netbird-docs/src/pages/introduction.mdx

import {Note} from "@/components/mdx"
import {Tiles} from "@/components/Tiles"
import {YouTube} from "@/components/YouTube"
import {Button} from "@/components/Button"

export const description =
  'Learn everything there is to know about NetBird.'

# Introduction to NetBird

<YouTube videoId="CFa7SY4Up9k" />

NetBird is an Open Source Zero Trust Networking platform that allows you to create secure private networks for your
organization or home. We designed NetBird to be simple and fast, requiring near-zero configuration effort and leaving
behind the hassle of opening ports, complex firewall rules, VPN gateways, etc.

<Note>
    NetBird is an **[open-source](https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird)** project and can be self-hosted.
    See a comparison between the self-hosted and cloud-hosted versions [here](/about-netbird/self-hosted-vs-cloud).
</Note>

There is no centralized VPN server with NetBird - your computers, devices, machines, and servers connect to each other directly over a fast encrypted tunnel.
It creates a high-performance point-to-point [WireGuard®](https://www.wireguard.com/) overlay network that connects machines running anywhere in just a few clicks.

It literally takes less than 5 minutes to deploy a secure point-to-point VPN with NetBird.

<div className="not-prose mb-16 mt-6 flex gap-3">
  <Button href="https://app.netbird.io/install" arrow="right" children="Try NetBird Cloud" />
  <Button href="/selfhosted/selfhosted-quickstart" variant="outline-arrow" arrow="right" children="Deploy NetBird Self-Hosted" />
</div>

<Tiles 
  title="Guides" 
  id="guides" 
  items={[
    {
      href: '/get-started',
      name: 'Onboarding Guide',
      description: 'Get started with NetBird in under 5 minutes. Learn the basics of installation and setup.',
    },
    {
      href: '/selfhosted/selfhosted-quickstart',
      name: 'Self-Host NetBird',
      description: 'Get started with self-hosted NetBird in 5 minutes. Learn how to deploy and configure your own NetBird instance.',
    },
    {
      href: '/manage/access-control/manage-network-access',
      name: 'Manage Network Access',
      description:
          'Learn how to use access control policies to manage and secure access to your machines and resources.',
    },
    {
      href: '/manage/team/add-users-to-your-network',
      name: 'Add Users to Your Network',
      description: 'Discover how to add team members to your NetBird network and manage user access.',
    },
    {
      href: '/manage/network-routes',
      name: 'Route Traffic to Private Networks',
      description:
        'Learn how to provide secure access to LANs, VPS instances, and corporate private networks.',
    },
    {
      href: '/use-cases/remote-access/exit-nodes',
      name: 'Configure Default Routes',
      description: 'Set up default routes for internet traffic and configure exit nodes for your network.',
    },
    {
      href: '/manage/activity/traffic-events-logging',
      name: 'Log and Monitor Network Activity',
      description:
        'Learn how to track and monitor system and network activities in your NetBird account.',
    },
    {
      href: '/manage/dns',
      name: 'Manage DNS in Your Network',
      description:
          'Configure custom name servers and DNS settings for your private network.',
    },
  ]} 
/>

<Tiles 
  title="About NetBird" 
  id="about-netbird" 
  items={[
    {
      href: '/about-netbird/how-netbird-works',
      name: 'How NetBird Works',
      description: 'Learn about NetBird concepts, architecture, protocols, and how it creates secure networks.',
    },
    {
      href: '/about-netbird/netbird-vs-traditional-vpn',
      name: 'NetBird vs. Traditional VPN',
      description:
        'Discover how NetBird compares to traditional VPNs, why it uses WireGuard, and the advantages of Zero Trust networking.',
    },
    {
      href: '/about-netbird/self-hosted-vs-cloud',
      name: 'Self-Hosted vs. Cloud',
      description:
        'Compare NetBird Cloud with the self-hosted version and decide which deployment fits your needs.',
    },
    {
      href: '/manage/peers/browser-client/architecture',
      name: 'Browser Client Architecture',
      description:
        'Understand how the Browser Client enables secure remote access directly from web browsers using WebAssembly.',
    },
  ]} 
/>