Chisel 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.
| Feature | Chisel | localtunnel |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 52 · Fair |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,571 | ★ 22,486 |
| First released | 2015 | 2015 |
| Replaces | ngrok | ngrok |
What are Chisel and localtunnel?
Chisel
Chisel is a fast TCP and UDP tunnel transported over HTTP and secured with SSH. It is a single executable that helps bypass firewalls and provide secure endpoints.
- TCP/UDP over HTTP
- SSH-secured tunnels
- Single binary
- Firewall traversal
localtunnel
localtunnel exposes a local web server through a public URL without configuring DNS or firewalls. The server component is open source and can be self-hosted.
- Public URL for localhost
- Self-hostable server
- No DNS configuration
- Useful for webhooks
Chisel vs localtunnel: key differences
Chisel is written in Go, while localtunnel is built with JavaScript. Chisel is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for localtunnel.
Why pick each one
Choose Chisel if…
- Single small binary
- SSH-encrypted tunnels
- Works over plain HTTP
Watch out for
- CLI configuration only
- Sparse documentation
Choose localtunnel if…
- Zero configuration
- Free public URLs
- Self-hostable server
Watch out for
- Public server unreliable
- Limited security controls
Frequently asked questions
Is Chisel or localtunnel better?
localtunnel is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Chisel if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Chisel and localtunnel free and open-source?
Yes. Chisel is licensed under MIT and localtunnel under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chisel and localtunnel with Docker?
Chisel: yes. localtunnel: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Chisel or localtunnel?
Chisel has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for localtunnel. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.