The Tailscale API is a (mostly) RESTful API. Typically, POST bodies should be JSON encoded and responses will be JSON encoded.
Currently based on {some authentication method}. Visit the admin panel and navigate to the Settings
page. Generate an API Key and keep it safe. Provide the key as the user key in basic auth when making calls to Tailscale API endpoints (leave the password blank).
- Devices
- GET device
- DELETE device
- Routes
- Authorize machine
- Tags
- Key
- Tailnets
Each Tailscale-connected device has a globally-unique identifier number which we refer as the "deviceID" or sometimes, just "id". You can use the deviceID to specify operations on a specific device, like retrieving its subnet routes.
To find the deviceID of a particular device, you can use the "GET /devices" API call and generate a list of devices on your network. Find the device you're looking for and get the "id" field. This is your deviceID.
Returns the details for the specified device.
Supply the device of interest in the path using its ID.
Use the fields
query parameter to explicitly indicate which fields are returned.
fields
- Controls which fields will be included in the returned response.
Currently, supported options are:
all
: returns all fields in the response.default
: return all fields except:enabledRoutes
advertisedRoutes
clientConnectivity
(which contains the following fields:mappingVariesByDestIP
,derp
,endpoints
,latency
, andclientSupports
)
Use commas to separate multiple options.
If more than one option is indicated, then the union is used.
For example, for fields=default,all
, all fields are returned.
If the fields
parameter is not provided, then the default option is used.
GET /api/v2/device/12345
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/device/12345?fields=all' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:"
Response
{
"addresses":[
"100.105.58.116"
],
"id":"12345",
"user":"user1@example.com",
"name":"user1-device.example.com",
"hostname":"User1-Device",
"clientVersion":"date.20201107",
"updateAvailable":false,
"os":"macOS",
"created":"2020-11-20T20:56:49Z",
"lastSeen":"2020-11-20T16:15:55-05:00",
"keyExpiryDisabled":false,
"expires":"2021-05-19T20:56:49Z",
"authorized":true,
"isExternal":false,
"machineKey":"mkey:user1-machine-key",
"nodeKey":"nodekey:user1-node-key",
"blocksIncomingConnections":false,
"enabledRoutes":[
],
"advertisedRoutes":[
],
"clientConnectivity": {
"endpoints":[
"209.195.87.231:59128",
"192.168.0.173:59128"
],
"derp":"",
"mappingVariesByDestIP":false,
"latency":{
"Dallas":{
"latencyMs":60.463043
},
"New York City":{
"preferred":true,
"latencyMs":31.323811
},
"San Francisco":{
"latencyMs":81.313389
}
},
"clientSupports":{
"hairPinning":false,
"ipv6":false,
"pcp":false,
"pmp":false,
"udp":true,
"upnp":false
}
}
}
Deletes the provided device from its tailnet. The device must belong to the user's tailnet. Deleting shared/external devices is not supported. Supply the device of interest in the path using its ID.
No parameters.
DELETE /api/v2/device/12345
curl -X DELETE 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/device/12345' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" -v
Response
If successful, the response should be empty:
< HTTP/1.1 200 OK
...
* Connection #0 to host left intact
* Closing connection 0
If the device is not owned by your tailnet:
< HTTP/1.1 501 Not Implemented
...
{"message":"cannot delete devices outside of your tailnet"}
GET /api/v2/device/:deviceID/routes
- fetch subnet routes that are advertised and enabled for a device
Retrieves the list of subnet routes that a device is advertising, as well as those that are enabled for it. Enabled routes are not necessarily advertised (e.g. for pre-enabling), and likewise, advertised routes are not necessarily enabled.
No parameters.
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/device/11055/routes' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:"
Response
{
"advertisedRoutes" : [
"10.0.1.0/24",
"1.2.0.0/16",
"2.0.0.0/24"
],
"enabledRoutes" : []
}
Sets which subnet routes are enabled to be routed by a device by replacing the existing list of subnet routes with the supplied parameters. Routes can be enabled without a device advertising them (e.g. for preauth). Returns a list of enabled subnet routes and a list of advertised subnet routes for a device.
routes
- The new list of enabled subnet routes in JSON.
