Best Self-Hosted Secure Tunnels in 2026
Tools for creating secure, encrypted tunnels to expose local services or connect networks over the internet.
The top-rated pick is NetBird with 26,361 GitHub stars.
3 self-hosted secure tunnels — ranked by GitHub stars. Browse all
NetBird
Self-hostable, zero-trust overlay network that combines a WireGuard-based mesh VPN with SSO, MFA, and granular access controls.
Pangolin
Self-hosted identity-aware reverse proxy that securely exposes private services via encrypted tunnels without opening inbound ports.
Cloudflare
Proxly
A self-hosted tunneling tool — like ngrok, but on your own domain. Expose local dev servers through subdomains on your VPS.
ngrokWhy self-host?
Self-hosting puts you in control. You own your data, avoid vendor lock-in, and eliminate recurring subscription costs. For teams handling sensitive data or operating under strict compliance requirements, running your own infrastructure is often the only viable option.