RPort vs zrok
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
zrok
Open-source sharing platform built on OpenZiti
| Feature | RPort | zrok |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 0 · At risk | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21 | ★ 4,720 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | TeamViewer, ngrok | ngrok |
What are RPort and zrok?
RPort
RPort is an open-source remote management solution that lets you access and control servers and desktops behind firewalls. It provides tunnels, scripting, and a web UI.
- Remote access behind firewalls
- On-demand tunnels
- Script execution at scale
- Web management UI
zrok
zrok is an open-source peer-to-peer sharing platform built on the OpenZiti zero-trust network. It lets you share local web servers, files, and TCP services with public or private access.
- Public and private sharing
- Built on OpenZiti
- Self-hostable instances
- Frontend for web and TCP
RPort vs zrok: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for RPort versus Apache-2.0 for zrok. RPort is the more established project (first released 2020), while zrok arrived in 2022. Zrok has the considerably larger community, at 4,720 GitHub stars versus 21.
Why pick each one
Choose RPort if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose zrok if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is RPort or zrok better?
Neither is universally better. zrok has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are RPort and zrok free and open-source?
Yes. RPort is licensed under GPL-3.0 and zrok under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RPort and zrok with Docker?
RPort: yes. zrok: yes.