{
"routes": ["10.0.1.0/24", "1.2.0.0/16", "2.0.0.0/24"]
}
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/device/11055/routes' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '{"routes": ["10.0.1.0/24", "1.2.0.0/16", "2.0.0.0/24"]}'
Response
{
"advertisedRoutes" : [
"10.0.1.0/24",
"1.2.0.0/16",
"2.0.0.0/24"
],
"enabledRoutes" : [
"10.0.1.0/24",
"1.2.0.0/16",
"2.0.0.0/24"
]
}
Marks a device as authorized, for Tailnets where device authorization is required.
authorized
- whether the device is authorized; only true
is currently supported.
{
"authorized": true
}
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/device/11055/authorized' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '{"authorized": true}'
The response is 2xx on success. The response body is currently an empty JSON object.
Updates the tags set on a device.
tags
- The new list of tags for the device.
{
"tags": ["tag:foo", "tag:bar"]
}
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/device/11055/tags' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '{"tags": ["tag:foo", "tag:bar"]}'
The response is 2xx on success. The response body is currently an empty JSON object.
Allows for updating properties on the device key.
keyExpiryDisabled
- Provide
true
to disable the device's key expiry. The original key expiry time is still maintained. Upon re-enabling, the key will expire at that original time. - Provide
false
to enable the device's key expiry. Sets the key to expire at the original expiry time prior to disabling. The key may already have expired. In that case, the device must be re-authenticated. - Empty value will not change the key expiry.
{
"keyExpiryDisabled": true
}
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/device/11055/key' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '{"keyExpiryDisabled": true}'
The response is 2xx on success. The response body is currently an empty JSON object.
A tailnet is the name of your Tailscale network. You can find it in the top left corner of the Admin Panel beside the Tailscale logo.
alice@example.com
belongs to the example.com
tailnet and would use the following format for API calls:
GET /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/...
curl https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/...
For solo plans, the tailnet is the email you signed up with.
So alice@gmail.com
has the tailnet alice@gmail.com
since @gmail.com
is a shared email host.
Her API calls would have the following format:
GET /api/v2/tailnet/alice@gmail.com/...
curl https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/alice@gmail.com/...
Tailnets are a top-level resource. ACL is an example of a resource that is tied to a top-level tailnet.
For more information on Tailscale networks/tailnets, click here.
Retrieves the ACL that is currently set for the given tailnet. Supply the tailnet of interest in the path. This endpoint can send back either the HuJSON of the ACL or a parsed JSON, depending on the Accept
header.
Accept
- Response is parsed JSON
if application/json
is explicitly named, otherwise HuJSON will be returned.
Returns the ACL HuJSON by default. Returns a parsed JSON of the ACL (sans comments) if the Accept
type is explicitly set to application/json
. An ETag
header is also sent in the response, which can be optionally used in POST requests to avoid missed updates.
GET /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
-H "Accept: application/hujson" \
-v
Response
...
Content-Type: application/hujson
Etag: "e0b2816b418b3f266309d94426ac7668ab3c1fa87798785bf82f1085cc2f6d9c"
...
// Example/default ACLs for unrestricted connections.
{
"Tests": [],
// Declare static groups of users beyond those in the identity service.
"Groups": {
"group:example": [
"user1@example.com",
"user2@example.com"
],
},
// Declare convenient hostname aliases to use in place of IP addresses.
"Hosts": {
"example-host-1": "100.100.100.100",
},
// Access control lists.
"ACLs": [
// Match absolutely everything. Comment out this section if you want
// to define specific ACL restrictions.
{
"Action": "accept",
"Users": [
"*"
],
"Ports": [
"*:*"
]
},
]
}
GET /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-v
Response
...
Content-Type: application/json
Etag: "e0b2816b418b3f266309d94426ac7668ab3c1fa87798785bf82f1085cc2f6d9c"
...
{
"acls" : [
{
"action" : "accept",
"ports" : [
"*:*"
],
"users" : [
"*"
]
}
],
"groups" : {
"group:example" : [
"user1@example.com",
"user2@example.com"
]
},
"hosts" : {
"example-host-1" : "100.100.100.100"
}
}
Sets the ACL for the given domain.
HuJSON and JSON are both accepted inputs.
An If-Match
header can be set to avoid missed updates.
Returns the updated ACL in JSON or HuJSON according to the Accept
header on success. Otherwise, errors are returned for incorrectly defined ACLs, ACLs with failing tests on attempted updates, and mismatched If-Match
header and ETag.
