GoTTY vs WebSSH2
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | GoTTY | WebSSH2 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 27 · At risk | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 19,554 | ★ 2,773 |
| First released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Replaces | PuTTY | PuTTY |
What are GoTTY and WebSSH2?
GoTTY
GoTTY is a simple command-line tool that turns any CLI program into a web application accessible from a browser. It is useful for sharing terminal sessions and remote access.
- CLI programs as web apps
- Single binary
- Read-only or interactive mode
- Basic auth support
WebSSH2
WebSSH2 is an open-source web SSH client built with xterm.js and WebSockets. It can be self-hosted to provide browser-based terminal access to SSH servers.
- Browser SSH terminal
- xterm.js frontend
- WebSocket transport
- Docker ready
GoTTY vs WebSSH2: key differences
GoTTY is written in Go, while WebSSH2 is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for GoTTY versus Apache-2.0 for WebSSH2. GoTTY is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for WebSSH2. GoTTY is the more established project (first released 2015), while WebSSH2 arrived in 2017. GoTTY has the considerably larger community, at 19,554 GitHub stars versus 2,773.
Why pick each one
Choose GoTTY if…
- Instant terminal sharing
- Single small binary
- No dependencies
Watch out for
- Upstream largely unmaintained
- Security needs careful setup
Choose WebSSH2 if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is GoTTY or WebSSH2 better?
Neither is universally better. GoTTY has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are GoTTY and WebSSH2 free and open-source?
Yes. GoTTY is licensed under MIT and WebSSH2 under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GoTTY and WebSSH2 with Docker?
GoTTY: yes. WebSSH2: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, GoTTY or WebSSH2?
GoTTY has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for WebSSH2. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.