GOST vs localtunnel
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | GOST | localtunnel |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 52 · Fair |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,527 | ★ 22,486 |
| First released | 2017 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Chisel, ngrok | ngrok |
What are GOST and localtunnel?
GOST
GOST is an open-source command-line tool that provides flexible secure tunneling and proxying with support for many protocols. It is self-hosted to build relay chains and forward traffic.
- Multi-protocol tunneling
- Relay chaining
- Port forwarding
- Single binary
localtunnel
localtunnel exposes a local web server through a public URL without configuring DNS or firewalls. The server component is open source and can be self-hosted.
- Public URL for localhost
- Self-hostable server
- No DNS configuration
- Useful for webhooks
GOST vs localtunnel: key differences
GOST is written in Go, while localtunnel is built with JavaScript. GOST is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for localtunnel. Localtunnel is the more established project (first released 2015), while GOST arrived in 2017. Localtunnel has the considerably larger community, at 22,486 GitHub stars versus 7,527.
Why pick each one
Choose GOST if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7.5k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Choose localtunnel if…
- Zero configuration
- Free public URLs
- Self-hostable server
Watch out for
- Public server unreliable
- Limited security controls
Frequently asked questions
Is GOST or localtunnel better?
localtunnel is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider GOST if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are GOST and localtunnel free and open-source?
Yes. GOST is licensed under MIT and localtunnel under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GOST and localtunnel with Docker?
GOST: yes. localtunnel: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, GOST or localtunnel?
GOST has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for localtunnel. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.