rustunnel vs FRP — Managed Cloud vs Self-Hosted Tunneling Compared

frp is one of the most popular open-source reverse proxy tools for exposing local servers behind NATs and firewalls. With over 100k GitHub stars, a Go codebase, and support for TCP, UDP, HTTP, HTTPS, and even P2P connections, it's the default choice for developers who want full control over their tunnel infrastructure.

But frp is purely self-hosted — you need to provision a server, manage configuration files, handle TLS certificates, and maintain the infrastructure yourself. rustunnel takes a different approach: it offers the same open-source self-hosting option, but also provides a managed cloud service where you pay only for the bandwidth you use.

Here's how the two compare — and why the managed vs self-hosted distinction matters more than you might think.

The Core Difference: Managed Cloud vs Pure Self-Host

This isn't just a pricing distinction — it's an operational one. With frp, you are the operator. You provision the VPS, you run the frps binary, you configure frpc on every client, you manage TLS certificates, and you handle downtime. There is no managed option.

rustunnel gives you a choice: use the managed cloud at rustunnel.com and skip infrastructure entirely, or deploy the open-source server on your own VPS. The same client binary works with both.

The operational overhead of self-hosting frp is often underestimated. Beyond the initial setup, you're responsible for OS patches, certificate renewals, DNS propagation, server monitoring, and failover. For a single developer this is manageable. For a team, it becomes an operational burden that distracts from building product.

Feature Comparison

frp has a broader protocol surface — it supports UDP forwarding, P2P connections via xtcp, built-in load balancing, and Prometheus metrics. These are legitimate advantages for infrastructure-heavy use cases like exposing game servers, DNS services, or clustering multiple backends.

rustunnel focuses on doing HTTP, TCP, and WebSocket tunneling exceptionally well, with a managed cloud option that eliminates operational overhead entirely.

Pricing: What Self-Hosting Really Costs

frp is free software, but "free" doesn't mean zero cost. Running a frp server requires a VPS with a public IP. Here's what that actually looks like:

The managed rustunnel service at $3/month minimum (covering 30 GB of bandwidth) is competitive with the VPS cost alone — and you get automatic TLS, multi-region routing, a web dashboard, API key management, and billing with spend caps included. No server to patch, no certificates to renew, no monitoring to configure.

For self-hosters: If you already have a VPS or need full control, both frp and rustunnel's self-hosted option are free. The difference is in developer experience — rustunnel's self-hosted server uses a single init command with automatic Let's Encrypt, while frp requires more manual configuration.

Architecture Comparison

Both tools use a client-server architecture with a control connection and data forwarding, but the implementations differ significantly.

The key architectural difference: frp opens separate TCP connections for each proxy between frpc and frps, while rustunnel multiplexes all tunnel traffic over a single WebSocket connection. For a handful of tunnels this doesn't matter much. At scale — or on metered connections — the multiplexing advantage becomes tangible.

Configuration: Config Files vs CLI

frp's configuration model is file-based. You write TOML, YAML, or JSON configs for both the server and client, defining each proxy as a separate block. This gives you fine-grained control but adds setup friction.

# frpc.toml
serverAddr = "x.x.x.x"
serverPort = 7000
 
[[proxies]]
name = "web"
type = "http"
localPort = 8080
customDomains = ["app.example.com"]
 
[[proxies]]
name = "api"
type = "tcp"
localPort = 3000
remotePort = 6000

rustunnel's managed mode skips config files entirely. You use the CLI:

rustunnel http 3000
# → https://random-subdomain.eu.edge.rustunnel.com
 
rustunnel tcp 5432
# → tcp://eu.edge.rustunnel.com:XXXXX

The self-hosted rustunnel server does use a config file (~/.rustunnel/config.yml), but the client experience remains the same — one command per tunnel, or rustunnel start to launch all configured tunnels.

When to Use frp

frp is the better choice when:

• You need UDP forwarding (game servers, DNS, custom protocols)
• You want P2P connections between clients (xtcp mode)
• You need load balancing across multiple backends
• You require Prometheus metrics for observability
• You already have a VPS and prefer full manual control over every aspect
• You're building infrastructure where the tunnel server is one component in a larger system

frp's feature set is broader, and its maturity (100k+ stars, years of development) means it's battle-tested in production environments with complex requirements.

When to Use rustunnel

rustunnel is the better choice when:

• You want a managed cloud option — no server to provision, no certificates to manage
• You prefer pay-as-you-go billing over flat monthly VPS costs
• You need automatic TLS and subdomain provisioning out of the box
• You want multi-region routing without running servers in multiple data centers
• You're working with AI agents (MCP, Claude Code, OpenClaw)
• You want the option to self-host later without changing tools

The managed cloud option is the killer feature. If your time is worth more than $5/month — and it almost certainly is — rustunnel's managed service eliminates an entire class of operational work.

Getting Started

Install rustunnel and create your first tunnel in under a minute:

brew tap joaoh82/rustunnel
brew install rustunnel
rustunnel setup
rustunnel http 3000

The Hobby plan is free (2 tunnels, random subdomains). The pay-as-you-go plan starts at $3/month. Or deploy the self-hosted server on your own infrastructure — it's free forever.

# Self-host on any VPS
curl -fsSL https://install.rustunnel.dev | sh
rustunnel-server init --domain tunnel.yourdomain.com
rustunnel-server start --tls --email admin@yourdomain.com

Check out the documentation for the full setup guide, or explore the source code on GitHub.