If-Match
- A request header. Set this value to the ETag header provided in an ACL GET
request to avoid missed updates.
Accept
- Sets the return type of the updated ACL. Response is parsed JSON
if application/json
is explicitly named, otherwise HuJSON will be returned.
The POST body should be a JSON or HuJSON formatted JSON object. An ACL policy may contain the following top-level properties:
Groups
- Static groups of users which can be used for ACL rules.Hosts
- Hostname aliases to use in place of IP addresses or subnets.ACLs
- Access control lists.TagOwners
- Defines who is allowed to use which tags.Tests
- Run on ACL updates to check correct functionality of defined ACLs.
See https://tailscale.com/kb/1018/acls for more information on those properties.
POST /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
-H "If-Match: \"e0b2816b418b3f266309d94426ac7668ab3c1fa87798785bf82f1085cc2f6d9c\""
--data-binary '// Example/default ACLs for unrestricted connections.
{
// Declare tests to check functionality of ACL rules. User must be a valid user with registered machines.
"Tests": [
// {"User": "user1@example.com", "Allow": ["example-host-1:22"], "Deny": ["example-host-2:100"]},
],
// Declare static groups of users beyond those in the identity service.
"Groups": {
"group:example": [ "user1@example.com", "user2@example.com" ],
},
// Declare convenient hostname aliases to use in place of IP addresses.
"Hosts": {
"example-host-1": "100.100.100.100",
},
// Access control lists.
"ACLs": [
// Match absolutely everything. Comment out this section if you want
// to define specific ACL restrictions.
{ "Action": "accept", "Users": ["*"], "Ports": ["*:*"] },
]
}'
Response:
// Example/default ACLs for unrestricted connections.
{
// Declare tests to check functionality of ACL rules. User must be a valid user with registered machines.
"Tests": [
// {"User": "user1@example.com", "Allow": ["example-host-1:22"], "Deny": ["example-host-2:100"]},
],
// Declare static groups of users beyond those in the identity service.
"Groups": {
"group:example": [ "user1@example.com", "user2@example.com" ],
},
// Declare convenient hostname aliases to use in place of IP addresses.
"Hosts": {
"example-host-1": "100.100.100.100",
},
// Access control lists.
"ACLs": [
// Match absolutely everything. Comment out this section if you want
// to define specific ACL restrictions.
{ "Action": "accept", "Users": ["*"], "Ports": ["*:*"] },
]
}
Failed test error response:
{
"message": "test(s) failed",
"data": [
{
"user": "user1@example.com",
"errors": [
"address \"user2@example.com:400\": want: Accept, got: Drop"
]
}
]
}
Determines what rules match for a user on an ACL without saving the ACL to the server.
type
- can be 'user' or 'ipport'
previewFor
- if type=user, a user's email. If type=ipport, a IP address + port like "10.0.0.1:80".
The provided ACL is queried with this parameter to determine which rules match.
ACL JSON or HuJSON (see https://tailscale.com/kb/1018/acls)
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl/preview?previewFor=user1@example.com&type=user' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '// Example/default ACLs for unrestricted connections.
{
// Declare tests to check functionality of ACL rules. User must be a valid user with registered machines.
"Tests": [
// {"User": "user1@example.com", "Allow": ["example-host-1:22"], "Deny": ["example-host-2:100"]},
],
// Declare static groups of users beyond those in the identity service.
"Groups": {
"group:example": [ "user1@example.com", "user2@example.com" ],
},
// Declare convenient hostname aliases to use in place of IP addresses.
"Hosts": {
"example-host-1": "100.100.100.100",
},
// Access control lists.
"ACLs": [
// Match absolutely everything. Comment out this section if you want
// to define specific ACL restrictions.
{ "Action": "accept", "Users": ["*"], "Ports": ["*:*"] },
]
}'
Response:
{"matches":[{"users":["*"],"ports":["*:*"],"lineNumber":19}],"user":"user1@example.com"}
This endpoint works in one of two modes:
- with a request body that's a JSON array, the body is interpreted as ACL tests to run against the domain's current ACLs.
- with a request body that's a JSON object, the body is interpreted as a hypothetical new JSON (HuJSON) body with new ACLs, including any tests.
In either case, this endpoint does not modify the ACL in any way.
