Cardea vs localtunnel
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
localtunnel
Expose your localhost to the world for testing
| Feature | Cardea | localtunnel |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | MIT |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 34 | ★ 22,440 |
| First released | 2026 | 2015 |
| Replaces | — | ngrok |
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 localtunnel if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 22.4k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Cardea or localtunnel better?
localtunnel is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Cardea if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cardea and localtunnel free and open-source?
Yes. Cardea is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and localtunnel under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cardea and localtunnel with Docker?
Cardea: yes. localtunnel: yes.