Cockpit vs OpenVPN
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
OpenVPN
Robust and flexible open-source VPN solution
| Feature | Cockpit | OpenVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | bare-metal, docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,842 | ★ 14,345 |
| First released | 2014 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Webmin | Cisco AnyConnect |
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 OpenVPN if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 14.3k GitHub stars
- Written in C
Frequently asked questions
Is Cockpit or OpenVPN better?
Cockpit is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider OpenVPN if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cockpit and OpenVPN free and open-source?
Yes. Cockpit is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and OpenVPN under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cockpit and OpenVPN with Docker?
Cockpit: check the project docs for container support. OpenVPN: yes.