Nebula that VPN seems to muck things up.
I’m also curious if anybody has had experience setting up a dual config for Nextcloud. Essentially accessing a Nextcloud server from nebula with a trusted device while still allowing public access for things list public shared links.
What is nebula?
@clmbmb @brownmustardminion Looks like some sort of Tailscale clone.
I wouldn’t call it a clone, Tailscale didn’t invent mesh VPN’s. I believe Nebula is fully self hosted, while Tailscale makes initial connections through their servers. That means Nebula is more secure and private if you’re paranoid, but also harder to set up. They’re also based on different VPN protocols.
Tailscale actually published a surprisingly unbiased comparison: https://tailscale.com/compare/nebula
Should probably be pointed out (and I assume the tailscale link does), but Tailscale offers a fully self-hosted option called Headscale also
Tailscale does not offer this. It is a community project. Headscale is not official.
My mistake! I saw it referenced on the official site and assumed.
Given that Nebula is older than Tailscale, and was inspired by tinc, it’d be more accurate to say that Tailscale is the clone.
But also self-hosted (the central server, i.e. “lighthouse”) and open-source
@Sanyanov Self hosting the server seems to me like it could almost be a misfeature: it relies on the server being accessible. In these days of CGNAT, there are a lot of people who would have to buy a VPS just to do that.
Self-hosting is essential for many commercial uses. You don’t want your critical infrastructure to rely on a third party which might or might not meet all regulatory requirements in your industry.
@taladar In the old days we called that “having an IT department”. By self hosting, I mean I’m a home user literally hosting services from my living room.
Maybe you mean that but that is not what software means when they advertise self-hosting on their website.
There is a demand, and there is a supply. Decentralization trends lead more and more people to self-host, and you can’t get around it any other way.