Cockpit vs Neko
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
Neko
Self-hosted virtual browser running in Docker
| Feature | Cockpit | Neko |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,842 | ★ 21,884 |
| First released | 2014 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Webmin | Browserling |
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 Neko if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 21.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Cockpit or Neko better?
Neither is universally better. Neko has the larger community, while Cockpit is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Cockpit and Neko free and open-source?
Yes. Cockpit is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Neko under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cockpit and Neko with Docker?
Cockpit: check the project docs for container support. Neko: yes.