Tailscale is a private WireGuard network service that allows you to securely connect your devices together, no matter where they are located. It provides a simple and easy way to create a virtual network and securely access resources on that network.

Use case 1: Connect to Tailscale

Code:

sudo tailscale up

Motivation:

When you want to connect your device to your Tailscale network, you can use the tailscale up command. This will establish a secure connection between your device and the Tailscale network.

Explanation:

• sudo: This command is used to run the tailscale up command with administrative privileges.

Example OUTPUT:

Authenticating...
Success: auth endpoint returned an identity assertion.

Use case 2: Disconnect from Tailscale

Code:

sudo tailscale down

Motivation:

If you want to disconnect your device from the Tailscale network, you can use the tailscale down command. This will terminate the secure connection between your device and the Tailscale network.

Explanation:

• sudo: This command is used to run the tailscale down command with administrative privileges.

Example OUTPUT:

All network routes removed.

Use case 3: Display the current Tailscale IP addresses

Code:

tailscale ip

Motivation:

To see the current Tailscale IP addresses assigned to your device, you can use the tailscale ip command. This is useful when you need to know the IP addresses to connect to specific devices on the Tailscale network.

Explanation:

• None: The tailscale ip command does not require any arguments.

Example OUTPUT:

Tailscale IPs:

  100.64.0.1/32
  100.66.66.1/32

Use case 4: Ping a peer node at the Tailscale layer and display the route it took

Code:

tailscale ping ip|hostname

Motivation:

To test the connectivity between your device and a peer node on the Tailscale network, you can use the tailscale ping command. This will send a ping request and display the route taken for each response.

Explanation:

• ip|hostname: You can provide either the IP address or hostname of the peer node you want to ping.

Example OUTPUT:

Pinging 100.66.66.2... (showing all replies)
100.66.66.2 (peer-node)  24.464ms (canonical: 100.66.66.2)

Route:
100.64.0.1 - 24.464ms
100.66.66.2 - 24.464ms (peer-node)

Use case 5: Analyze the local network conditions and display the result

Code:

tailscale netcheck

Motivation:

To analyze the local network conditions and ensure a reliable connection to the Tailscale network, you can use the tailscale netcheck command. This command performs network tests and displays the results.

Explanation:

• None: The tailscale netcheck command does not require any arguments.

Example OUTPUT:

=== Tailscale network health check ===

Ping latency:
  ✓ Direct: 42.545ms
  ✓ Relay: 123.011ms
  ✓ Google: 20.455ms
  ✓ Cloudflare: 19.262ms

TCP download speed:
  ✓ Direct: 123.45 Mbps
  ✓ Relay: 55.67 Mbps
  ✓ Google: 67.89 Mbps
  ✓ Cloudflare: 87.65 Mbps

UDP latency:
  ✓ Direct: 45.678ms
  ✓ Relay: 89.012ms
  ✓ Google: 56.789ms
  ✓ Cloudflare: 34.567ms

Use case 6: Start a web server for controlling Tailscale

Code:

tailscale web

Motivation:

If you prefer to control Tailscale through a web interface, you can use the tailscale web command to start a web server. This allows you to access the Tailscale control panel through a web browser on your device.

Explanation:

• None: The tailscale web command does not require any arguments.

Example OUTPUT:

Web server started. Listening on http://localhost:80

Use case 7: Display a shareable identifier to help diagnose issues

Code:

tailscale bugreport

Motivation:

When you encounter issues with Tailscale and need assistance from support, using the tailscale bugreport command will generate a shareable identifier that can help diagnose the problem. This identifier contains useful information to investigate and troubleshoot the issue.

Explanation:

• None: The tailscale bugreport command does not require any arguments.

Example OUTPUT:

=== Tailscale Bug Report ===

Bug report ID: 1234abcd

Please include this ID when contacting support.

Use case 8: Display help for a subcommand

Code:

tailscale subcommand --help

Motivation:

If you need help or want to learn more about a specific tailscale subcommand, you can use the tailscale subcommand --help command. This will display the usage documentation, options, and examples for the specified subcommand.

Explanation:

• subcommand: Replace this with the desired tailscale subcommand.

Example OUTPUT:

Usage: tailscale subcommand [subcommand options]

Options:
  -h, --help               display this help message
  --option1=value          specify option1 with a value
  --option2                enable option2

Examples:
  tailscale subcommand --option1=value
  tailscale subcommand --option2

Conclusion:

The tailscale command provides a wide range of functionalities for managing and controlling your Tailscale network. Each use case described above demonstrates how to utilize a specific feature of the command, allowing you to connect, disconnect, monitor, and troubleshoot your Tailscale network effectively.