Warpgate vs. StrongDM§
Warpgate and StrongDM both give you audited, authenticated access to internal infrastructure — but one you run yourself and one you rent. StrongDM is a polished commercial platform delivered as a SaaS control plane, with gateways you run and a client on every user's machine. Warpgate is a self-hosted, open-source bastion that runs entirely in your own infrastructure, with no client and no dependency on anyone else's cloud. If keeping the control plane in your own hands — and your costs flat — matters, that's the heart of the difference.
Note
StrongDM is a commercial product that evolves quickly; specific features, protocol coverage and pricing change over time. Treat the details below as a good-faith orientation, last verified July 2026, and check the StrongDM documentation for its current offering.
At a glance§
| Warpgate | StrongDM | |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Self-hosted: a single Rust binary + a database | SaaS control plane (StrongDM-hosted) + self-run gateways/relays |
| Where the control plane runs | Your infrastructure | StrongDM's cloud — the control plane is not self-hostable |
| Agents on targets | None | None on the targets, but gateways/relays to run |
| Client software | None — users keep their normal ssh, mysql, psql, kubectl, browser or RDP/VNC client |
The StrongDM desktop client / CLI is required on each user's machine |
| Protocols | SSH, HTTP(S), MySQL, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, RDP, VNC | Broad: SSH, RDP, Kubernetes, many databases, websites, and cloud APIs |
| Authentication | Password, SSH public key, OTP (TOTP), SSO via OIDC, client certificates, in-browser approval | SSO via your IdP (SAML/OIDC), with MFA delegated to the IdP |
| Session recording & audit | Every protocol, replayable | Broad and a core strength: SSH, RDP, Kubernetes and database sessions |
| In-browser access | SSH, RDP, VNC and HTTP | None — sessions run through the StrongDM client |
| Self-service / JIT access | Tickets and self-service ticket requests with admin approval | Access workflows (just-in-time requests with approval) |
| Language | Rust | Go (proprietary) |
| Licensing & cost | Apache-2.0, free, fully self-hosted | Proprietary, commercial — per-user subscription, no free or open-source tier |
Philosophy§
Warpgate is a self-hosted, transparent proxy. Everything — the control plane, the data plane, your access logs and recordings — lives in your infrastructure. Users connect with the tools they already have, and every capability is in the open-source build. There is no third party in the path and no per-seat bill.
StrongDM is a managed access platform. It is genuinely polished and broad: a large catalogue of databases and cloud resources, strong audit and compliance tooling, and a smooth admin experience. The trade-offs are that the control plane runs in StrongDM's cloud (you can't host it yourself), every user needs the StrongDM client installed, and it's a proprietary, per-user subscription rather than something you own.
Where your control plane and data live§
This is the defining difference. With StrongDM, configuration and the coordination layer are hosted in StrongDM's SaaS; you run gateways in your network, and can optionally keep target credentials in your own secret store, but the control plane itself is not something you operate. With Warpgate, all of it is yours — one binary and a database inside your own perimeter — which is often the deciding factor for air-gapped, sovereignty-sensitive, or simply SaaS-averse environments.
Session recording§
Both record broadly — this is an area where StrongDM is strong, and Warpgate matches it for the protocols it proxies while keeping it all in the free, self-hosted build.
| Protocol | Warpgate | StrongDM |
|---|---|---|
| SSH | ✅ terminal replay (+ per-command audit log) | ✅ terminal replay (+ per-command logs) |
| RDP | ✅ video | ✅ video (MP4 export) |
| Kubernetes | ✅ API calls + exec/attach replay |
✅ exec replay + kubectl/API logs |
| MySQL / PostgreSQL | ✅ query log | ✅ query log |
| HTTP / websites | ✅ session log | ✅ access logs |
| VNC | ✅ video | ❌ (not supported) |
Both can also ship recordings/audit to external object storage (Warpgate to S3; StrongDM via its log stream to S3/GCS/Azure).
In-browser access§
Warpgate includes browser-based clients for SSH, RDP, VNC and HTTP, so a user can reach a target from a laptop with nothing installed. StrongDM does not offer clientless browser access — its desktop client must be installed on each machine, and connections are then made with native tools through the client's local tunnel.
When Warpgate is the better choice§
- You want the control plane in your own infrastructure — air-gapped, sovereignty-sensitive, or simply not dependent on a third-party SaaS.
- You want open-source and free — every feature in the Apache-2.0 build, with no per-user subscription.
- You want users to connect with no client to install, and to reach targets from the browser.
- Your access needs are well covered by SSH, HTTP, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, RDP and VNC.
- Homelabs, small-to-medium teams, and self-hosting-first organisations.
When to reach for StrongDM§
- You want a fully managed experience and are happy for the control plane to live in a vendor's cloud.
- You need its very broad catalogue (many database engines, cloud APIs) and turnkey compliance reporting out of the box.
- You have budget for per-user pricing and prefer a commercial product with vendor support.
Summary§
StrongDM is a capable, broad, well-supported commercial platform — if you're comfortable with a SaaS control plane, a client on every machine, and per-seat pricing. Warpgate gives you a self-hosted, open-source, transparent gateway that records everything it proxies and keeps every part of the system — and every byte of audit data — inside your own infrastructure.
Ready to try it?