# ZeroTier ZeroTier is a software-defined networking (SDN) platform that creates secure, encrypted virtual networks across devices, clouds, and locations without requiring physical hardware. It builds peer-to-peer overlay networks that work across firewalls and NATs, effectively giving you a flat LAN that spans the globe. Think of it as creating your own private network where every device can talk to every other device directly, regardless of where they are. ## Key Features - **Zero-config networking**: Deploy networks in minutes, no hardware needed - **End-to-end encryption**: All traffic encrypted using cryptographic device IDs for authentication - **Self-healing**: Networks adapt automatically to connection changes with built-in failover and redundancy - **Multi-pathing**: Reportedly 30% faster than standard TCP connections - **Cross-firewall**: Connects devices behind firewalls and complex networks without port forwarding - **Unified dashboard**: Single control plane for managing all networks and devices - **Scalable**: From a few devices to 10,000+ ## How It Works Each device runs a lightweight ZeroTier agent. When you create a network, devices join using a network ID and authenticate via cryptographic identity. ZeroTier establishes direct, encrypted peer-to-peer connections between devices wherever possible, falling back to relays only when necessary. ## Pricing - **Free tier** available for small deployments - Paid tiers scale from 10 to 10,000+ users ## ZeroTier vs Tailscale Both are overlay network solutions, but they take different approaches. [[Tailscale]] is built on [[WireGuard]] and relies on existing identity providers (Google, Microsoft, etc.) for authentication. ZeroTier uses its own cryptographic identity system and SDN approach. Tailscale tends to be simpler for teams already using SSO, while ZeroTier offers more flexibility for complex network topologies and IoT/edge deployments. ## Use Cases - Connecting home labs and self-hosted services across locations - IoT and edge device networking - Multi-cloud and hybrid cloud connectivity - Remote access to on-premises resources - Site-to-site networking without traditional VPN hardware ## References - Website: https://www.zerotier.com/ - Dashboard: https://central.zerotier.com ## Related - [[Tailscale]] - [[NetBird]] - [[WireGuard]] - [[Virtual Private Network (VPN)]]