Shiny ServervsTailscale
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Shiny Server | Tailscale | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 57/100 | 84/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 20 in Application Management | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 763 | 38 252 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +1 447 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 14 |
| Latest release | — | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Other | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | JavaScript | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Tailscale scores 84/100 against 57/100 for Shiny Server, so it is the safer default.
Tailscale ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shiny Server.
If you want the quickest setup, Tailscale is easier to run; Shiny Server needs more configuration.
Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 447 stars in 30 days).
Shiny Server details →Tailscale details →