The POST body should be a JSON formatted array of ACL Tests.
See https://tailscale.com/kb/1018/acls for more information on the format of ACL tests.
POST /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl/validate
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl/validate' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '
[
{"User": "user1@example.com", "Allow": ["example-host-1:22"], "Deny": ["example-host-2:100"]}
]'
POST /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl/validate
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/acl/validate' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '
{
"ACLs": [
{ "Action": "accept", "src": ["100.105.106.107"], "dst": ["1.2.3.4:*"] },
],
"Tests", [
{"src": "100.105.106.107", "allow": ["1.2.3.4:80"]}
],
}'
Response:
The HTTP status code will be 200 if the request was well formed and there were no server errors, even in the case of failing tests or an invalid ACL. Look at the response body to determine whether there was a problem within your ACL or tests.
If there's a problem, the response body will be a JSON object with a non-empty message
property and optionally additional details in data
:
{
"message":"test(s) failed",
"data":[
{
"user":"user1@example.com",
"errors":["address \"2.2.2.2:22\": want: Drop, got: Accept"]
}
]
}
An empty body or a JSON object with no message
is returned on success.
Lists the devices in a tailnet.
Supply the tailnet of interest in the path.
Use the fields
query parameter to explicitly indicate which fields are returned.
fields
- Controls which fields will be included in the returned response.
Currently, supported options are:
all
: Returns all fields in the response.default
: return all fields except:enabledRoutes
advertisedRoutes
clientConnectivity
(which contains the following fields:mappingVariesByDestIP
,derp
,endpoints
,latency
, andclientSupports
)
Use commas to separate multiple options.
If more than one option is indicated, then the union is used.
For example, for fields=default,all
, all fields are returned.
If the fields
parameter is not provided, then the default option is used.
GET /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/devices
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/devices' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:"
Response
{
"devices":[
{
"addresses":[
"100.68.203.125"
],
"clientVersion":"date.20201107",
"os":"macOS",
"name":"user1-device.example.com",
"created":"2020-11-30T22:20:04Z",
"lastSeen":"2020-11-30T17:20:04-05:00",
"hostname":"User1-Device",
"machineKey":"mkey:user1-node-key",
"nodeKey":"nodekey:user1-node-key",
"id":"12345",
"user":"user1@example.com",
"expires":"2021-05-29T22:20:04Z",
"keyExpiryDisabled":false,
"authorized":false,
"isExternal":false,
"updateAvailable":false,
"blocksIncomingConnections":false,
},
{
"addresses":[
"100.111.63.90"
],
"clientVersion":"date.20201107",
"os":"macOS",
"name":"user2-device.example.com",
"created":"2020-11-30T22:21:03Z",
"lastSeen":"2020-11-30T17:21:03-05:00",
"hostname":"User2-Device",
"machineKey":"mkey:user2-machine-key",
"nodeKey":"nodekey:user2-node-key",
"id":"48810",
"user":"user2@example.com",
"expires":"2021-05-29T22:21:03Z",
"keyExpiryDisabled":false,
"authorized":false,
"isExternal":false,
"updateAvailable":false,
"blocksIncomingConnections":false,
}
]
}
Returns a list of active keys for a tailnet for the user who owns the API key used to perform this query. Supply the tailnet of interest in the path.
No parameters.
Returns a JSON object with the IDs of all active keys. This includes both API keys and also machine authentication keys. In the future, this may provide more information about each key than just the ID.
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/keys' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:"
Response:
{"keys": [
{"id": "kYKVU14CNTRL"},
{"id": "k68VdZ3CNTRL"},
{"id": "kJ9nq43CNTRL"},
{"id": "kkThgj1CNTRL"}
]}
Create a new key in a tailnet associated with the user who owns the API key used to perform this request. Supply the tailnet in the path.
capabilities
- A mapping of resources to permissible actions.
