OpenConnect Server vs strongSwan
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | OpenConnect Server | strongSwan |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 600 | ★ 2,987 |
| First released | 2013 | 2005 |
| Replaces | Cisco AnyConnect | Cisco AnyConnect |
What are OpenConnect Server and strongSwan?
OpenConnect Server
ocserv is an open-source SSL VPN server that implements the OpenConnect protocol and is compatible with Cisco AnyConnect clients. It supports multiple authentication backends.
- AnyConnect-compatible
- Multiple auth backends
- Low resource use
- Per-user configuration
strongSwan
strongSwan is a complete IPsec implementation for Linux and other platforms supporting IKEv1 and IKEv2 key exchange. It is widely used for site-to-site and remote access VPNs.
- Full IPsec implementation
- IKEv1 and IKEv2 support
- Certificate-based auth
- Cross-platform
OpenConnect Server vs strongSwan: key differences
Both projects are written in C. StrongSwan is the more established project (first released 2005), while OpenConnect Server arrived in 2013. StrongSwan has the considerably larger community, at 2,987 GitHub stars versus 600. OpenConnect Server lists first-class Docker deployment; strongSwan does not.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenConnect Server if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose strongSwan if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenConnect Server or strongSwan better?
Neither is universally better. strongSwan has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OpenConnect Server and strongSwan free and open-source?
Yes. OpenConnect Server is licensed under GPL-2.0 and strongSwan under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenConnect Server and strongSwan with Docker?
OpenConnect Server: yes. strongSwan: check the project docs for container support.