# Community packages

Several Linux distributions and community members provide packages for headscale. Those packages may be used instead of
the official releases provided by the headscale maintainers. Such packages offer improved integration for their targeted
operating system and usually:

- setup a dedicated user account to run headscale
- provide a default configuration
- install headscale as system service

!!! warning "Community packages might be outdated"

    The packages mentioned on this page might be outdated or unmaintained. Use the [official releases](./official.md) to
    get the current stable version or to test pre-releases.

    [![Packaging status](https://repology.org/badge/vertical-allrepos/headscale.svg)](https://repology.org/project/headscale/versions)

## Arch Linux

Arch Linux offers a package for headscale, install via:

```shell
pacman -S headscale
```

The [AUR package `headscale-git`](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/headscale-git) can be used to build the current
development version.

## Fedora, RHEL, CentOS

A 3rd-party repository for various RPM based distributions is available at:
<https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/jonathanspw/headscale/>. The site provides detailed setup and installation
instructions.

## Nix, NixOS

A Nix package is available as: `headscale`. See the [NixOS package site for installation
details](https://search.nixos.org/packages?show=headscale).

## Gentoo

```shell
emerge --ask net-vpn/headscale
```

Gentoo specific documentation is available [here](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/User:Maffblaster/Drafts/Headscale).

## OpenBSD

Headscale is available in ports. The port installs headscale as system service with `rc.d` and provides usage
instructions upon installation.

```shell
pkg_add headscale
```