Headscale DERP

headscale-derp Skill

Overview

DERP = Designated Encrypted Relay Protocol. DERP is Tailscale's TURN-like fallback mechanism used when direct peer-to-peer NAT traversal fails. Traffic through DERP is fully encrypted (WireGuard inside TLS), but it routes through a relay server rather than directly between peers, so it introduces additional latency.

Common scenarios where DERP is used:

• Symmetric NAT — Both peers behind symmetric NAT gateways
• Corporate firewalls — Restrictive egress policies that block UDP/STUN
• Double NAT — Carrier-grade NAT on both sides
• Blocked STUN — UDP port 3478 is filtered

DERP in Headscale

Headscale includes an embedded DERP server that is enabled by default in the config.yaml:

derp:
  server:
    enabled: true
    region_id: 999
    region_code: "headscale"
    region_name: "Headscale Embedded DERP"
    stun_listen_addr: "0.0.0.0:3478"
    private_key_path: "/var/lib/headscale/derp_server_private.key"

The embedded server runs a STUN endpoint on port 3478 and relays on port 443 (or whatever port Headscale listens on). It's suitable for small tailnets (under ~50 nodes).

Key config options

DERP Map

A DERP map is a JSON structure that defines relay regions and nodes. Example:

{
  "Regions": {
    "900": {
      "RegionID": 900,
      "RegionCode": "us-nyc",
      "RegionName": "New York",
      "Nodes": [
        {
          "Name": "900a",
          "RegionID": 900,
          "HostName": "derp-nyc.example.com",
          "DERPPort": 443,
          "STUNPort": 3478,
          "STUNOnly": false
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

The DERP map can be served via HTTPS URL (put in derp.urls) or as a local JSON file (put in derp.paths).

Connectivity Testing

Run tailscale netcheck to see which DERP regions are reachable and their latency:

$ tailscale netcheck
Report:
    * UDP: true
    * IPv4: yes
    * IPv6: no
    * MappingVariesByDestIP: true
    * HairPinning: false
    * PortMapping: UPnP
    * Nearest DERP: Dallas
    * DERP latency:
        - dallas: 18ms (dallas)
        - us-west: 35ms (us-west)
        - new-york-city: 5ms (new-york-city)
        - london: 85ms (london)

Standalone DERP

For larger tailnets or dedicated relay capacity, run a standalone DERP server using the official tailscale/derper Docker image:

docker run -d \
  --name=derper \
  --restart=always \
  -p 3478:3478/udp \
  -p 443:443 \
  -v /etc/letsencrypt:/certs \
  -v /var/lib/derper:/var/lib/derper \
  tailscale/derper \
  --hostname=derp.example.com

TLS Certificates

DERP requires TLS. Recommended approaches:

1. Let's Encrypt (auto) — tailscale/derper supports automatic certificate issuance via Let's Encrypt. It listens on port 80 for the ACME HTTP-01 challenge.
2. Manual certs — Pass --cert=/path/to/cert.pem --key=/path/to/key.pem to the derper binary.
3. Reverse proxy — Terminate TLS at a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy, Traefik) and forward to the local DERP port.

Region Selection

Tailscale clients automatically select the DERP region with the lowest latency. The selection algorithm:

1. Sends STUN requests to all configured DERP regions
2. Measures round-trip time for each
3. Picks the region with the lowest latency
4. Falls back to the next-closest region if connectivity fails

Gotchas

• DERP is encrypted but slower — All DERP traffic is WireGuard-inside-TLS, adding ~5-15ms overhead. Direct connections are always preferred.
• Embedded DERP works for small tailnets — The embedded server in Headscale uses the same Headscale process for relaying. Under heavy relay traffic, it can impact Headscale control-plane performance. For >50 nodes doing active relay, deploy a standalone DERP.
• All traffic routes through DERP if STUN is blocked — If UDP port 3478 is blocked anywhere in the network path, Tailscale cannot establish direct peer-to-peer connections and will route ALL traffic through the nearest DERP relay.
• Port 3478 (STUN) and 443 (DERP) must be open — STUN uses UDP for NAT traversal probing; DERP uses TCP/TLS for relay traffic. Both must be reachable from clients.
• Multiple regions improve resilience — Deploy DERP relays in at least two geographically diverse locations so clients have a fallback.
• DERP map caching — Clients cache the DERP map. If you add a new region, it can take up to 5 minutes for clients to pick it up. Use tailscale netcheck to force a refresh.

Trigger Conditions

This skill is activated by keywords: DERP, relay, peer relay, STUN, direct connection failed