Netmaker

Netmaker is an open source networking platform that uses WireGuard to create fast, automated mesh virtual networks between servers, VMs, containers, edge devices, and client machines. By automating the WireGuard configuration and key exchange that would otherwise require manual setup for each peer connection, Netmaker makes it practical to create complex, multi-node mesh networks without deep WireGuard expertise.

The automation of WireGuard configuration is Netmaker's primary value proposition. WireGuard is an excellent VPN protocol but configuring a mesh network with many peers requires managing public keys, allowed IPs, and endpoint addresses for every node manually. As the network grows, this configuration burden becomes significant. Netmaker automates this entirely through a centralized server that manages the network configuration and pushes updates to all nodes automatically when the network topology changes.

The Netmaker Server is the control plane that maintains the state of all networks, handles node authentication and authorization, manages DNS, and distributes configuration updates to connected nodes. The server exposes a REST API and a web dashboard for network management. For high availability and security, the server can be deployed on any internet-accessible host with TLS.

The Netclient agent runs on each node that should be part of a Netmaker network. The agent connects to the Netmaker server, receives its WireGuard configuration, and sets up the WireGuard interface and peer connections automatically. When nodes join or leave the network, or when their endpoint addresses change, all other nodes in the network are updated automatically.

Access control in Netmaker is managed at the network, node, and user levels. Multiple networks can be created within a single Netmaker server, with separate ACLs for each network. Node ACLs control which nodes can communicate with which other nodes within a network, enabling segmentation of the flat mesh into a more controlled topology.

Relay and egress nodes enable advanced network architectures. Relay nodes forward traffic between nodes that cannot communicate directly, handling NAT traversal failures. Egress nodes allow network traffic to exit through a specific node, enabling internet access through a central gateway or routing traffic through an office network.

Netmaker also supports remote access clients that allow user devices to connect to a Netmaker network as VPN clients.