{
"capabilities": {
"devices": {
"create": {
"reusable": false,
"ephemeral": false,
"preauthorized": false,
"tags": [
"tag:example"
]
}
}
}
}
Returns a JSON object with the provided capabilities in addition to the generated key. The key should be recorded and kept safe and secure as it wields the capabilities specified in the request. The identity of the key is embedded in the key itself and can be used to perform operations on the key (e.g., revoking it or retrieving information about it). The full key can no longer be retrieved by the server.
echo '{
"capabilities": {
"devices": {
"create": {
"reusable": false,
"ephemeral": false,
"preauthorized": false,
"tags": [ "tag:example" ]
}
}
}
}' | curl -X POST --data-binary @- https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/keys \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" | jsonfmt
Response:
{
"id": "k123456CNTRL",
"key": "tskey-k123456CNTRL-abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz",
"created": "2021-12-09T23:22:39Z",
"expires": "2022-03-09T23:22:39Z",
"capabilities": {"devices": {"create": {"reusable": false, "ephemeral": false, "preauthorized": false, "tags": [ "tag:example" ]}}}
}
Returns a JSON object with information about specific key. Supply the tailnet and key ID of interest in the path.
No parameters.
Returns a JSON object with information about the key such as when it was created and when it expires. It also lists the capabilities associated with the key.
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/keys/k123456CNTRL' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:"
Response:
{
"id": "k123456CNTRL",
"created": "2022-05-05T18:55:44Z",
"expires": "2022-08-03T18:55:44Z",
"capabilities": {
"devices": {
"create": {
"reusable": false,
"ephemeral": true,
"preauthorized": false,
"tags": [
"tag:bar",
"tag:foo"
]
}
}
}
}
Deletes a specific key. Supply the tailnet and key ID of interest in the path.
No parameters.
This reports status 200 upon success.
curl -X DELETE 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/keys/k123456CNTRL' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:"
Lists the DNS nameservers for a tailnet. Supply the tailnet of interest in the path.
No parameters.
GET /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/nameservers
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/nameservers' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:"
Response
{
"dns": ["8.8.8.8"],
}
Replaces the list of DNS nameservers for the given tailnet with the list supplied by the user. Supply the tailnet of interest in the path. Note that changing the list of DNS nameservers may also affect the status of MagicDNS (if MagicDNS is on).
dns
- The new list of DNS nameservers in JSON.
{
"dns":["8.8.8.8"]
}
Returns the new list of nameservers and the status of MagicDNS.
If all nameservers have been removed, MagicDNS will be automatically disabled (until explicitly turned back on by the user).
POST /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/nameservers
curl -X POST 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/nameservers' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '{"dns": ["8.8.8.8"]}'
Response:
{
"dns":["8.8.8.8"],
"magicDNS":true,
}
POST /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/nameservers
curl -X POST 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/nameservers' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '{"dns": []}'
Response:
{
"dns":[],
"magicDNS": false,
}
Retrieves the DNS preferences that are currently set for the given tailnet. Supply the tailnet of interest in the path.
No parameters.
GET /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/preferences
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/preferences' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:"
Response:
{
"magicDNS":false,
}
Replaces the DNS preferences for a tailnet, specifically, the MagicDNS setting. Note that MagicDNS is dependent on DNS servers.
If there is at least one DNS server, then MagicDNS can be enabled. Otherwise, it returns an error. Note that removing all nameservers will turn off MagicDNS. To reenable it, nameservers must be added back, and MagicDNS must be explicitly turned on.
The DNS preferences in JSON. Currently, MagicDNS is the only setting available.
magicDNS
- Automatically registers DNS names for devices in your tailnet.
{
"magicDNS": true
}
POST /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/preferences
curl -X POST 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/preferences' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '{"magicDNS": true}'
Response:
If there are no DNS servers, it returns an error message:
{
"message":"need at least one nameserver to enable MagicDNS"
}
If there are DNS servers:
{
"magicDNS":true,
}
Retrieves the list of search paths that is currently set for the given tailnet. Supply the tailnet of interest in the path.
No parameters.
GET /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/searchpaths
curl 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/searchpaths' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:"
Response:
{
"searchPaths": ["user1.example.com"],
}
Replaces the list of searchpaths with the list supplied by the user and returns an error otherwise.
searchPaths
- A list of searchpaths in JSON.
{
"searchPaths: ["user1.example.com", "user2.example.com"]
}
POST /api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/searchpaths
curl -X POST 'https://api.tailscale.com/api/v2/tailnet/example.com/dns/searchpaths' \
-u "tskey-yourapikey123:" \
--data-binary '{"searchPaths": ["user1.example.com", "user2.example.com"]}'
Response:
{
"searchPaths": ["user1.example.com", "user2.example.com"],
}