Open-source alternatives to Chisel

ngrok is a secure TCP tunneling proxy and API ingress controller that exposes local services to the public internet. It establishes a persistent connection between a local agent and a cloud-based gateway to route traffic to local ports without requiring firewall or router configuration changes. The project provides a global gateway for routing API traffic, which includes built-in support for rate limiting and authentication policy enforcement. It also functions as an IoT device gateway, enabling remote command execution and access control for embedded hardware via a cloud-to-device bridge. A

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

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

Octelium is a zero-trust network access platform and identity-aware proxy designed to secure private HTTP, SSH, and SQL resources. It functions as a secure gateway that validates human and workload identities using OIDC, SAML, and FIDO2 passkeys before granting access to internal applications and SaaS APIs. The system is distinguished by its secretless access broker, which injects credentials—such as API keys, passwords, and AWS Sigv4 signatures—at the gateway level so users can access databases and cloud resources without managing secrets. It further specializes in AI gateway administration,

Shadowsocks-android is a secure tunneling application and SOCKS5 proxy client for Android. It routes device network traffic through a Shadowsocks proxy server to encrypt data, mask the user's internet origin, and bypass network restrictions. The client functions as an Android VPN service, creating a virtual network interface to intercept and redirect all outgoing device traffic. It supports the integration of external binary plugins to extend tunnel capabilities with custom transport protocols and traffic obfuscation methods. The project manages network routing through a local SOCKS5 server

udp2raw is a network tunneling tool designed to bypass firewalls and obfuscate UDP traffic. It wraps UDP packets in alternative headers and utilizes raw socket networking to move data through networks that otherwise block or throttle UDP traffic. The project distinguishes itself by simulating TCP connections, mimicking the three-way handshake and sequence numbering to trick firewalls into treating UDP streams as TCP traffic. It further stabilizes these connections through heartbeat-driven port rotation, which automatically switches ports to recover sessions after detected failures. The tool

Bore is a TCP tunneling tool and localhost exposure utility used to route local TCP ports to public IP addresses. It functions as a TCP port forwarder that makes services running on a local machine accessible over the internet via a remote listener. The project includes a secure tunnel server implementation that manages incoming connections and routes traffic to connected local clients. It utilizes shared secret handshakes to authorize tunnel creation and restrict access to authorized users. The system provides capabilities for firewall bypass networking and remote tunnel hosting. It manages

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

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

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

nps is an intranet penetration proxy server that exposes internal network services to the public internet via secure TCP and UDP tunnels. It functions as a traffic forwarder and reverse proxy, enabling external access to local services, remote desktops, and internal APIs. The project is distinguished by a centralized web-based administration interface used to configure tunnels, manage user accounts, and monitor real-time bandwidth metrics. It supports domain-based request routing and provides a mechanism to secure public services using HTTPS encryption through digital certificates. The syste

libhv is a high-performance C/C++ network library and event-driven I/O framework used to build TCP, UDP, SSL, HTTP, WebSocket, and MQTT clients and servers. It provides a non-blocking event loop for managing network sockets, timers, and system signals across multiple threads. The project is distinguished by its integrated support for specialized network roles, including a full HTTP web server with RESTful routing and middleware, an MQTT messaging client for IoT communication, and the ability to implement SOCKS5 and HTTP proxies. It also features a reliable UDP implementation to ensure ordered

NetBird is a zero-trust networking platform that builds secure, encrypted peer-to-peer overlay networks using the WireGuard protocol. It functions as a software-defined perimeter, connecting distributed infrastructure across cloud environments and physical locations while hiding network resources from the public internet. By integrating with external identity providers, the platform enforces granular access control and identity-based segmentation for every user and device. The platform distinguishes itself through extensive automation and programmatic management capabilities. It provides a ce

This project is a community-curated directory of open-source software designed for deployment in private server environments and home labs. It serves as a comprehensive resource for discovering independent, self-hosted alternatives to mainstream cloud services, enabling users to maintain full data ownership and control over their digital infrastructure. The directory is structured through a hierarchical taxonomy that organizes a vast collection of applications into logical categories, ranging from media management and data analytics to private communication and team productivity tools. It dis

Claude Code Templates is a comprehensive framework for orchestrating specialized AI agents and automating development workflows within local environments. It provides a structured system for defining, configuring, and deploying AI personas that handle specific technical tasks, ranging from backend architecture and frontend implementation to security auditing and infrastructure management. The project distinguishes itself through a configuration-driven approach that allows teams to standardize development environments and share reusable agent definitions across projects. It includes a robust C

