headscalevsLXC
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| headscale | LXC | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 70/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #1 of 2 in Containers |
| GitHub stars | 45 145 | 5 288 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 075 | +24 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 2 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | v7.0.0 · 30 Apr 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Other |
| Main language | Go | C |
Which one should you pick?
headscale scores 82/100 against 70/100 for LXC, so it is the safer default.
headscale ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for LXC.
If you want the quickest setup, headscale is easier to run; LXC needs more configuration.
headscale is growing faster right now (+1 075 stars in 30 days).
headscale details →LXC details →