# headscale vs LXC

> 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 | 45 148 ✓ | 5 288 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 078 ✓ | +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 (+1 078 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [headscale](https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale.md)
- [LXC](https://selfhost.directory/project/lxc) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/lxc.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/headscale-vs-lxc