Install tinc with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• tincd

Project history

The official site presents tinc as a VPN daemon using tunnelling and encryption to create secure private networks over the Internet. Its design goal is practical: because the VPN appears to IP networking as a normal network device, existing software does not need to be adapted to use it.

tinc's documented history is bound up with peer-to-peer routing and cryptographic review. The manual records security work after a key-exchange issue found in August 2000, a 2001 analysis of tinc 1.0pre4 that led to sequence numbers and packet MACs, and a 2003 analysis of tinc 1.0.1. Later 1.1 documentation describes SPTPS as an improved protocol intended to be as strong as TLS with a strong cipher suite.

The project has maintained a conservative 1.0 stable line and a long 1.1 prerelease line. The official news page listed 1.1pre18 in 2021 and 1.0.37 in 2026, with 1.0.37 described as likely the last 1.0 release.

Adoption history

tinc's appeal has been strongest among Unix and network operators who want a deployable mesh VPN without kernel IPsec complexity. The official FAQ contrasts tinc with FreeS/WAN by emphasizing that tinc runs completely in userspace, improving portability and avoiding kernel crashes from implementation errors.

The official homepage lists broad platform support across Linux, BSDs, macOS, Solaris, and Windows, plus IPv6 support. The supplied package-manager facts show packaging in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora/dnf, Alpine, Arch, MacPorts, Nix, and zypper, which is consistent with a mature infrastructure daemon maintained by many distributions.

How it is used

tinc is configured per VPN network name with a main tinc.conf, a hosts directory containing peer configuration, optional conf.d snippets, and node private keys. Operators use it to connect hosts, bridge Ethernet segments, route private subnets, or create full-mesh peer networks across NAT where at least one node is reachable.

For package users, tinc is usually installed as a daemon plus manpages and examples, then wired into init systems or service managers. Its value is not a flashy CLI but a stable network primitive that package managers can ship for administrators who need private overlay networking.

Why package nerds care

tinc is significant because it sits between old-school Unix daemon packaging and modern overlay-network expectations. It predates the current wave of WireGuard- and coordination-server-based tools, yet already offered automatic full-mesh routing, NAT traversal, IPv6, and userspace portability.

Its package metadata exposes a classic ops footprint: system configuration under etc, per-network host files, private key material, daemon lifecycle, and platform-specific interface setup. That makes it a useful reference point when comparing VPN packages across Homebrew and Linux distributions.

Timeline

• 2000: The manual records a key-exchange security issue affecting versions up to 1.0pre2 and subsequent authentication work.
• 2001: The manual records analysis of tinc 1.0pre4 and later replay-protection improvements.
• 2003: The manual records security analysis of tinc 1.0.1.
• 2018: Official news announced 1.0.35 and 1.1pre17 with fixes for CVE-2018-16737, CVE-2018-16738, and CVE-2018-16758.
• 2021: Official news announced 1.1pre18.
• 2026: Official news announced 1.0.37, likely the last 1.0 release.

Related projects

• FreeS/WAN is named in the official FAQ as a comparison point for IPsec-style VPNs.
• TLS and IPsec appear in tinc's manual as security comparison points for the legacy protocol.
• OpenSSL and LibreSSL are part of tinc's cryptographic implementation according to the homepage and manual.

Sources

• https://tinc-vpn.org/: official feature overview, supported platforms, latest stable release.
• https://tinc-vpn.org/docs/ and https://tinc-vpn.org/documentation/: official manual and documentation index.
• https://tinc-vpn.org/news/: release and security history.
• https://tinc-vpn.org/repository/: official repository clone URL.
• source_facts.package-manager: package availability across package managers.