# 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 ```sh sudo av install brew:nebula ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install nebula ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install nebula ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: net/nebula/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add nebula ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nebula from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install nebula ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: nebula from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#nebula ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ne/nebula/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S nebula ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: nebula from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install nebula ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: nebula from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:nebula - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.10.3 - **Source summary:** Scalable overlay networking tool for connecting computers anywhere - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - nebula (cli) - nebula-cert (cli) - nebula (alias) - nebula-cert (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Service: declared - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.10.3 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - Upstream latest detected: v1.10.3 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## 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 Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. formula declares a Homebrew service. - **Geiger risk:** orange / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal - formula declares a Homebrew service ## 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 - Unix: config.yml, /path/to/config.yml ## Credential files - Unix: ca.key, ca.crt, {host}.crt, {host}.key ## 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:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev - 1.9.3+dfsg-6: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | performant, scalable network overlay (Go library) | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - Debian apt - nebula - 1.9.3+dfsg-6+b2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: nebula from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | performant, scalable network overlay | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - Nix - nebula: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ne/nebula/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev - 1.6.1+dfsg-3build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: golang-github-slackhq-nebula-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | performant, scalable network overlay (Go library) | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - Ubuntu apt - nebula - 1.6.1+dfsg-3build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: nebula from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | performant, scalable network overlay | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - apk - nebula - 1.10.3-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nebula from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - apk - nebula-openrc - 1.10.3-r3: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: nebula-openrc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security (OpenRC init scripts) | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - dnf - nebula - 1.10.3-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: nebula from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - pacman - nebula - 1.10.3-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: nebula from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - zypper - nebula - 1.10.3-2.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: nebula from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | A scalable overlay networking tool | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - zypper - nebula-cert - 1.10.3-2.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: nebula-cert from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Seperate nebula-cert package | https://github.com/slackhq/nebula - MacPorts - nebula: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: net/nebula/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [fastd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fastd/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, security, vpn. - [tailscale](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tailscale/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, mesh-networking, networking, vpn. - [boringtun](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/boringtun/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, vpn. - [dsvpn](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dsvpn/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, vpn. - [edgevpn](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/edgevpn/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, vpn. - [headscale-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/headscale-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, vpn. - [macosvpn](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/macosvpn/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, vpn. - [onioncat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/onioncat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, vpn. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/nebula.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/nebula.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph