Next Terminal vs Warpgate
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Warpgate
Smart SSH, HTTPS and MySQL bastion host
| Feature | Next Terminal | Warpgate |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,646 | ★ 7,960 |
| First released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Apache Guacamole, Teleport | Teleport |
What are Next Terminal and Warpgate?
Next Terminal
Next Terminal is a self-hosted bastion host offering browser-based RDP, SSH, VNC and Telnet access with session recording and access control. It runs in Docker as a small set of services.
- Browser RDP/SSH/VNC
- Session recording
- Access control
- Self-hostable bastion
Warpgate
Warpgate is a smart, open-source bastion host for SSH, HTTPS, and MySQL that requires no client-side software. It records sessions and enforces multi-factor authentication.
- SSH, HTTPS, and MySQL bastion
- Session recording
- MFA support
- No client software needed
Next Terminal vs Warpgate: key differences
Next Terminal is written in TypeScript, while Warpgate is built with Rust. Warpgate is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Next Terminal.
Why pick each one
Choose Next Terminal if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.6k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Warpgate if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is Next Terminal or Warpgate better?
Neither is universally better. Warpgate has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Next Terminal and Warpgate free and open-source?
Yes. Next Terminal is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Warpgate under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Next Terminal and Warpgate with Docker?
Next Terminal: yes. Warpgate: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Next Terminal or Warpgate?
Warpgate has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Next Terminal. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.