UPDATE: Tailscale has just announced a revolutionary feature called Peer Relays, now in beta, that promises to transform how users connect to self-hosted services. This significant advancement is set to enhance network connectivity for users facing obstacles like firewalls or ISP restrictions.
Tailscale’s Peer Relays allow devices within your Tailnet—your private, encrypted network—to function as high-throughput relays, dramatically improving connection speed and reliability. Users can now bypass the traditional reliance on Tailscale’s global DERP (Designated Encrypted Relay for Packets) infrastructure, which can introduce latency and bandwidth limitations.
For those running self-hosted services, this update is a game-changer. Peer Relays enable users to build a high-speed relay layer within their own networks, ensuring that data travels more efficiently. If a direct connection isn’t possible, Tailscale will check for available Peer Relays before resorting to DERP servers, enhancing throughput and maintaining complete end-to-end encryption.
This new feature has immediate relevance for anyone utilizing Tailscale for home labs or remote work setups. For example, users streaming from media servers like Jellyfin can expect reduced buffering and faster file transfers, making for a smoother experience.
How to Set Up Your Peer Relay: To configure your own relay server, simply set a relay server port when starting Tailscale, as long as you are running version 1.86 or newer. For instance, using the command to listen for relay traffic on UDP port 40000 can enable other devices to utilize it as a relay, provided the port is open. Additionally, defining a grant policy allows specific devices to use designated relays.
Tailscale’s Peer Relays are available for all users, with two free relays offered. This innovation represents a significant quality-of-life improvement for self-hosters, allowing for better control over data and enhanced connection speeds.
As Tailscale continues to evolve, the introduction of Peer Relays is expected to reshape the landscape of self-hosted services. With more bandwidth and reduced reliance on Tailscale’s infrastructure, users can experience faster, more reliable connections.
For those already relying on Tailscale, now is the time to explore the capabilities of Peer Relays. This feature could quickly become indispensable for anyone seeking to optimize their networking experience.
Stay tuned for more updates as Tailscale refines this powerful new tool.
