TailscalevsZed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Tailscale | Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 56 in VPN | #4 of 78 in Security |
| GitHub stars | 38 221 | 16 059 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 416 | +244 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 31 |
| Latest release | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 | w2026-10-23 · 23 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Java |
Which one should you pick?
Tailscale scores 84/100 against 80/100 for Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP), so it is the safer default.
Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for Tailscale.
If you want the quickest setup, Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is easier to run; Tailscale needs more configuration.
Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 416 stars in 30 days).
Tailscale details →Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) details →
Swap a project
Keep Tailscale, compare it with
Keep Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP), compare it with