Tailscale 4via6 – Connect Edge Deployments at Scale

Summary

When deploying software or hardware solutions to the edge or into customer networks, you’ve probably experienced these connectivity problems: multiple layers of NAT without an available public IP, restrictive network policies blocking open ports, fixed CIDR ranges, and a constantly moving list of unknown unknowns.To tackle these challenges, Tailscale users typically take one of three different approaches:Consolidating everything into a single machine or application to reduce the required network permissions.Deploying a dedicated sub-network consisting of a router and any devices.Side-stepping existing network infrastructure entirely with a dedicated cellular or satellite-connected network.We built Tailscale 4via6 subnet routing for the many Tailscale users with complex deployments, where consolidating everything into a single machine simply isn’t possible. By natively supporting the network-in-a-network approaches of the second or third options, 4via6 makes it easier to manage and connect deployed infrastructure like cameras, sensors, robots, or local servers for AI inference and data processing.When you need to connect several networks, your first thought might be a site-to-site VPN. However, site-to-site VPNs were designed to connect entire offices or branches — they’re built on the assumption of no CIDR range overlaps, long-lived connections, and public IPs. In most deployment scenarios involving customer sites, it’s unlikely that even one of these assumptions holds true, much less all three.The new 4via6 subnet routing option enables seamless connections between hundreds or thousands of identical networks, without the need to manage IPs, CIDR ranges, or ports. Typically, an ideal setup needs to fulfill these requirements:Isolate each customer from one another.Connect all of a single customer’s deployments.Grant secure remote access to support teams and telemetry servers.Tailscale 4via6 subnet routing provides a single solution for all of these that works on any ...