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Installing Tailscale in a Docker container

Help Needed

I've been pulling my hair out for a week now trying to install Tailscale in a Docker container.

- Following the Tailscale Docker image guide returns a Dockerfile error;

- Following this L1T guide I managed to get it installed, but the exit node wouldn't work because ip6tables_filter couldn't be found.

Do any of you guys know a guide on how to install Tailscale on Docker and get the exit node working?

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• • Edited

This is my docker compose for Tailscale: 

tailscale:
  hostname: tailscale
  image: tailscale/tailscale:latest
  restart: unless-stopped
  network_mode: "host" # Easy mode
  privileged: true # I'm only about 80% sure this is required
  volumes:
    - /srv/docker/tailscale/data:/var/lib # tailscale/tailscale.state in here is where our authkey lives
    - /dev/net/tun:/dev/net/tun
    - /var/run/dbus/system_bus_socket:/var/run/dbus/system_bus_socket # This seems kinda terrible, but the daemon complains a lot if it can't connect to this
  cap_add: # Required
    - NET_ADMIN
    - NET_RAW
  environment:
    TS_HOSTNAME: "lolname" # Set this to the machine name you want to appear on the Tailscale website
    TS_STATE_DIR: "/var/lib/tailscale" # This gives us a persistent entry in TS Machines, rather than Epehmeral
    TS_USERSPACE: false # Bizarrely, even if you bind /dev/net/tun in, you still need to tell the image to not use userspace networking
    TS_AUTH_ONCE: false # If you have a config error somewhere, and this is set to true, it'll be really hard to figure it out
    TS_EXTRA_ARGS: "--advertise-exit-node"

The ip6tables error you’re getting is because your host kernel doesn’t have that loaded. Edit /etc/modules and add a line that says ip6_tables.

You’ll also need to enable IP forwarding. Edit /etc/sysctl.conf and add these two lines: 

net.ipv4.conf.all.forwarding=1
net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding=1

That should be all you need.

Edit: The first volume there, you should choose a host path that makes sense for you. I keep all my Docker volumes in /srv/docker/, but maybe you do something different there.

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I'll try your compose later today, thanks.

The IP forwarding part I'd already done, both on host os and in the container. What I havent yet tried is editing /etc/modules and adding the line.

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This almost works but where do I put my tailscale login and password?

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Is it posible to connect to exit node from tailscale in docker. As im adding --exit-node=100.64.x.x. and nothing happens...

• • Edited

  • Following the Tailscale Docker image guide returns a Dockerfile error;

Can you post a screenshot of the command you ran and the full error?

I managed to get it installed, but the exit node wouldn't work because ip6tables_filter couldn't be found.

What host OS are you using?

Can you post the full command on what you are running the CLI and the error you are getting?

Any reason why you arent doing this in docker compose?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tailscale/comments/169qdzu/setup_tailscale_exit_node_in_a_docker_compose/

Just wondering

• • Edited

The compose in the post doesn't even compile, I keep getting errors on 

- '/dev/net/tun:/dev/net/tun'

There is an error in the yaml syntax: YAMLSemanticError: Plain value cannot start with a tab character

EDIT: I managed to fix that error by copying a known good compose file and editing in the values that the post provided. Still, nothing was fixed as I still get this error when running tailscale status 

# Health check:
- router: setting up filter/ts-input: running [/sbin/ip6tables -t filter -N ts-input --wait]: exit status 3: modprobe: can't change directory to '/lib/modules': No such file or directory
ip6tables v1.8.8 (legacy): can't initialize ip6tables table `filter': Table does not exist (do you need to insmod?) Perhaps ip6tables or your kernel needs to be upgraded.
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[deleted]
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Rootless or rootful docker?

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I run docker from my root account

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