For a self-hosted Cloudflare Tunnel alternative, the first results are rapiz1/rathole, go-gost/gost (Gost is a self-hosted multi-protocol tunnel and proxy server that supports automatic TLS/SSL, reverse tunneling, authentication, multi-service routing, WebSocket, and a web management dashboard, making it a comprehensive self-hosted alternative to Cloudflare Tunnel) and erebe/wstunnel. fosrl/pangolin and fatedier/frp round out the shortlist. Compare the match explanations and check the project documentation against your requirements.
Open-source tools for securely exposing local services to the internet without relying on third-party cloud tunnels.
Rathole is a high-performance reverse proxy and NAT traversal tool written in Rust. It functions as a secure tunneling server and client architecture designed to expose local services to the internet by forwarding traffic from a public IP to a private device behind a firewall. The system establishes encrypted tunnels between a public server and a private host to ensure private communication. It utilizes token-based authentication to validate identities between the server and client for each individual service. The project provides TCP and UDP port forwarding and manages private tunnels to fa
Rathole is a self-hosted reverse proxy and tunneling tool written in Rust that creates encrypted tunnels to expose local services to the internet, using token-based authentication and supporting TCP/UDP forwarding, but it lacks a web management UI and may not provide automatic TLS or WebSocket support out of the box.
Gost is a Go-based network tunnel and multi-protocol proxy server. It functions as a gateway for routing TCP and UDP traffic, creating secure network tunnels between remote endpoints, and acting as a DNS proxy server to resolve domain name queries. The project is distinguished by its ability to implement multi-hop proxy chaining, which links multiple network nodes in a sequence to route traffic through specific paths. It also provides transparent proxying by integrating with virtual network interfaces to intercept system-level traffic without requiring manual client configuration. The system
Gost is a self-hosted multi-protocol tunnel and proxy server that supports automatic TLS/SSL, reverse tunneling, authentication, multi-service routing, WebSocket, and a web management dashboard, making it a comprehensive self-hosted alternative to Cloudflare Tunnel.
wstunnel is a tool that tunnels arbitrary TCP traffic through WebSocket connections, enabling communication across restrictive firewalls and proxies. It operates as both a client and server, encapsulating TCP data within WebSocket binary frames and multiplexing multiple connections over a single WebSocket link. The tool supports mutual TLS authentication, requiring clients to present signed certificates for verification before establishing a tunnel, and provides shared secret access control and tunnel forwarding restrictions for additional security. The project distinguishes itself by offerin
wstunnel is a self-hosted reverse-tunnel tool that securely exposes local TCP services over WebSocket, with built-in TLS authentication and access control—exactly the kind of tunnelling solution you're looking for, though it lacks a web management UI and explicit multi-service routing.
Pangolin is a zero-trust remote access platform designed to provide secure, identity-aware connectivity to private network resources. It functions as a cloud-native network controller that orchestrates encrypted tunnels, traffic routing, and access policies across distributed environments. By leveraging WireGuard for secure data transport, the platform enables authenticated access to internal web applications, terminal sessions, and remote desktops without exposing services to the public internet. The platform distinguishes itself through a declarative infrastructure model that synchronizes n
Pangolin is a self-hosted zero-trust remote access platform that uses WireGuard to create encrypted tunnels exposing local services without public internet exposure, with automatic TLS via Let's Encrypt, identity-aware access control (OIDC/SSO), and a web management UI — exactly the self-hosted Cloudflare Tunnel alternative this search asks for.
This project is a high-performance reverse proxy designed to expose local services to the internet. It provides a comprehensive suite of tools for managing network traffic, including support for TCP and UDP stream multiplexing, connection pooling, and load balancing across proxy instances. The system facilitates secure communication through TLS encryption, data compression, and multiple authentication methods such as OpenID Connect, shared tokens, and basic password protection. The software offers granular control over HTTP traffic, enabling users to route requests based on subdomains or URL
frp is a self-hosted reverse proxy that securely tunnels local services to the internet with TLS, multiple authentication methods, and subdomain-based routing—exactly what you need for a private Cloudflare Tunnel alternative.
Rathole is a reverse proxy tunneling tool designed to expose local services behind firewalls and network address translation to the public internet. It functions as a secure tunneling infrastructure that enables remote access to private network resources without requiring manual router port forwarding configurations. The system utilizes a client-server architecture where a public-facing gateway coordinates with a private-network agent. It distinguishes itself by multiplexing multiple logical service connections through a single persistent TCP stream, which reduces the overhead of maintaining
Rathole is a self-hosted reverse proxy tunneling tool that exposes local services behind NAT without port forwarding, supporting multiplexing and encryption—exactly the secure tunnel this search asks for, though it lacks a web management UI and explicit WebSocket support.