Memcached is a high-performance, distributed, in-memory key-value storage and request routing engine. It functions as a volatile data store designed to accelerate dynamic applications by caching objects in RAM, thereby reducing backend database load and providing sub-millisecond response times. The system utilizes a specialized architecture that organizes memory into fixed-size slabs to minimize fragmentation and maximize throughput for high-concurrency workloads. The project distinguishes itself through a multi-threaded, lock-friendly design that scales across CPU cores and supports complex

This project provides a containerized DNS sinkhole and network-wide traffic filtering solution. It functions as a central network resolver that intercepts domain queries, allowing users to block advertisements, trackers, and malicious domains by returning null responses to connected devices. The platform distinguishes itself through its integrated DHCP server and comprehensive management capabilities, which allow for automated IP address allocation and granular control over network traffic. It supports complex filtering through regular expression matching, hierarchical rule prioritization, an

Mealie is a self-hosted recipe management platform designed for personal data ownership and household meal planning. It functions as a digital kitchen assistant that allows users to import, organize, and digitize culinary content from websites, images, and videos into a structured, searchable database. The application supports multi-user collaboration through household management, enabling shared access to recipes and meal plans while maintaining distinct permissions. The platform distinguishes itself through extensive automation and integration capabilities. It features a programmatic interf

A Rust port of shadowsocks

Awesome Tunneling is a curated directory of technologies designed to facilitate secure connectivity between distributed devices and local services. It serves as a comprehensive resource for identifying tools that enable remote access, private network creation, and the exposure of local environments to the public internet. The collection focuses on solutions that bypass network address translation and firewall restrictions through techniques such as reverse proxy tunneling, overlay network infrastructure, and peer-to-peer connectivity. It categorizes resources based on their ability to establi

goflyway is an encrypted traffic relay and HTTP TCP tunneling proxy. It encapsulates TCP traffic within HTTP POST or WebSocket requests to bypass restrictive firewalls and network proxies. The system provides a SOCKS5 proxy server that routes traffic via a WebSocket relay and includes a UDP over TCP tunnel to enable transport across networks that block UDP traffic. It also functions as a TCP traffic interceptor for capturing and inspecting data passing through relayed connections. Capabilities cover network tunneling and traffic proxying through various transport protocols, including HTTP PO

Vibetunnel is a remote shell infrastructure project consisting of a headless terminal server, a remote shell manager, and a web-based terminal proxy. It provides the backend and connectivity tools necessary to execute processes on cloud instances and stream the resulting output to a web browser. The system distinguishes itself through secure tunneling connectivity and real-time terminal state synchronization. It uses encrypted tunnels to expose local shell environments to the internet and includes a terminal session recorder to capture activity in a playback-ready format for sharing and revie

This project is a censorship circumvention tool and transparent proxy gateway designed to bypass local network restrictions. It functions as a SOCKS5 proxy server, a DNS tunneling tool, and a network traffic obfuscator to help users access blocked websites. The software implements masking protocols to hide the origin and destination of data to evade restrictive firewalls. It provides capabilities for network traffic obfuscation and secure DNS tunneling to protect network privacy and resolve blocked domains. The system handles wide-scale traffic management by intercepting system network traff

ShadowsocksR Android Client is an Android VPN application and secure proxy client designed to route mobile network traffic through an external server. Its primary purpose is to encrypt data and bypass internet restrictions and censorship on Android devices. The application establishes secure tunnels using the ShadowsocksR protocol to mask network activity and maintain privacy. It functions by masking traffic and encrypting data between the mobile device and a remote proxy server to circumvent regional firewalls and connectivity blocks. The software implements a system-level network wrapper u

libp2p is a modular peer-to-peer networking stack designed for building decentralized applications. It provides the core infrastructure necessary for nodes to discover and connect with other participants across a network without relying on central servers. The project distinguishes itself through a flexible transport layer that abstracts multiple protocols, including TCP, QUIC, WebSockets, and WebTransport, into a single interface. It features specialized tools for NAT and firewall traversal, such as hole punching and relay nodes, to establish direct connections between peers and web browsers

Oblivion is an encrypted tunneling service and internet privacy tool designed to route network traffic through private encrypted tunnels. It functions as a network privacy gateway that masks user identity and encrypts web traffic to prevent tracking and unauthorized surveillance. The project acts as a secure network proxy that combines end-to-end encryption with latency-optimized routing to increase data throughput and reduce network lag. This infrastructure allows for the masking of a device's public identity by relaying connections through a private network. The system provides capabilitie