Tailcat is a new open-source tool from Tailscale that provides netcat-like connectivity over Tailscale's encrypted mesh VPN data plane. It allows users to establish TCP/UDP connections between Tailnet machines with zero-trust security built in, eliminating the need for manual port forwarding or public IPs.
Background
Tailscale has been building zero-trust network infrastructure powered by WireGuard, offering secure remote access without complex VPN setup. Netcat remains one of the most popular network diagnostics tools, but traditionally requires reachable IP addresses and open ports.
- Source
- Hacker News (RSS)
- Published
- Aug 27, 2026 at 01:42 AM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10