Vauban review
A self-hosted gateway for browser access, MFA, policy control and session oversight.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Vauban is an open-source security bastion for organizations managing access to critical infrastructure, including enterprise, industrial and defense environments. It provides browser-based SSH terminal access and browser-based RDP access through a self-hosted deployment. SSH is one part of a broader gateway that also covers industrial protocol tunneling and recognition, credential storage, access governance, monitoring and auditing. The published platform support includes FreeBSD, macOS and Linux, with web and API access available alongside self-hosting.
Access control is a central strength. Vauban supports MFA with TOTP, HOTP and SSO integrations, including OIDC, SAML, LDAP, Active Directory and SMTP. Role-, group- and asset-based policies can be combined with access rules and just-in-time access. Session recording for SSH and RDP, audit logging, and real-time session and security monitoring give administrators visibility into activity. An encrypted vault stores SSH keys, passwords and certificates, which keeps access management within the same gateway rather than limiting the product to terminal connectivity.
The free, open-source model is suited to teams that want to deploy and manage the gateway on their own infrastructure. The official description also mentions optional subscriptions and professional services, while the product remains available under free open-source licensing. Vauban should appeal to organizations that need controlled browser access across SSH, RDP and industrial systems, especially where MFA, policy enforcement and recorded sessions matter. Teams seeking only a narrowly focused SSH server may find its wider gateway scope unnecessary, while organizations that prefer a vendor-hosted service should look elsewhere because deployment is self-hosted.
Vauban pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Browser-based SSH and RDP access with session recording
- MFA, SSO integrations and granular access policies
- Encrypted credential vault with industrial protocol tunneling
- Where it doesn't
- Self-hosted deployment requires organizational infrastructure
- Broader gateway scope may exceed a dedicated SSH server's needs
- Paid subscriptions and professional services are optional offerings
Vauban fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update