Netbird – Open Source Zero Trust Networking (netbird.io)

Article summary

NetBird is an open-source, zero-trust networking platform that allows IT and engineering teams to securely connect remote users, hybrid-cloud, and edge devices in minutes. It replaces traditional VPNs with a peer-to-peer WireGuard-based network and provides features such as least privilege network access, multi-factor authentication, and dynamic posture checks. The platform is self-hosted and distributed under a permissive BSD-3 license. NetBird aims to provide a secure and simple alternative to traditional VPNs.

Main themes

• Zero Trust Networking
• Remote Access
• VPN Replacement
• Self-Hosting
• Security
• Networking

What commenters say

• Some users appreciate the availability of alternatives to traditional VPNs and are interested in exploring NetBird's features.
• The lack of a feature similar to Tailscale's funnel is seen as a limitation by some users, who use it for specific use cases such as home assistant instances.
• There are concerns about the security implications of exposing services to the internet, even with authentication and access control in place.
• Some users are looking for a self-hosted solution that provides digital sovereignty, and NetBird's European origins and self-hosting capabilities are seen as advantages.
• The comparison between NetBird and other solutions like Pangolin and Tailscale reveals different design goals and use cases, with NetBird focusing on peer-to-peer mesh networking for internal resources remote access.
• Users have different opinions on the importance of features like auth key expiration and the need for long-lived keys in certain use cases, such as infrastructure management and CI/CD pipelines.
• Some users have successfully used NetBird in self-hosted environments and appreciate its simplicity and effectiveness, while others are still evaluating its suitability for their specific needs.