Nebula vs Netmaker
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Nebula | Netmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 93 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,381 | ★ 11,800 |
| First released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Tailscale | Tailscale, ZeroTier |
What are Nebula and Netmaker?
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
Netmaker
Netmaker is an open-source platform for building and managing fast WireGuard-based virtual networks. It provides a self-hosted server and dashboard for connecting devices across locations.
- WireGuard mesh networks
- Self-hosted control server
- Web dashboard
- Site-to-site VPN
Nebula vs Netmaker: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — MIT for Nebula versus Apache-2.0 for Netmaker. Nebula is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Netmaker. Nebula is the more established project (first released 2019), while Netmaker arrived in 2021. Netmaker lists first-class Docker deployment; Nebula does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Nebula if…
- Proven at Slack scale
- Lightweight and fast
- Fine-grained host firewalling
Watch out for
- Manual certificate management
- No management GUI
Choose Netmaker if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 11.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Nebula or Netmaker better?
Neither is universally better. Nebula has the larger community, while Netmaker is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Nebula and Netmaker free and open-source?
Yes. Nebula is licensed under MIT and Netmaker under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Nebula and Netmaker with Docker?
Nebula: check the project docs for container support. Netmaker: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Nebula or Netmaker?
Nebula has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Netmaker. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.