Tailcat is an open-source tool that leverages Tailscale's data plane (magicsock) to create point-to-point WireGuard-encrypted tunnels without relying on Tailscale's control plane. It functions like netcat, allowing users to exchange connection metadata out-of-band while utilizing Tailscale's NAT-hole-punching and relay infrastructure.
Background
Tailscale is a popular zero-config VPN solution that uses WireGuard for encrypted peer-to-peer connections. This tool extracts the data plane capabilities from Tailscale for more flexible custom networking scenarios.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- Aug 27, 2026 at 06:51 PM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10