Headscale vs PyRDP
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
PyRDP
RDP monitoring, interception and connection library
| Feature | Headscale | PyRDP |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 42,612 | ★ 1,774 |
| First released | 2020 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Tailscale | Microsoft RDP Gateway |
Why pick each one
Choose PyRDP if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Headscale or PyRDP better?
Headscale is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider PyRDP if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Headscale and PyRDP free and open-source?
Yes. Headscale is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and PyRDP under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Headscale and PyRDP with Docker?
Headscale: yes. PyRDP: yes.