# headscale vs signserver-ce

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | headscale | signserver-ce |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #2 of 2 in PKI |
| GitHub stars | 45 151 ✓ | 440 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 044 ✓ | +4 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 ✓ | 2 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 ✓ | v7.7.1 · 26 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | LGPL-2.1 |
| Main language | Go | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

headscale scores 82/100 against 51/100 for signserver-ce, so it is the safer default.

headscale ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for signserver-ce.

If you want the quickest setup, headscale is easier to run; signserver-ce needs more configuration.

headscale is growing faster right now (+1 044 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [headscale](https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale.md)
- [signserver-ce](https://selfhost.directory/project/signserver-ce) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/signserver-ce.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/headscale-vs-signserver-ce