Cockpit vs Moonlight
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?
Cockpit
Web-based graphical interface for Linux servers
VS
Moonlight
Open-source game streaming client for low-latency desktops
| Feature | Cockpit | Moonlight |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,842 | ★ 18,184 |
| First released | 2014 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Webmin | Parsec, Steam Remote Play |
Why pick each one
Choose Cockpit if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 14.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Moonlight if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 18.2k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Cockpit or Moonlight better?
Neither is universally better. Moonlight has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Cockpit and Moonlight free and open-source?
Yes. Cockpit is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Moonlight under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cockpit and Moonlight with Docker?
Cockpit: check the project docs for container support. Moonlight: check the project docs for container support.