gTunnel vs zrok
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
zrok
Open-source sharing platform built on OpenZiti
| Feature | gTunnel | zrok |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 8 · At risk | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 274 | ★ 4,720 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | ngrok | ngrok |
What are gTunnel and zrok?
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
zrok
zrok is an open-source peer-to-peer sharing platform built on the OpenZiti zero-trust network. It lets you share local web servers, files, and TCP services with public or private access.
- Public and private sharing
- Built on OpenZiti
- Self-hostable instances
- Frontend for web and TCP
gTunnel vs zrok: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for gTunnel versus Apache-2.0 for zrok. GTunnel is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for zrok. GTunnel is the more established project (first released 2020), while zrok arrived in 2022. Zrok has the considerably larger community, at 4,720 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 zrok if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is gTunnel or zrok better?
Neither is universally better. zrok has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are gTunnel and zrok free and open-source?
Yes. gTunnel is licensed under GPL-3.0 and zrok under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gTunnel and zrok with Docker?
gTunnel: yes. zrok: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, gTunnel or zrok?
gTunnel has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for zrok. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.