Eternal Terminal vs RustDesk
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?
Eternal Terminal
Remote terminal that survives network changes
VS
RustDesk
Open-source remote desktop alternative to TeamViewer
| Feature | Eternal Terminal | RustDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,839 | ★ 119,867 |
| First released | 2016 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Mosh | TeamViewer, AnyDesk |
Why pick each one
Choose Eternal Terminal if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (3.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Eternal Terminal or RustDesk better?
Neither is universally better. RustDesk has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Eternal Terminal and RustDesk free and open-source?
Yes. Eternal Terminal is licensed under Apache-2.0 and RustDesk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Eternal Terminal and RustDesk with Docker?
Eternal Terminal: check the project docs for container support. RustDesk: yes.