Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

sshuttle VS Oso

Compare sshuttle VS Oso and see what are their differences

sshuttle logo sshuttle

sshuttle: where transparent proxy meets VPN meets ssh

Oso logo Oso

A batteries-included system for authorization.
  • sshuttle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-04
  • Oso Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16

Drop Oso Cloud into your apps to quickly add roles, sharing, fine-grained access, or any other access model you can think of.

sshuttle

Website
github.com
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-

Oso

Website
osohq.com
$ Details
free
Platforms
Python Rust JavaScript Node JS Ruby Go

sshuttle features and specs

  • Simplicity
    sshuttle is easy to set up and use, requiring minimal configuration. It leverages SSH, a tool that many are already familiar with.
  • No Root Access Required
    sshuttle can be used without root access on the client side, making it accessible in environments where administrative privileges are restricted.
  • Cross-Platform
    sshuttle works on multiple operating systems including Linux and macOS, providing flexibility in different environments.
  • Compatibility
    As it operates at the IP level, sshuttle can work with any program and command-line tools that interact over TCP/IP without requiring any changes.
  • Security
    Utilizes SSH's encryption mechanisms, ensuring data is securely tunneled between the client and the server.

Possible disadvantages of sshuttle

  • Performance
    While convenient, sshuttle may not perform as well as more specialized VPN solutions, especially under heavy network load.
  • Limited Features
    Compared to dedicated VPN software, sshuttle lacks advanced features such as traffic shaping, advanced logging, and fine-grained access controls.
  • No UDP Support
    sshuttle primarily supports TCP, and has limited support for UDP, which may be a drawback for applications that rely heavily on UDP.
  • Dependency on SSH Servers
    Requires a functional SSH server at the remote end, which may not always be feasible or permitted in all network configurations.
  • Complex Networks
    Handling complex network environments may get tricky. More sophisticated routing configurations or VPN setups can better manage such cases.

Oso features and specs

  • Declarative policy language
    Oso provides a declarative policy language called Polar that allows developers to write clear and concise authorization policies, making it easier to manage and understand access control rules.
  • Integrations
    Oso integrates easily with popular frameworks and languages, offering flexibility for developers to incorporate authorization functionality within their existing tech stack.
  • Fine-grained access control
    Oso supports fine-grained access control, enabling developers to specify precise permissions at various levels, such as user, role, and resource, enhancing security and customization.
  • Community and support
    Oso has an active community and provides resources such as documentation, guides, and support channels, helping developers with implementation and troubleshooting.
  • Policy simulation and testing
    Oso offers policy simulation and testing tools, allowing developers to test and validate authorization policies before deploying them in production environments.

Possible disadvantages of Oso

  • Learning curve
    Oso's Polar language may have a learning curve for developers unfamiliar with declarative policy languages, requiring time and effort to become proficient.
  • Complexity in large systems
    Managing authorization in very large systems can become complex with Oso, especially if the policies require extensive customization and fine-tuning.
  • Potential performance overhead
    Depending on how Oso is integrated and used, there may be some performance overhead, particularly in systems with high traffic and extensive authorization checks.
  • Limited offline usage
    Oso primarily functions as a cloud-based solution, which may limit its usage in environments requiring full offline operations or on-premise deployments.

Analysis of sshuttle

Overall verdict

  • sshuttle is generally considered a good and reliable tool for securely tunneling traffic. It is suitable for users who need an easy way to bypass firewalls and access remote networks securely without the complexity of traditional VPNs.

Why this product is good

  • sshuttle is a popular tool because it combines the simplicity of SSH tunneling with the transparency of a VPN, allowing users to forward traffic easily over an SSH connection. It is particularly appreciated for its ability to overcome restrictive firewalls and provide secure access to resources without needing root privileges (on the client side) or requiring a VPN setup on the server.

Recommended for

  • Developers and system administrators who need to access office or remote networks securely.
  • Users who need to bypass firewalls or restrictive network conditions.
  • People seeking a simpler alternative to VPNs, especially when working with SSH-accessible servers.
  • Individuals who require a temporary or lightweight solution for secure network access.

sshuttle videos

Hak5 1224.1, SShuttle and Linux Talk

More videos:

  • Review - Hak5 1224.2, SShuttle and Linux Talk
  • Review - Hak5 1224.3, SShuttle and Linux Talk

Oso videos

OSO Vintage Style Chronograph 70's Style Watch Review

More videos:

  • Review - $300 For A Super Functional Retro Chronograph! (OSO Orbit Chronograph Review)
  • Review - The 70s With A Twist! - OSO Orbit Hybrid Chronograph Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to sshuttle and Oso)
VPN
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
Security
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using sshuttle and Oso. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, sshuttle should be more popular than Oso. It has been mentiond 29 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

sshuttle mentions (29)

View more

Oso mentions (7)

  • How We Think About Securing Express.js APIs in 2024
    When the third case starts popping up, that's when an authorization provider like Oso or Permit.io starts to sound appealing. Centralized, easily readable authorization logic combined with easy queries for "what users are allowed to perform this action?" sounds great when your authorization logic starts to get a bit too complex. And we're finding a few cases where our authorization logic is getting too hard to... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Solution for ReBAC authz using attributes?
    I know of warrant.dev, osohq.com, and Ory Keto but I don't see that these evaluate based on attributes. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Authorization Framework + Data Filtering
    Oso supports applying authorization logic at the ORM layer so that you can efficiently authorize entire data sets. For example, suppose you have millions of posts in a social media application created by thousands of users, and regular users are only authorized to view posts from their friends. It would be inefficient to fetch all of the posts and authorize them one by one. It would be much more efficient to... Source: almost 5 years ago
  • Node Authorization Framework
    Oso's Node library now provides a configuration-based approach to adding role-based access control (RBAC) to your application. This new library speeds up the time it takes to build fine-grained permissions using roles and related patterns. Here are the docs + quickstart. Source: almost 5 years ago
  • AuthZ: Cartaโ€™s highly scalable permissions system
    > It's crazy this still is part of the stack where there are no great solutions. Seems like a few others have come to the same conclusion :) We're working on this at Oso (https://osohq.com) - I'm the CTO. Oso is an open source framework for authorization. Policies can reference application directly, so any authorization decisions can be made dynamically based on the data. And your data doesn't need to leave your... - Source: Hacker News / about 5 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing sshuttle and Oso, you can also consider the following products

Advanced Onion Router - Team Elite - Our work - Advanced Onion Router

Cerbos - Cerbos helps teams separate their authorization process from their core application code, making their authorization system more scalable, more secure and easier to change as the application evolves.

Outline by Alphabet - Control and build your own VPN ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ

authzed - The platform to store, compute, and validate app permissions

Mozilla VPN - A VPN from the trusted pioneer in internet privacy.

Aserto - Fine-grained, scalable authorization in minutes