SHSelfHostIndex

Apache Guacamole Lite vs RPort

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?
AP Apache Guacamole Lite Clientless remote desktop gateway library VS RP RPort Remote management of computers behind firewalls
FeatureApache Guacamole LiteRPort
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score47 · Fair0 · At risk
CategoryRemote Access & VPNRemote Access & VPN
LicenseMITGPL-3.0
LanguageJavaScriptGo
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, sourcedocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 333★ 21
First released20162020
ReplacesTeamViewer, CitrixTeamViewer, ngrok

What are Apache Guacamole Lite and RPort?

Apache Guacamole Lite

guacamole-lite is a lightweight Node.js implementation of the Guacamole protocol server, enabling clientless RDP, VNC, and SSH access through the browser. Developers embed it to build custom remote-access portals.

  • Clientless RDP and VNC
  • Browser-based access
  • Embeddable library
  • WebSocket transport

RPort

RPort is an open-source remote management solution that lets you access and control servers and desktops behind firewalls. It provides tunnels, scripting, and a web UI.

  • Remote access behind firewalls
  • On-demand tunnels
  • Script execution at scale
  • Web management UI

Apache Guacamole Lite vs RPort: key differences

Apache Guacamole Lite is written in JavaScript, while RPort is built with Go. Licensing differs — MIT for Apache Guacamole Lite versus GPL-3.0 for RPort. Apache Guacamole Lite is the more established project (first released 2016), while RPort arrived in 2020. Apache Guacamole Lite has the considerably larger community, at 333 GitHub stars versus 21.

Why pick each one

Choose Apache Guacamole Lite if…

  • Lightweight alternative
  • Easy to integrate

Watch out for

  • Not a full product
  • Requires custom UI
Apache Guacamole Lite details

Choose RPort if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in Go
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
RPort details

Frequently asked questions

Is Apache Guacamole Lite or RPort better?

Neither is universally better. Apache Guacamole Lite has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Apache Guacamole Lite and RPort free and open-source?

Yes. Apache Guacamole Lite is licensed under MIT and RPort under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Apache Guacamole Lite and RPort with Docker?

Apache Guacamole Lite: yes. RPort: yes.

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