sshforward vs Reverse SSH Tunnel (DIY)
A reverse SSH tunnel is the classic way to make a machine behind a firewall reachable. You set up a connection from the target machine to a server with a public IP, and traffic flows back through that tunnel. sshforward automates this entire process and adds reliability on top.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | sshforward | DIY Reverse SSH Tunnel |
|---|
| Setup | ✓ One command: sudo sshforward.net install | ✗ SSH config, autossh, systemd scripts |
| Requires a public server | ✓ No | ✗ Yes, you need a VPS or similar |
| Permanent machine name | ✓ myserver.alice | ✗ Manual, via DNS or SSH config |
| Auto-reconnect on failure | ✓ Built in | ✗ Requires autossh or custom scripts |
| Survives reboots | ✓ Runs as a system service | ✗ Only with manual systemd/launchd setup |
| Web dashboard | ✓ Health, RAM, disk | ✗ |
| Port management | ✓ Automatic | ✗ Manual, must track port assignments |
| Browser-based SSH terminal | ✓ Built-in | ✗ |
| End-to-end encrypted | ✓ | ✓ |
One Command vs Dozens of Config Lines
A typical DIY reverse tunnel setup involves: renting a VPS, configuring SSH keys, writing an SSH command with the right port forwarding flags, wrapping it in autossh for reconnection, writing a systemd unit to start it on boot, and managing port numbers across machines. That is a lot of moving parts that can break silently.
sshforward replaces all of that with:
sudo sshforward.net install
Your machine gets a name, connects to the relay automatically, and stays online across reboots and network changes.
No Server to Maintain
With a DIY setup, you need a server with a public IP address to act as the relay. That server needs to be maintained, updated, and monitored. If it goes down, all your tunnels go down.
sshforward handles the relay infrastructure for you. There is no server to rent, patch, or worry about.
Visibility
With a DIY reverse tunnel, there is no easy way to check whether your machine is online without actually trying to connect. sshforward provides a web dashboard where you can see machine status, uptime, RAM usage, and disk space at a glance.
When to Choose What
Choose a DIY reverse tunnel if you enjoy the control, already have the infrastructure, and only need to connect one or two machines.
Choose sshforward if you want something that works reliably without maintenance, scales to multiple machines, and does not require you to manage a public server.
Get Started
Install sshforward on any machine with one command and connect from anywhere.
Create a free account to get started.