Welcome to Day 8 of my 30 Days – 30 Tools for Developers series!

Today, I’m exploring Tailscale, a VPN solution that takes the complexity out of secure networking. If you’ve ever struggled with traditional VPN setups, firewall rules, or port forwarding, Tailscale feels like a breath of fresh air.

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🔎 What is Tailscale?

At its core, Tailscale creates a private mesh VPN between your devices, powered by the WireGuard protocol.

Unlike traditional VPNs that require manual network setup and complex configs, Tailscale:

• Works out of the box.

• Uses your existing identity provider (Google, GitHub, Microsoft, etc.) for authentication.

• Makes devices discoverable and securely connected in minutes.

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💻 Why Developers Use Tailscale

✅ Zero configuration – Just install, authenticate, and connect.
📱 Cross-platform support – Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
⚡ Fast & secure – Built on WireGuard → modern encryption, low latency, minimal overhead.
🔒 Flexible access control – Manage permissions via ACLs (Access Control Lists).
🌍 Remote-first friendly – Great for remote teams, cloud servers, or self-hosting projects.

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⚙️ Getting Started with Tailscale

1. Install Tailscale on your device(s).

   Download Now

2. Log in using your preferred identity provider (Google, GitHub, Microsoft, Okta, etc.).

3. Your devices automatically join a secure private network — no port forwarding, no firewall rules. 🛠 Demo: Installing Tailscale on Ubuntu & macOS

Let’s quickly set up Tailscale on two common developer platforms.

🔹 Ubuntu / Linux

Open your terminal and run:

Add the Tailscale repository

curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh

Start Tailscale

sudo tailscale up

👉 A browser window will open asking you to log in with Google, GitHub, or another provider. Once authenticated, your device is part of your private network. 🎉

Check connected devices with:

tailscale status

macOS

On macOS, the easiest way is via Homebrew:

Install via Homebrew

brew install --cask tailscale

Launch Tailscale

open -a "Tailscale"

Sign in when prompted, and you’re connected. ✅

💡 Test it out:

From your Linux machine, run:

ping macbook.tailnet-name.ts.net

Or from your Mac, SSH into your Ubuntu box:

ssh user@ubuntu.tailnet-name.ts.net

✨ That’s it. You now have a secure mesh network connecting all your devices.

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💡 Pro Tip: Magic DNS

Tailscale comes with a feature called Magic DNS.

Instead of remembering or typing IP addresses, you can connect to devices by their hostnames. For example:

ssh user@laptop.tailnet-name.ts.net

This makes remote access as simple as connecting to your local machine.

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🏁 Conclusion

Tailscale makes private networking secure, fast, and dead simple. Whether you’re a:

👨‍💻 Developer working across multiple devices,
🏠 Self-hoster running home labs,
🌍 Remote team member needing reliable connections,

…Tailscale removes the pain of traditional VPN setup while delivering modern security with WireGuard.

If you’re tired of VPN headaches, this is one tool worth trying out.

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❓ Question for You

👉 How do you currently handle private networking? Would you consider switching to Tailscale?