sshforward vs Tailscale
sshforward and Tailscale both let you reach machines remotely, but they are built for different use cases. Tailscale creates a full virtual network between your devices. sshforward focuses on making individual machines reachable over SSH with minimal setup.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | sshforward | Tailscale |
|---|
| Install only on the target machine | ✓ | ✗ Needed on every device |
| Permanent machine name | ✓ myserver.alice | ✓ MagicDNS within Tailscale network |
| Connect without installing an app | ✓ CLI command or browser terminal | ✗ Tailscale app required on both sides |
| Survives reboots | ✓ Runs as a system service | ✓ |
| Full network access (all ports) | ✗ SSH-focused | ✓ All traffic |
| Web dashboard | ✓ Health, RAM, disk | ✓ |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser-based SSH terminal | ✓ Built-in | ✗ |
| End-to-end encrypted | ✓ | ✓ |
One Side vs Both Sides
Tailscale requires installing its app on every device that participates in the network. Both the machine you want to reach and the machine you connect from need the Tailscale client.
sshforward only needs to be installed on the machine you want to reach. To connect, you run a single command from any computer with an SSH client -- no app to install on the connecting side. You can also connect directly from the browser using the built-in SSH terminal, which means zero software required on the connecting device.
Simplicity vs Full Network
Tailscale gives you a full mesh network where all your devices can talk to each other over any protocol. This is powerful if you need to access file shares, databases, or other services across machines.
sshforward is built for a simpler use case: you have a machine, and you want to SSH into it from anywhere. One command to install, one command to connect. No network configuration, no device enrollment, no ACL policies to manage.
When to Choose What
Choose Tailscale if you need full network connectivity between many devices, or if you need to access services beyond SSH.
Choose sshforward if you want the simplest possible way to make a machine reachable over SSH, especially when you cannot or do not want to install software on the connecting device.
Get Started
Install sshforward on any machine with one command and connect from anywhere.
Create a free account to get started.