Cockpit vs ZeroTier
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
ZeroTier
Global virtual network for connecting devices anywhere
| Feature | Cockpit | ZeroTier |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | BSL-1.1 |
| Language | JavaScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary, docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,842 | ★ 16,988 |
| First released | 2014 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Webmin | Tailscale |
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 ZeroTier if…
- Released under the BSL-1.1 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 17k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Cockpit or ZeroTier better?
Neither is universally better. ZeroTier 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 ZeroTier free and open-source?
Yes. Cockpit is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and ZeroTier under BSL-1.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cockpit and ZeroTier with Docker?
Cockpit: check the project docs for container support. ZeroTier: yes.