Alternatives to bore
Forward a local TCP port through a remote server. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
bore
Forward a local TCP port through a remote server.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as bore.
frp
Reach private network services through a reverse proxy.
frp is an Apache-2.0 reverse proxy that also connects a client behind NAT to a reachable server, with more configuration to set up and protect exposed services.
Chisel
Fast TCP and UDP tunnel carried over HTTP and secured with SSH.
Chisel carries TCP and UDP over HTTP secured with SSH in a single binary, so it works through HTTP proxies and restrictive egress filtering.
Cloudflare Tunnel
Exposes a service on your machine to the internet through Cloudflare without opening a single port in your firewall.
Cloudflare Tunnel removes the need for your own server but requires a Cloudflare account and domain, and your traffic passes through Cloudflare.
ngrok
A tunnelling agent and gateway that exposes a local app to the internet with request inspection.
ngrok gives a public URL in one command with request inspection and no server to run, but it is closed source and routes traffic through its service.
wstunnel
Carry network traffic through a WebSocket tunnel.
wstunnel carries traffic through a WebSocket tunnel under BSD-3-Clause, which also requires configuring both ends and access controls.
Ligolo-ng
Tunnelling and pivoting tool that presents a real TUN interface.
Ligolo-ng presents a real TUN interface for pivoting during authorised security tests, rather than forwarding a single port, and needs elevated privileges on the operator machine.
Tunnelmole
An open-source tunneling tool that gives a server running on localhost a public HTTPS URL.
Tunnelmole gives a local port a public HTTPS URL with one command, is open source and optionally self-hostable, though Windows without WSL needs Node.js.
zrok
An open-source tunneling tool for sharing local services and files publicly or privately, built on OpenZiti.
zrok offers public or private tunnels and file sharing, hosted or self-hosted, but self-hosting involves running OpenZiti infrastructure and sharing requires an invite.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
socat
Multipurpose relay that connects almost any two data channels.
netcat
The original TCP and UDP swiss army knife.
No-IP
Dynamic DNS and managed DNS provider with free hostnames and paid plans for remote access.
Pinggy
A tunneling service that gives localhost a public URL over SSH, with a web debugger for traffic.
