Sunshine vs Teleport
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?
Sunshine
Self-hosted game-stream host for Moonlight clients
VS
Teleport
Identity-aware access for infrastructure
| Feature | Sunshine | Teleport |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 39,962 | ★ 20,780 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | NVIDIA GameStream, Parsec | Cisco AnyConnect, AWS Systems Manager |
Why pick each one
Choose Sunshine if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 40k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Choose Teleport if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 20.8k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Sunshine or Teleport better?
Sunshine is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Teleport if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Sunshine and Teleport free and open-source?
Yes. Sunshine is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Teleport under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Sunshine and Teleport with Docker?
Sunshine: yes. Teleport: yes.