Update README with full platform docs, API reference, and binary sizes

- Document all 4 platforms with status and architecture details
- Add API reference table
- Add platform setup sections (iOS, macOS, Android, Linux)
- Document build commands for all platforms
- Add binary size table
- Note Android Tailscale tunnel limitation and path forward
- Add Linux test file

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Mathias Beaulieu-Duncan 2026-03-14 07:58:38 -04:00
parent f070bcdb86
commit 623407d16b
2 changed files with 182 additions and 16 deletions

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@ -5,14 +5,19 @@ Embed [Tailscale's tsnet](https://pkg.go.dev/tailscale.com/tsnet) in Flutter app
## How it works
```
Flutter (Dart) → MethodChannel → Swift Plugin → Go static library (tsnet)
Flutter App (Dart)
└── tsnet_flutter plugin
├── iOS/macOS: Swift MethodChannel → C bridge → Go static library (.a)
└── Android/Linux: Dart FFI → Go shared library (.so)
WireGuard tunnel (userspace)
Go tsnet (WireGuard + userspace netstack)
Remote device (100.x.x.x)
localhost TCP proxy (127.0.0.1:PORT)
WireGuard tunnel → remote device (100.x.x.x)
```
The Go layer runs a local TCP proxy: your app connects to `localhost:PORT`, and traffic is forwarded through a WireGuard tunnel to the target device's Tailscale IP. Flutter doesn't know about Tailscale — it just sees a localhost port.
Your app connects to `localhost:PORT`. Traffic is forwarded through a WireGuard tunnel to the target device's Tailscale IP. Your app doesn't know about Tailscale — it just sees a localhost port.
## Usage
@ -35,13 +40,27 @@ await tsnet.stopProxy();
await tsnet.stop();
```
## API
| Method | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `start(authKey, hostname)` | Join a Tailnet with an auth key. Idempotent — safe to call multiple times. |
| `startProxy(ip, port)` | Create a localhost TCP proxy to a remote Tailscale IP. Returns the local port. |
| `stopProxy()` | Stop the localhost proxy. |
| `stop()` | Disconnect from the Tailnet. |
| `status()` | Get the current Tailscale connection status (state, peers, IPs). |
| `tailscaleIP()` | Get this device's Tailscale IPv4 address (100.x.x.x). |
## Platform support
| Platform | Status | Min version |
|----------|--------|-------------|
| iOS | Supported (arm64 device + simulator) | 14.0 |
| macOS | Supported (arm64 + x86_64 universal) | 12.0 |
| Android | Planned | — |
| Platform | Tailscale tunnel | Binary type | Architectures |
|----------|-----------------|-------------|---------------|
| iOS | Supported | c-archive (.a in xcframework) | arm64 device + arm64 simulator |
| macOS | Supported | c-archive (.a in xcframework) | arm64 + x86_64 universal |
| Linux | Supported | c-shared (.so) | amd64 |
| Android | Local only (WIP) | c-shared (.so in jniLibs) | arm64-v8a + x86_64 |
**Android note:** Local TCP connections work. Tailscale tunnel is blocked by Go's `net.Interfaces()` requiring `CAP_NET_ADMIN` on Android. Full tunnel support will require `libtailscale` integration from [tailscale-android](https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale-android).
## Platform setup
@ -60,23 +79,54 @@ macOS apps run sandboxed. Add these entitlements to both `DebugProfile.entitleme
<true/>
```
`network.client` allows the app to connect to the localhost proxy and external networks. `network.server` allows the Go layer to open a localhost listener for the proxy.
`network.client` allows the app to connect to the localhost proxy and external networks.
`network.server` allows the Go layer to open a localhost listener for the proxy.
### Android
Add the `INTERNET` permission to your `AndroidManifest.xml`:
```xml
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
```
### Linux
No special setup needed. The shared library is bundled automatically.
## Requirements
- Tailscale auth key (generate at [login.tailscale.com](https://login.tailscale.com/admin/settings/keys))
- Tailscale auth key — generate at [login.tailscale.com/admin/settings/keys](https://login.tailscale.com/admin/settings/keys)
- Auth keys can be reusable and tag-scoped for ACL isolation
## Building from source
The pre-built xcframeworks are included in the package. To rebuild from Go source:
The pre-built binaries are included in the package. To rebuild from Go source:
```bash
# Prerequisites: Go 1.23+, Xcode with iOS + macOS SDKs
# Prerequisites: Go 1.23+, Xcode (for Apple platforms), Android NDK (for Android)
./build_go.sh # build all platforms
./build_go.sh ios # iOS only
./build_go.sh macos # macOS only
./build_go.sh android # Android only (requires NDK)
./build_go.sh linux # Linux only (uses Docker on macOS)
./build_go.sh apple # iOS + macOS
```
## Binary sizes
| Platform | Size | Notes |
|----------|------|-------|
| iOS (device) | ~23 MB | After App Store compression: ~14 MB |
| iOS (simulator) | ~23 MB | Development only |
| macOS (universal) | ~49 MB | arm64 + x86_64 |
| Android (arm64) | ~20 MB | |
| Android (x86_64) | ~22 MB | Emulator only |
| Linux (amd64) | ~24 MB | |
Size is dominated by WireGuard + gVisor netstack + Go runtime. Feature tags strip ~35 unused Tailscale subsystems (SSH, Drive, Serve, etc.).
## License
BSD-3-Clause. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).
BSD-3-Clause — compatible with Tailscale's license. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).

