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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Nebula vs Velociraptor

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Nebula and Velociraptor — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Nebula vs Velociraptor: at a glance

FeatureNebulaVelociraptor
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score2.50.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesmesh-vpn, overlay-network, ipv6, performancedfir, endpoint-security, open-source, security-patches
Last editorial update11d ago8h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Nebula?

Nebula 1.12 adds optional offloading for throughput after a run of platform fixes.

Nebula is a peer-to-peer mesh VPN with its own certificate authority. Since v1.10.0 added IPv6 and multiple overlay addresses, releases have dealt with the fallout: v1.11.1 fixed an IPv6 firewall bypass, and v1.11.2 in September fixed IPv6 MTU on Windows, local address discovery on Android 11+, and checksums for traffic to a host's own IPv6 address on macOS. v1.12.0 on October 29 added optional UDP and TUN offloading, planned to become the default later, and stricter firewall rule parsing.

Read the full Nebula trajectory →

What is Velociraptor?

Velociraptor's recent releases are mostly about patching CVEs.

Velociraptor 0.77.3 shipped on October 5 as a bug fix and CVE release; it also adds an artifact that uploads server results to Azure Monitor and trims the columns emitted by the backup artifacts. 0.77.2 and a 0.76.7 backport in September and August were CVE fixes. The 0.77.1 feature release landed in June, but its notes in the feed only link out.

Read the full Velociraptor trajectory →

Nebula vs Velociraptor: editorial side-by-side

N
Nebula
INFRA · APIS
2.5

Nebula 1.12 adds optional offloading for throughput after a run of platform fixes.

◆ Current state

Nebula is a peer-to-peer mesh VPN with its own certificate authority. Since v1.10.0 added IPv6 and multiple overlay addresses, releases have dealt with the fallout: v1.11.1 fixed an IPv6 firewall bypass, and v1.11.2 in September fixed IPv6 MTU on Windows, local address discovery on Android 11+, and checksums for traffic to a host's own IPv6 address on macOS. v1.12.0 on October 29 added optional UDP and TUN offloading, planned to become the default later, and stricter firewall rule parsing.

◆ Where it's heading

The IPv6 work has moved from security fixes to per-platform correctness, and 1.12 turns to throughput. Offloading starting as opt-in, with a stated plan to make it default, sets up the next release cycle.

◆ Prediction

Expect 1.12.x patches for offloading edge cases, and a later release that turns offloading on by default as announced.

V
Velociraptor
INFRA · APIS
0.0

Velociraptor's recent releases are mostly about patching CVEs.

◆ Current state

Velociraptor 0.77.3 shipped on October 5 as a bug fix and CVE release; it also adds an artifact that uploads server results to Azure Monitor and trims the columns emitted by the backup artifacts. 0.77.2 and a 0.76.7 backport in September and August were CVE fixes. The 0.77.1 feature release landed in June, but its notes in the feed only link out.

◆ Where it's heading

Since June the project has been in security mode, fixing CVEs on the current line and backporting to the previous one. Feature work shows up as new artifacts, here an Azure Monitor export, which keeps Velociraptor feeding results into the logging tools teams already use.

◆ Prediction

Expect further 0.77 patch releases and possibly another backport if new CVEs are published; the timing of a 0.78 feature release is not signaled here.

Alternatives to Nebula and Velociraptor

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Nebula or Velociraptor.

See all Nebula alternatives → · See all Velociraptor alternatives →

Recent activity from Nebula and Velociraptor

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 15d agoNebulaRelease v1.12.0
  2. 1mo agoVelociraptorVelociraptor 0.77.3 fixes CVEs and adds Azure Monitor upload
  3. 1mo agoVelociraptorVelociraptor 0.77.2 patches published CVEs
  4. 1mo agoNebulav1.11.2 fixes IPv6 MTU on Windows and address discovery on Android
  5. 2mo agoNebulaIPv6 firewall bypass: unparsed protocols matched TCP/UDP rules
  6. 3mo agoVelociraptorVelociraptor 0.76.7 backports CVE fixes
  7. 3mo agoNebulaBreaking: slog logging, corrected firewall reject/drop direction
  8. 4mo agoVelociraptorVelociraptor 0.77.1 feature release ships
  9. 5mo agoVelociraptorVelociraptor 0.77.1 RC1 opens for testing
  10. 5mo agoVelociraptorVelociraptor 0.76.6 bug fix release
  11. 9mo agoNebulaP256 signature malleability allowed blocklist bypass
  12. 9mo agoNebulaFix panic in use_system_route_table introduced by the previous release

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Nebula and Velociraptor?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Nebula is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Nebula better than Velociraptor?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Nebula is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Nebula?

Top Nebula alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Nebula alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/nebula-networking for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Velociraptor?

Top Velociraptor alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Velociraptor alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/velociraptor for the full list with editorial commentary on each.