StartTunnel

A self-hosted WireGuard VPN optimized for creating VLANs and reverse tunneling to personal servers.

About

This repo hosts the StartTunnel installer script via GitHub Pages. The source code and release binaries live in the StartOS monorepo.

For full documentation — features, security, CLI reference, and a detailed comparison with Cloudflare Tunnel and Tailscale — see the StartTunnel docs.

Install

SSH into a Debian 12+ VPS and run:

curl -sSL https://start9labs.github.io/start-tunnel/install.sh | sh

Then initialize the web interface:

start-tunnel web init

You will be guided through setup and shown your web URL, password, and Root CA certificate.

Update

Re-run the install command. The installer detects the existing installation, prompts for confirmation, and restarts the service.

Requirements

• Debian 12+ (Bookworm or newer)
• x86_64, aarch64, or riscv64
• Root access
• Dedicated VPS (the installer manages firewall rules — do not run alongside other services)
• Public IP (required for clearnet port forwarding; not required for private VPN use)

Links

• StartTunnel Documentation
• Source Code
• Report an Issue
• Start9 Website