How to Install Headscale on Elementary OS

Headscale is a self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control plane. It allows you to create your own virtual Tailscale network where you can securely connect different devices over the internet.

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the steps to install Headscale on Elementary OS.

Prerequisites

  1. A system running Elementary OS latest version.
  2. A sudo user.

Step 1 - Update the System

Before we begin, make sure your system is up to date by running the following command in your terminal:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Step 2 - Install Dependencies

Headscale requires the following dependencies to be installed:

  • Git
  • Go
  • WireGuard

To install these dependencies, run the following command: 

sudo apt install git golang wireguard

Step 3 - Clone Headscale Repository

To clone the Headscale repository, run the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/juanfont/headscale.git
cd headscale

Step 4 - Build Headscale

To build Headscale, run the following command in the repository directory:

make

Step 5 - Configure Headscale

To configure Headscale, you will need to create a configuration file. Copy the example configuration file by running the following command:

cp config.example.json config.json

Edit the config.json file and enter your desired configuration values. For example, you will need to specify your Tailscale login and password, your listening address, and your node type. 

nano config.json

Step 6 - Start Headscale

To start Headscale, run the following command:

./headscale serve

You should see the Headscale server starting up and running on the specified address.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Headscale on Elementary OS. You can now create your own virtual Tailscale network and connect different devices securely over the internet.