OpenVPN 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.
OpenVPN
Robust and flexible open-source VPN solution
VS
Teleport
Identity-aware access for infrastructure
| Feature | OpenVPN | Teleport |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,600 | ★ 20,936 |
| First released | 2001 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Cisco AnyConnect | Cisco AnyConnect, AWS Systems Manager |
What are OpenVPN and Teleport?
OpenVPN
OpenVPN is a mature, widely deployed VPN protocol and software supporting site-to-site and remote access connections. It uses SSL/TLS for key exchange and is highly configurable.
- Mature and battle-tested
- Site-to-site and remote access
- Highly configurable
- Strong TLS security
Teleport
Teleport is an open-source access platform that provides secure, identity-aware connectivity to SSH servers, Kubernetes clusters, databases, and web apps. It records sessions and enforces RBAC.
- SSH, Kubernetes, and DB access
- Session recording
- Identity-based RBAC
- Certificate-based auth
OpenVPN vs Teleport: key differences
OpenVPN is written in C, while Teleport is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for OpenVPN versus AGPL-3.0 for Teleport. OpenVPN is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Teleport. OpenVPN is the more established project (first released 2001), while Teleport arrived in 2016.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenVPN if…
- Battle-tested maturity
- Highly configurable
- Works through strict firewalls
Watch out for
- Complex configuration
- Slower than WireGuard
Choose Teleport if…
- Session recording and audit
- Covers SSH to databases
- Strong RBAC controls
Watch out for
- Complex to operate
- Some features enterprise
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenVPN or Teleport better?
Neither is universally better. Teleport has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OpenVPN and Teleport free and open-source?
Yes. OpenVPN is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Teleport under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenVPN and Teleport with Docker?
OpenVPN: yes. Teleport: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenVPN or Teleport?
OpenVPN has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Teleport. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.