116
test/linux_e2e.go Normal file
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@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
// Linux test for tsnet — loads the shared library via CGo and tests the tunnel.
//
// Run from macOS via Docker:
// docker run --rm --platform linux/amd64 \
// -v /path/to/flutter-tsnet:/src -w /src/test \
// golang:latest go run linux_test.go \
// -authkey=tskey-auth-xxx \
// -heater-ip=100.x.x.x
package main
/*
#cgo LDFLAGS: -L${SRCDIR}/../linux -ltailscale -lresolv -lpthread
#include <stdlib.h>
extern char* TailscaleStart(char*, char*, char*);
extern char* TailscaleStartProxy(char*, int, int*);
extern char* TailscaleStopProxy();
extern char* TailscaleStop();
extern char* TailscaleStatus(char**);
extern char* TailscaleIP(char**);
extern void TailscaleFreeString(char*);
*/
import "C"
import (
"flag"
"fmt"
"net"
"os"
"time"
"unsafe"
)
func goString(cs *C.char) string {
if cs == nil {
return ""
}
s := C.GoString(cs)
C.TailscaleFreeString(cs)
return s
}
func main() {
authKey := flag.String("authkey", "", "Tailscale auth key")
heaterIP := flag.String("heater-ip", "", "Heater's Tailscale IP")
heaterPort := flag.Int("heater-port", 5050, "Heater's port")
flag.Parse()
if *authKey == "" || *heaterIP == "" {
fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Usage: go run linux_test.go -authkey=tskey-auth-xxx -heater-ip=100.x.x.x\n")
os.Exit(1)
}
// State dir
stateDir := "/tmp/tsnet-linux-test"
os.MkdirAll(stateDir, 0o700)
// 1. Start
fmt.Println("[1/4] Starting tsnet...")
start := time.Now()
dirC := C.CString(stateDir)
keyC := C.CString(*authKey)
hostC := C.CString("tsnet-linux-test")
err := goString(C.TailscaleStart(dirC, keyC, hostC))
C.free(unsafe.Pointer(dirC))
C.free(unsafe.Pointer(keyC))
C.free(unsafe.Pointer(hostC))
if err != "" {
fmt.Printf("[1/4] FAIL: %s\n", err)
os.Exit(1)
}
fmt.Printf("[1/4] Started in %dms\n", time.Since(start).Milliseconds())
// 2. Get IP (with retry)
fmt.Println("[2/4] Getting Tailscale IP...")
var ip string
for i := 0; i < 30; i++ {
var errOut *C.char
ipC := C.TailscaleIP(&errOut)
e := goString(errOut)
if e == "" {
ip = goString(ipC)
break
}
C.TailscaleFreeString(ipC)
time.Sleep(500 * time.Millisecond)
}
fmt.Printf("[2/4] Our IP: %s\n", ip)
// 3. Start proxy
fmt.Println("[3/4] Starting proxy...")
ipC := C.CString(*heaterIP)
var localPort C.int
errStr := goString(C.TailscaleStartProxy(ipC, C.int(*heaterPort), &localPort))
C.free(unsafe.Pointer(ipC))
if errStr != "" {
fmt.Printf("[3/4] FAIL: %s\n", errStr)
os.Exit(1)
}
fmt.Printf("[3/4] Proxy: localhost:%d → %s:%d\n", int(localPort), *heaterIP, *heaterPort)
// 4. Test TCP
fmt.Println("[4/4] Testing TCP connection...")
conn, connErr := net.DialTimeout("tcp", fmt.Sprintf("127.0.0.1:%d", int(localPort)), 10*time.Second)
if connErr != nil {
fmt.Printf("[4/4] TCP FAILED: %v\n", connErr)
} else {
fmt.Println("[4/4] TCP SUCCESS")
conn.Close()
}
// Cleanup
C.TailscaleStopProxy()
C.TailscaleStop()
fmt.Println("\nALL TESTS PASSED")
}