ZeroTier


ZeroTier, Inc. is a networking software and cybersecurity company with a freemium business model based in San Francisco, California. ZeroTier provides a proprietary network platform and software tools, SDKs, and related commercial products and services to create and manage virtual software-defined networks. The company's flagship end-user product, ZeroTier One, offers a client application that enables devices, such as PCs, phones, servers, routers, and embedded devices to securely connect to zero-trust peer-to-peer virtual networks.
ZeroTier also helps enterprises and public-sector organizations reduce their attack surface by replacing exposed networks with identity-based, end-to-end encrypted connectivity. Devices form direct peer-to-peer connections whenever possible, with optional gateways for controlled access to centralized services or the internet.
In July 2024, ZeroTier announced that it had closed $13.5 million in a Series A funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to approximately $16 million. The round was led by Battery Ventures, with participation from 7 percent Ventures, Airbridge Equity Partners, Anorak Ventures, Bonfire Ventures, First In Ventures, and Grand Enterprises B.V.
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Use Cases

Common ZeroTier use cases include secure site-to-site and remote-access networking, on-demand collaboration between distributed systems, and virtual private networks for multiplayer gaming. It's frequently used to enable low-latency, peer-to-peer connectivity for latency-sensitive games, such as Minecraft, Terraria, and Borderlands.
ZeroTier is also used to connect hybrid and multi-cloud environments, letting organizations link on-premises infrastructure with cloud workloads using a unified virtual network. Additional use cases include secure networking for Internet of Things (IoT) and edge devices, where ZeroTier can provide encrypted connectivity between devices that may be geographically distributed, intermittently connected, or located behind network address translation. The software is commonly deployed in development and testing environments to create temporary or ad-hoc private networks, as well as in operational technology (OT) and industrial settings to securely connect embedded systems, sensors, and remote equipment.
By supporting peer-to-peer communication and software-defined networking, ZeroTier is often used as an alternative to traditional VPNs or hardware-based SD-WAN solutions, particularly in scenarios requiring dynamic topology changes or minimal configuration overhead.

Software Platform

ZeroTier markets proprietary tools, which are licensed under a Business Source License 1.1, intended to support the development and deployment of overlay networks and virtual data centers:
As of 2021, the product line consists of the following primary tools:
  • ZeroTier One, first released in 2013, is a portable client application that provides connectivity to ZeroTier-based public or private virtual networks.
  • Central, a web-based UI portal for managing ZeroTier networks.

Clients & Controllers

ZeroTier uses a controller–agent architecture in which devices participating in a network run a local software agent, while network membership and configuration are managed by a controller. Agents may be wrapped by a client for a specific operation system or embedded devices, such as edge computing devices or routers. Virtual networks are created and administered through ZeroTier Central's web-based interface, and client software is used to join endpoints to those networks. Every ZeroTier virtual network has a network controller that's responsible for admitting members to the network, issuing certificates, and issuing default configuration information.
Network communication between endpoints is designed to be peer-to-peer and end-to-end encrypted. To establish direct connections between devices located behind network address translation, ZeroTier uses sophisticated techniques such as STUN and UDP hole punching. Route discovery for direct peer connections is assisted by a global network of root servers, using a mechanism similar to Interactive Connectivity Establishment as used in WebRTC. When direct connectivity cannot be established, traffic may be relayed as a fallback.
Virtual networks are created and managed using a ZeroTier controller. Management is done using an API, proprietary web-based UI, open-source web-based.

Releases

In May 2024, ZeroTier released version 1.14, followed by version 1.16 in September 2025.
In November 2025, ZeroTier launched its new Central, the next generation of ZeroTier's hosted network controller. It provides a streamlined interface for creating and managing ZeroTier networks, organizing them into groups, and controlling access across an organization.

Available Clients & Containers

ZeroTier One is available on multiple platforms and in multiple packages: