SSHPiper 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 | SSHPiper | Warpgate |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,321 | ★ 7,960 |
| First released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Teleport | Teleport |
What are SSHPiper and Warpgate?
SSHPiper
SSHPiper is a reverse proxy for SSH that routes incoming connections to different upstream servers based on the username. It centralizes SSH access through a single endpoint with pluggable routing.
- SSH reverse proxy routing
- Username-based upstreams
- Pluggable routing backends
- Single SSH entry point
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
SSHPiper vs Warpgate: key differences
SSHPiper is written in Go, while Warpgate is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for SSHPiper versus Apache-2.0 for Warpgate. SSHPiper is the more established project (first released 2015), while Warpgate arrived in 2021. Warpgate has the considerably larger community, at 7,960 GitHub stars versus 1,321.
Why pick each one
Choose SSHPiper if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
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 SSHPiper 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 SSHPiper and Warpgate free and open-source?
Yes. SSHPiper is licensed under MIT and Warpgate under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SSHPiper and Warpgate with Docker?
SSHPiper: yes. Warpgate: yes.