Cardea vs JumpServer
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Cardea
SSH bastion server with access control, session recording, and
VS
JumpServer
Open-source bastion host and PAM platform
| Feature | Cardea | JumpServer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 34 | ★ 31,230 |
| First released | 2026 | 2014 |
| Replaces | — | CyberArk, Teleport |
Why pick each one
Choose Cardea if…
- Released under the EUPL-1.2 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose JumpServer if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 31.2k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Cardea or JumpServer better?
Neither is universally better. JumpServer has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Cardea and JumpServer free and open-source?
Yes. Cardea is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and JumpServer under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cardea and JumpServer with Docker?
Cardea: yes. JumpServer: yes.