Chisel 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?
Chisel
Fast TCP/UDP tunnel over HTTP secured by SSH
VS
JumpServer
Open-source bastion host and PAM platform
| Feature | Chisel | JumpServer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,362 | ★ 31,230 |
| First released | 2015 | 2014 |
| Replaces | ngrok | CyberArk, Teleport |
Why pick each one
Choose Chisel if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 16.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
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 Chisel 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 Chisel and JumpServer free and open-source?
Yes. Chisel is licensed under MIT and JumpServer under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chisel and JumpServer with Docker?
Chisel: yes. JumpServer: yes.