26 unstable releases (7 breaking)

Uses new Rust 2024

0.8.7 Jan 15, 2026
0.8.6 Dec 22, 2025
0.8.4 Oct 10, 2025
0.7.0 Jul 9, 2025
0.1.2 Nov 27, 2024

#1799 in Network programming

MIT license

610KB
14K SLoC

Sandhole

Github Actions workflow status Codecov crates.io version Github license

The Sandhole logo, with a crab partially inside a sand mound and the name "Sandhole" written in cursive beside them.

Expose HTTP/SSH/TCP services through SSH port forwarding. A self-hosted ngrok / Cloudflare Tunnels / localhost.run alternative.

Check out the Sandhole book for a full guide.

Features

  • Reverse proxy that just works with an OpenSSH client. No extra software required to beat NAT!
  • Automatic HTTPS support (with Agnos and ACME), including HTTP/2 support.
  • Easily load-balance by pointing multiple services to the same domain/port.
  • Bring your own custom domains and authorize them via DNS records for specific SSH keys.
  • Random subdomain assignment by default, with options for deterministic assignment.
  • Option to connect with SSH via the HTTPS port, if your network blocks outbound connections to SSH ports.
  • Security and performance features like quotas, rate limiting, timeouts, IP filtering, and more.
  • Many other configurable options, including toggling off whole modules.
  • A terminal-based admin interface to view and manage current connections.
  • Written in Rust, with comprehensive testing of most features.

Status

Sandhole is mostly feature-complete, but still receives occasional updates and fixes. Contributions are welcome, but try it in production at your own risk.

Some alternatives

  • sish - Main inspiration for this project. Written in Golang.
  • rlt - Uses localtunnel's protocol instead of SSH. Written in Rust.
  • wstunnel - Uses its WebSocket-based protocol instead of SSH. Written in Rust.
  • rathole - A highly configurable reverse proxy with NAT traversal and a great name. Written in Rust.
  • sshuttle - A smart proxy service, also based on SSH, that only needs Python in the server. Written in Python.

Dependencies

~125–175MB
~3.5M SLoC