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x11vnc

VNC server for real X11 displays

Remote Access & VPN ★ 858 stars Medium setup GPL-2.0

x11vnc is a VNC server that allows remote access to an existing X11 display, letting you view and control a physical desktop session over the network. It is a long-standing tool for remote Linux desktops.

Official siteSource code

Key features

  • Access existing X11 sessions
  • View physical desktops
  • SSH tunneling support
  • Lightweight

Strengths

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • Written in C
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM

Is x11vnc secure?

No known vulnerabilities affect x11vnc's latest release (0.9.17). OSV.dev lists 1 past advisory for the project; none of them applies to this release. No known vulnerabilities is not proof of security: it means none have been publicly catalogued.

  • Most recent fixed advisory CVE-2020-29074, published 2020-11-25 (2149 days ago)

Source: OSV.dev, checked 2026-10-14. How this is measured.

x11vnc replaces

Self-hosted TightVNC alternativesSelf-hosted RealVNC alternatives

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