macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install nebulalocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install nebulaMacPorts ports tree · net/nebula/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install nebula with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Scalable overlay networking tool for connecting computers anywhere. Version 1.10.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add nebulaAlpine Linux edge package indexes · nebula · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install golang-github-slackhq-nebula-devDebian stable package indexes · golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install nebulaFedora Rawhide package metadata · nebula · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#nebulanixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ne/nebula/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S nebulaArch Linux sync databases · nebula · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install nebulaopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · nebula · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Scalable overlay networking tool for connecting computers anywhere
Project links
Commands and aliases
- nebula
- nebula-cert
history
Project history and usage
Nebula is Slack's open-source overlay networking system for connecting machines across clouds, data centers, and less predictable networks with encrypted peer-to-peer tunnels. Slack announced it on 2019-11-19 after more than two years of internal use, describing it as the answer to connecting tens of thousands of computers across many locations.
Project history
The project came out of Slack's attempt to replace IPSec for inter-region encrypted connectivity. Slack's engineering post says IPSec initially worked but became an operational burden and added routing hops through tunnel hosts, so Slack built a system that combined certificates, encryption, security groups, peer discovery, and tunneling into one operational model.
The public GitHub repository was created on 2019-11-16. The README credits Nebula to Slack Technologies, Inc. by Nate Brown and Ryan Huber, with additional contributors, and describes the design as a mutually authenticated peer-to-peer software-defined network based on the Noise Protocol Framework.
Adoption history
Nebula's adoption signal is unusually strong for a Homebrew networking package because it was production-proven before release: Slack said in 2019 that Nebula ran on every server at Slack. The GitHub repository showed 17,472 stars and 1,157 forks via the GitHub API on 2026-07-01, reflecting durable open-source visibility in the mesh-VPN and overlay-networking space.
Homebrew's formula page listed stable version 1.10.3 and showed 1,724 installs over 365 days, 171 over 90 days, and 60 over 30 days when checked on 2026-07-01. That is modest compared with mainstream CLIs but healthy for self-hosted network infrastructure.
How it is used
Package users install the `nebula` daemon and `nebula-cert` helper, generate a CA plus host certificates, designate one or more lighthouse nodes for discovery, then run hosts from YAML configuration files. Practical usage centers on private service networks, remote admin access, multi-cloud host reachability, and replacing static VPN concentrator patterns with direct encrypted peer paths where NAT traversal works.
The official docs make the operational shape clear: configuration covers PKI, static host maps, lighthouse discovery, UDP listening, NAT keepalives, relay fallback, TUN setup, firewall rules, logging, and metrics. Package nerds tend to compare Nebula with Tailscale, WireGuard mesh tooling, and classic IPSec/OpenVPN, valuing its self-hosted CA and explicit group-based firewall model.
Why package nerds care
Nebula matters because it is not just another VPN wrapper: it packages Slack's internal overlay-network design as a small Go tool with cross-platform release artifacts and distro packages. In package indexes it sits at the intersection of VPN, mesh networking, zero-trust-ish host identity, and SRE-friendly private networking.
Timeline
- 2017-2019: Slack operated Nebula internally before public release.
- 2019-11-16: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2019-11-19: Slack announced Nebula as an open-source global overlay network.
- 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula stable version observed as 1.10.3.
Related projects
- Noise Protocol Framework
- WireGuard
- Tailscale
- Defined Networking
Sources
security posture
Risk level: orange
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. formula declares a Homebrew service.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
- formula declares a Homebrew service
Signals
- metadata:service
- text:network
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Formula metadata declares a service or daemon block.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
config.yml/path/to/config.yml
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Unix
ca.keyca.crt{host}.crt{host}.key
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
nebula | cli | global executable | |
nebula-cert | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.10.3
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.10.3
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:nebula |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.10.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/nebula |
| Homepage | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula |
| Repository | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula/archive/refs/tags/v1.10.3.tar.gz |
| Build dependencies | go |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | nebula |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev 1.9.3+dfsg-6
performant, scalable network overlay (Go library)
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo apt install golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev- Section: golang
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: nebula
- 20 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
Debian apt95%
nebula 1.9.3+dfsg-6+b2
performant, scalable network overlay
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo apt install nebula- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: nebula
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
Nix95%
nebula
nix profile install nixpkgs#nebula- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
Ubuntu apt95%
golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev 1.6.1+dfsg-3build1
performant, scalable network overlay (Go library)
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo apt install golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev- Section: universe/golang
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: nebula
- 20 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
Ubuntu apt95%
nebula 1.6.1+dfsg-3build1
performant, scalable network overlay
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo apt install nebula- Section: universe/golang
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
apk95%
nebula 1.10.3-r3
Scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo apk add nebula- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: nebula
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
apk95%
nebula-openrc 1.10.3-r3
Scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security (OpenRC init scripts)
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo apk add nebula-openrc- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: nebula
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
dnf95%
nebula 1.10.3-1.fc45
A scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo dnf install nebula- License: Apache-2.0 AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-2-Clause-Views AND BSD-3-Clause AND GPL-2.0-only AND ISC AND MIT AND Zlib
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: nebula
- 4 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
pacman95%
nebula 1.10.3-1
A scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo pacman -S nebula- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
zypper95%
nebula 1.10.3-2.1
A scalable overlay networking tool
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo zypper install nebula- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: nebula
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
zypper95%
nebula-cert 1.10.3-2.1
Seperate nebula-cert package
https://github.com/slackhq/nebula
sudo zypper install nebula-cert- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: nebula
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
MacPorts95%
nebula
sudo port install nebula- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nebula
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment