frp
Remote Access & VPNFast reverse proxy to expose local servers behind NAT
Replaces ngrok
Best No-Database Remote Access & VPN for self-hosting
The 20 best No-Database remote access & vpn you can self-host, ranked by community traction.
localtunnel
Remote Access & VPNExpose your localhost to the world for testing
Replaces ngrok
GoTTY
Remote Access & VPNShare your terminal as a web application
Replaces PuTTY
Chisel
Remote Access & VPNFast TCP/UDP tunnel over HTTP secured by SSH
Replaces ngrok
rathole
Remote Access & VPNLightweight and high-performance reverse proxy for NAT traversal
Replaces ngrok, frp
noVNC
Remote Access & VPNVNC client that runs entirely in the browser
Replaces RealVNC
ttyd
Remote Access & VPNShare your terminal over the web
Replaces PuTTY
bore
Remote Access & VPNModern, simple TCP tunnel in Rust
Replaces ngrok
RustDesk Server
Remote Access & VPNSelf-hosted relay and ID server for RustDesk
Replaces TeamViewer
innernet
Remote Access & VPNPrivate network system using WireGuard
Replaces Tailscale
Wetty
Remote Access & VPNTerminal over HTTP and HTTPS
Replaces PuTTY
WebSSH
Remote Access & VPNSSH client running in a web browser via WebSockets
Replaces PuTTY
expose
Remote Access & VPNBeautiful, fully open-source tunnel to localhost
Replaces ngrok
websockify
Remote Access & VPNWebSocket-to-TCP bridge for browser remote access
Replaces proprietary remote gateways
pgrok
Remote Access & VPNSelf-hosted ngrok alternative for sharing local services
Replaces ngrok
Sshwifty
Remote Access & VPNWeb-based SSH and Telnet client
Replaces PuTTY
Shell In A Box
Remote Access & VPNWeb-based terminal emulator for remote shell access
Replaces PuTTY
wayvnc
Remote Access & VPNVNC server for wlroots-based Wayland compositors
Replaces TightVNC, RealVNC
boringproxy
Remote Access & VPNSimple self-hosted reverse proxy and tunnel manager
Replaces ngrok
x11vnc
Remote Access & VPNVNC server for real X11 displays
Replaces TightVNC, RealVNC
No apps match these filters.
At a glance
| App | Deploy effort | Difficulty | Min. RAM | License | ★ Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| frp | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 64 MB | Apache-2.0 | 109,890 |
| localtunnel | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 128 MB | MIT | 22,491 |
| GoTTY | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 64 MB | MIT | 19,551 |
| Chisel | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 64 MB | MIT | 16,641 |
| rathole | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 64 MB | Apache-2.0 | 14,333 |
| noVNC | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 64 MB | MPL-2.0 | 14,104 |
| ttyd | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 64 MB | MIT | 12,497 |
| bore | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 64 MB | MIT | 11,532 |
| RustDesk Server | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 128 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 10,548 |
| innernet | Read-the-docs project | Hard | 64 MB | MIT | 5,564 |
Quick picks
- Most adopted: frp (109,890 GitHub stars).
- Lightest footprint: websockify (from 32 MB RAM, against 256 MB for the heaviest here).
- Licensing: 11 of 20 use MIT; check the rest individually if you plan to modify and redistribute.
Every option here is open-source and self-hostable, tagged No-Database within the remote access & vpn category. Deploy effort is graded from published container recipes, not vendor claims — see the methodology.