How Tailscale's infra team stays small

Tailscale's infrastructure team, consisting of just three engineers, effectively manages its operations by utilizing its own product, which simplifies many security concerns. The team relies on Tailscale to create a programmable network layer that connects resources across various cloud providers without the complexities typically associated with network architecture. This approach allows them to avoid common networking issues, such as managing public and private endpoints, and enables seamless communication between services regardless of their hosting location. Additionally, Tailscale's configuration allows for straightforward access control management through ACLs, reducing the need for intricate security setups. The team also developed an in-house secret management tool, setec, which integrates with Tailscale, allowing for efficient management of access to sensitive information. This setup alleviates the burden of handling secrets and TLS certificates, as Tailscale automates key distribution and certificate management. Despite the small team size, Tailscale's infrastructure team remains busy tackling other challenges, indicating that their reliance on their product has significantly streamlined their operations.

- Tailscale's infrastructure team operates with only three engineers by using their own product.

- The team simplifies network management and security concerns through Tailscale's programmable network layer.

- Access control is managed via ACLs, reducing complexity in network architecture.

- An in-house secret management tool, setec, integrates with Tailscale for efficient access management.

- The team focuses on more complex problems, having alleviated common infrastructure challenges.