gTunnel 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 | gTunnel | localtunnel |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 8 · At risk | 52 · Fair |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 274 | ★ 22,486 |
| First released | 2020 | 2015 |
| Replaces | ngrok | ngrok |
What are gTunnel and localtunnel?
gTunnel
gTunnel is a self-hosted TCP tunneling tool built on gRPC that can forward and reverse-forward ports between a server and connected clients through firewalls. It is run as a server and client pair.
- gRPC-based tunneling
- Forward and reverse ports
- Firewall traversal
- Server-client model
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
gTunnel vs localtunnel: key differences
GTunnel is written in Go, while localtunnel is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for gTunnel versus MIT for localtunnel. GTunnel 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 gTunnel arrived in 2020. Localtunnel has the considerably larger community, at 22,486 GitHub stars versus 274.
Why pick each one
Choose gTunnel if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose localtunnel if…
- Zero configuration
- Free public URLs
- Self-hostable server
Watch out for
- Public server unreliable
- Limited security controls
Frequently asked questions
Is gTunnel or localtunnel better?
localtunnel is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider gTunnel if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are gTunnel and localtunnel free and open-source?
Yes. gTunnel is licensed under GPL-3.0 and localtunnel under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gTunnel and localtunnel with Docker?
gTunnel: yes. localtunnel: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, gTunnel or localtunnel?
gTunnel 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.