Ziti is a zero-trust network overlay and identity-based mesh network. It provides a software-defined perimeter that replaces traditional IP-based routing and VPNs by mapping network services to cryptographically verified identities, effectively cloaking applications from the public internet. The project distinguishes itself through an outbound-only connection model that eliminates open listening ports and a Zero Trust SDK that allows developers to embed encryption and identity-based access control directly into application source code. It also provides transparent tunneling proxies to extend
Ziti is a self-hosted zero-trust overlay that creates secure outbound-only tunnels to expose local services, with built-in identity-based access control and automatic TLS—exactly the reverse-tunnel approach this search asks for, albeit as part of a broader mesh network.
reGeorg is an HTTP tunneling proxy and network tunneling tool designed to route network traffic to internal targets. It functions as a remote port forwarder that wraps socket communication within HTTP requests to bypass firewalls. The tool includes a SOCKS5 proxy server implementation that converts tunneled traffic into a usable interface. This allows external networking tools to route data through a remote host into restricted internal network boundaries. The project provides capabilities for network pivoting, including generic network tunneling and SOCKS proxy configuration to facilitate c
reGeorg is an HTTP tunneling proxy designed for network pivoting and bypassing firewalls during penetration testing, not a self-hosted reverse tunnel for securely exposing local services to the internet like Cloudflare Tunnel — it lacks automatic TLS, access control, multi-service routing, and a web management UI.
Caddy is an extensible, modular web server platform designed for high-performance traffic management and automated security. At its core, it functions as a dynamic HTTP gateway that handles request routing, static asset delivery, and reverse proxying through a chain of configurable handler modules. The system is built on a modular architecture that allows developers to extend server functionality by registering custom components, all managed through a unified lifecycle and provisioning framework. What distinguishes Caddy is its focus on automated infrastructure and zero-downtime operations. I
Caddy is a self-hostable web server and reverse proxy with automatic TLS, but its core function is serving web traffic rather than providing a dedicated reverse tunnel protocol like Cloudflare Tunnel, and it lacks a built-in web management UI and client-side tunnel agent.
Localtunnel is an HTTP tunneling service that exposes local development servers to the public internet. By creating secure tunnels with temporary public URLs, it allows developers to route incoming internet traffic directly to a web server running on a local machine. The service provides predictable or custom subdomains to facilitate remote collaboration and testing of local applications. It functions as a localhost proxy server, enabling users to receive and inspect external webhook payloads directly within a local environment during the development lifecycle. The platform manages traffic t
LocalTunnel provides reverse HTTP tunneling to expose local servers publicly, but it is primarily a service (not a self-hosted appliance) and lacks the access control, multi-service routing, and web management UI that a self-hosted Cloudflare Tunnel alternative would offer.
Argosbx is an automated deployment script and multi-protocol proxy manager designed to expose local services to the internet using Cloudflare Argo tunnels. It functions as a tool for installing and configuring network tunneling kernels, including Sing-box and Xray, to create secure proxies and bypass network restrictions without the need for open firewall ports. The project distinguishes itself by providing a proxy subscription generator that creates formatted and password-protected URLs for syncing configurations across client devices. It also manages diverse tunneling protocols, such as VLE
This tool manages Cloudflare Argo tunnels and multi-protocol proxies, but it depends on Cloudflare’s infrastructure rather than providing a fully self-hosted tunnel under your own control, so it’s a related proxy-manager rather than a standalone self-hosted reverse-tunnel solution.
SoftEtherVPN is a multi-protocol virtual private network server that provides secure remote access and site-to-site connectivity. It functions as a virtual network gateway, enabling encrypted communication across public internet connections while supporting both Layer 2 Ethernet bridging and Layer 3 IP routing to manage traffic between connected devices. The platform is designed to maintain connectivity in restrictive network environments by bypassing firewalls and NAT devices through techniques such as HTTPS, ICMP, and DNS-based tunneling. It eliminates the requirement for static public IP a
SoftEtherVPN is a multi-protocol VPN server for secure remote network access, not a dedicated reverse tunnel tool that exposes local services to the internet via public URLs, so it lacks the core reverse-proxy and service-exposure features this search requires.
| Repository | Stars | Language | License | Last push |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rapiz1/rathole | 13.8K | Rust | Apache-2.0 | |
| go-gost/gost | 7K | Go | MIT | |
| erebe/wstunnel |
| 6.4K |
| Rust |
| bsd-3-clause |
| fosrl/pangolin | 21.3K | TypeScript | NOASSERTION |
| fatedier/frp | 107.4K | Go | Apache-2.0 |
| rathole-org/rathole | 12.8K | Rust | apache-2.0 |
| openziti/ziti | 3.9K | Go | apache-2.0 |
| sensepost/regeorg | 3.2K | Python | other |
| caddyserver/caddy | 73.5K | Go | Apache-2.0 |
| localtunnel/localtunnel | 22.4K | JavaScript | MIT |