---
title: Introduction
description: What is Headplane?
---

import previewLight from "./assets/preview-light.png";
import previewDark from "./assets/preview-dark.png";
import dnsLight from "./assets/dns-light.png";
import dnsDark from "./assets/dns-dark.png";
import machineLight from "./assets/machine-light.png";
import machineDark from "./assets/machine-dark.png";

# What is Headplane?

[Headscale](https://headscale.net) is a self-hosted implementation of the
Tailscale control server: it lets Tailscale clients form a private network
without Tailscale's servers. It doesn't come with a web interface, and Headplane
is one, modeled on Tailscale's admin console.

<Figure
  alt="Headplane Dashboard"
  light={previewLight}
  dark={previewDark}
  caption="Headplane Dashboard"
/>

Headplane manages:

- **Machines**: rename them, change their owner, approve routes and exit nodes,
  manage tags, and expire or remove them
- **Users and auth keys**, including what each person can do in Headplane
- **Access control**: edit the ACL policy visually or as a file
- **DNS**: the tailnet name, Magic DNS, nameservers, search domains and records

<Figure
  alt="DNS management in Headplane"
  light={dnsLight}
  dark={dnsDark}
  caption="DNS management in Headplane"
/>

It also adds features Headscale doesn't have:

- **Single sign-on** through any OpenID Connect provider, or through a
  reverse proxy, with roles for each person
- **Browser SSH** into any machine on the tailnet, with no client installed
- **The Headplane Agent**, which shows each machine's Tailscale version, OS and
  connectivity

<Figure
  alt="Machine management in Headplane"
  light={machineLight}
  dark={machineDark}
  caption="Machine management in Headplane"
/>

## How it connects

Headplane is a separate server that runs next to Headscale. It reaches
Headscale three ways, and each one unlocks part of the UI:

<Architecture />

Only the API is required. Access to Headscale's config file is covered under
[Integrations](/configuration/integrations), and the agent has
[its own page](/features/agent).

To get started, follow the [Quickstart](/quickstart) for a new server, or
[Installation](/install) to add Headplane to an existing Headscale.