localtunnel vs rathole
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | localtunnel | rathole |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 52 · Fair | 75 · Good |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,486 | ★ 14,252 |
| First released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Replaces | ngrok | ngrok, frp |
What are localtunnel and rathole?
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
rathole
rathole is a secure, stable, and high-performance reverse proxy for NAT traversal written in Rust. It is a lightweight alternative to frp with a small binary and low memory use.
- NAT traversal tunneling
- Tiny memory footprint
- Noise protocol encryption
- High connection capacity
localtunnel vs rathole: key differences
Localtunnel is written in JavaScript, while rathole is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for localtunnel versus Apache-2.0 for rathole. Rathole 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 rathole arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose localtunnel if…
- Zero configuration
- Free public URLs
- Self-hostable server
Watch out for
- Public server unreliable
- Limited security controls
Choose rathole if…
- Tiny binary and memory use
- Simple TOML config
- Encrypted transport
Watch out for
- Fewer features than frp
- No web dashboard
Frequently asked questions
Is localtunnel or rathole better?
localtunnel is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider rathole if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are localtunnel and rathole free and open-source?
Yes. localtunnel is licensed under MIT and rathole under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run localtunnel and rathole with Docker?
localtunnel: yes. rathole: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, localtunnel or rathole?
rathole 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.