Tailscale Dev Server Access

Tailscale Dev Server Access

Configure a local dev server for access from Tailscale-connected devices.

Prerequisites

• Devices on same Tailscale tailnet
• MagicDNS enabled (default for tailnets after 2022-10-20)

Steps

1. Get Tailscale Info

tailscale status
tailscale status --self --json | jq '.Self.DNSName, .TailscaleIPs[0]'

2. Bind Server to 0.0.0.0

Deno/Fresh:

await server.listen({ hostname: "0.0.0.0", port: 8000 });

Node/Vite/Next:

vite --host 0.0.0.0
next dev -H 0.0.0.0

3. Access URLs

Method	Format
MagicDNS	http://<machine-name>:<port>/
FQDN	http://<name>.<tailnet>.ts.net:<port>/
IP	http://<tailscale-ip>:<port>/

Troubleshooting

Issue	Fix
Connection refused	Bind to 0.0.0.0, not 127.0.0.1
Port in use	lsof -i :<port> → kill <pid>
Can't resolve name	Enable MagicDNS in admin console
Device offline	Activate Tailscale VPN on target

Notes

• Traffic stays within tailnet (not public)
• Target device must have Tailscale VPN active