Headscale vs websockify
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?
Headscale
Open-source self-hosted Tailscale control server
VS
websockify
WebSocket-to-TCP bridge for browser remote access
| Feature | Headscale | websockify |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | LGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 42,612 | ★ 4,427 |
| First released | 2020 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Tailscale | proprietary remote gateways |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Headscale or websockify better?
Neither is universally better. Headscale has the larger community, while websockify is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Headscale and websockify free and open-source?
Yes. Headscale is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and websockify under LGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Headscale and websockify with Docker?
Headscale: yes. websockify: check the project docs for container support.