EasyTier vs Nebula
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | EasyTier | Nebula |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,789 | ★ 18,381 |
| First released | 2024 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Tailscale, ZeroTier | Tailscale |
What are EasyTier and Nebula?
EasyTier
EasyTier is an open-source, decentralized mesh VPN that connects devices across NATs without a central server. It supports multiple protocols and is fully self-hosted for private networking.
- Decentralized mesh
- NAT traversal
- Multi-protocol transport
- No central server
Nebula
Nebula is an open-source overlay networking tool built for scalability and security, originally created at Slack. It uses a certificate-based model to connect hosts across the internet.
- Certificate-based identity
- Scales to large fleets
- Built-in firewall rules
- Cross-platform binaries
EasyTier vs Nebula: key differences
EasyTier is written in Rust, while Nebula is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for EasyTier versus MIT for Nebula. Nebula is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for EasyTier. Nebula is the more established project (first released 2019), while EasyTier arrived in 2024. EasyTier lists first-class Docker deployment; Nebula does not.
Why pick each one
Choose EasyTier if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 13.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Choose Nebula if…
- Proven at Slack scale
- Lightweight and fast
- Fine-grained host firewalling
Watch out for
- Manual certificate management
- No management GUI
Frequently asked questions
Is EasyTier or Nebula better?
Neither is universally better. Nebula has the larger community, while EasyTier is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are EasyTier and Nebula free and open-source?
Yes. EasyTier is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Nebula under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run EasyTier and Nebula with Docker?
EasyTier: yes. Nebula: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, EasyTier or Nebula?
Nebula has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for EasyTier. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.