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Show HN: Octelium – FOSS Alternative to Teleport, Cloudflare, Tailscale, Ngrok

(github.com)
354 points geoctl | 8 comments | 29 Jun 25 11:24 UTC | HN request time: 3.375s | source | bottom

I have been working on Octelium for quite a few years now but it was open sourced only by late May 2025. Octelium, as described more in detail in the repo's README, is simply an open source, self-hosted, unified platform for zero trust resource access that is primarily meant to be a modern alternative to corporate VPNs and remote access tools. It can operate as a remote access/corporate VPN (i.e. alternative to Twingate, Tailscale, OpenVPN Access Server, etc...), a ZTNA/BeyondCorp platform (i.e. alterntive to Cloudflare Access, Teleport, Google BeyondCorp, etc...), and it can also operate as an API/AI gateway, an infrastructure for MCP and A2A architectures and meshes, an ngrok alternative, a homelab infrastructure or even as a more advanced Kubernetes ingress. It's basically designed to operate like a unified Kubernetes-like scalable architecture for zero trust secure/remote access that's suitable for different human-to-workload and workload-to-workload environments. You can read more in detail the full set of main features and links about how it works in the repo's README or directly in the docs https://octelium.com/docs
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cedws ◴[29 Jun 25 13:54 UTC] No.44413179[source]▶
Definitely interested in an open source alternative to Tailscale.

The README is way too verbose though. It should explain the project at a glance and have links to docs for the details.

replies(1): >>44413659 #
homarp ◴[29 Jun 25 14:55 UTC] No.44413659[source]▶
headscale is an open source alternative to tailscale:

https://github.com/juanfont/headscale

replies(1): >>44414297 #
1. uneekname ◴[29 Jun 25 16:26 UTC] No.44414297[source]▶
Headscale is great (I use it) but it is an alternative to the Tailscale control server, not the client applications. Some of those are closed source, and their compatibility with Headscale is not guaranteed.
replies(1): >>44414347 #
2. CharlesW ◴[29 Jun 25 16:33 UTC] No.44414347[source]▶
Tailscale's client is already open source.

https://tailscale.com/opensource: "The core client code for the Tailscale daemon used across all platforms is open source, and the full client code is open source for platforms that are also open source."

replies(1): >>44416401 #
3. aspenmayer ◴[29 Jun 25 21:03 UTC] No.44416401[source]▶
So if you are running a closed source OS, Tailscale doesn’t have an open source client? Wouldn’t closed source OS users of Tailscale benefit the most from having an open source Tailscale client available?
replies(1): >>44416552 #
4. CharlesW ◴[29 Jun 25 21:24 UTC] No.44416552{3}[source]▶
> So if you are running a closed source OS, Tailscale doesn’t have an open source client?

As the content at the link makes crystal clear, the client is open source. Additionally, Tailscale's GUI for that client is open source on open source platforms.

99.999% of users of closed source OSs aren't going to care that the GUI isn't open source. The remaining 0.001% just use the open source client without the GUI.

replies(1): >>44416612 #
5. aspenmayer ◴[29 Jun 25 21:32 UTC] No.44416612{4}[source]▶
> 99.999% of users of closed source OSs aren't going to care that the GUI isn't open source.

They may or may not care, but just so we’re all on the same page, there isn’t an open source version of the end user application software for closed source operating systems that I can find on that page or any other Tailscale page. If one exists, I am happy to be corrected by you, and I am giving you the opportunity to do so now.

replies(1): >>44416740 #
6. CharlesW ◴[29 Jun 25 21:45 UTC] No.44416740{5}[source]▶
In the spirit of inclusiveness to non-technical folks who are flummoxed by CLIs but also have a religious objection to running closed software on their closed source OS, I'd recommend that they ask a more technically-inclined friend to set up the open source Tailscale client software with Cattail if they're on Windows, or an Automation that drives the CLI if they're on macOS.
replies(2): >>44416886 #>>44416892 #
7. ◴[29 Jun 25 22:01 UTC] No.44416886{6}[source]▶
8. aspenmayer ◴[29 Jun 25 22:01 UTC] No.44416892{6}[source]▶
> This is HN, ain't nobody here afraid of a CLI.

Gatekeeping much?

> If (1) you personally need a GUI and (2) have a religious objection to running closed software on your closed source OS, ask a more technical friend to set up Cattail if you're on Windows, or an Automation that drives the CLI if you're on macOS.

I’m just asking if Tailscale has an open source application. Users who know what a GUI is and why it’s also important that it is open source will care that the GUI isn’t open source. The ones who don’t, won’t. Who benefits from obscurantist-posting like you are doing? Probably not the folks who don’t know that Tailscale doesn’t have an open source app, because the GUI is part and parcel to what the app even is conceptually to the sorts of users who don’t know what GUIs are.