FreeRDP is an implementation of Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol comprising protocol libraries, client applications and supporting components. It is used both directly for connecting to RDP hosts and as the underlying RDP implementation in other remote desktop software.
The project follows the large RDP protocol family rather than implementing only basic screen and input forwarding. Its libraries cover authentication, graphics channels, device redirection and RemoteApp functionality, making FreeRDP useful to application developers as well as end users.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Provides Linux clients for making direct connections to systems exposing Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol services.
- Supports Network Level Authentication for authenticating before a complete graphical desktop session is created.
- Uses TLS for encrypted RDP connections where supported by the remote server.
- Provides clipboard redirection between the local and remote systems.
- Supports redirection of local drives, printers and smartcards into compatible remote sessions.
- Can redirect audio output and microphone input between local and remote systems.
- Supports camera and other RDP virtual-channel redirection capabilities.
- Handles multi-monitor configurations and dynamic changes to remote display dimensions.
- Implements modern RDP graphics pipelines and codecs used to reduce bandwidth requirements.
- Supports RemoteApp and RAIL functionality for displaying individual remote Windows applications rather than a complete desktop.
- Exposes reusable protocol libraries for software that needs to embed RDP client or server functionality.
Website: github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP
Support:
Developer: FreeRDP Project
License: Apache License 2.0
FreeRDP is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Remote Display Clients | |
|---|---|
| TigerVNC | Platform-neutral implementation of VNC |
| Remmina | GTK+/Gnome Remote Desktop Client |
| KRDC | Connect with RDP or VNC to another computer |
| X2Go | Fast terminal server suite based on NoMachine's NX libraries |
| RustDesk | Works out of the box with no configuration required |
| Veyon | Computer monitoring and classroom management |
| TurboVNC | TightVNC-compatible remote desktop software |
| FreeRDP | Remote Desktop Protocol Implementation |
| TightVNC | Client/server allowing remote network access to graphical desktops |
| noVNC | VNC client web application |
| Connections | Aims at replacing Vinagre as the remote desktop client for GNOME |
| Xpra | Multi-platform persistent remote display server with built-in HTML5 client |
| Guacamole | Clientless remote desktop gateway |
| Dayon! | Easy to use, cross-platform remote desktop assistance solution |
| RustConn | Connection orchestrator for Linux with a GTK4/Wayland-native interface |
| HopToDesk | Remote desktop tool with end-to-end encryption |
| Field Monitor | Remote desktop client designed for GNOME |
| Vinagre | VNC client for the Gnome Desktop |
| rdesktop | Client for Windows Terminal Services |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
| Remote Desktop Servers | |
|---|---|
| TigerVNC | Platform-neutral implementation of VNC |
| GNOME Remote Desktop | Designed for GNOME using pipewire. |
| X2Go | Fast terminal server suite based on NoMachine's NX libraries |
| RustDesk | Works out of the box with no configuration required |
| TurboVNC | TightVNC-compatible remote desktop software |
| FreeRDP | Remote Desktop Protocol Implementation |
| TightVNC | Remote network access to graphical desktops |
| xrdp | Accepts connections from variety of RDP clients |
| Xpra | Multi-platform persistent remote display server |
| Guacamole | Clientless remote desktop gateway |
| OpenSSH | Encrypted communication sessions using the ssh protocol |
| Veyon | Computer monitoring and classroom management |
| KasmVNC | Browser-based VNC server for secure remote desktop access |
| IronRDP | Rust implementation of RDP |
| Dayon! | Easy to use, cross-platform remote desktop assistance solution |
| wayvnc | VNC server for wlroots-based Wayland compositors |
| Lamco RDP Server | Wayland-native RDP server for Linux |
| hypr-rdp | Native RDP server for Hyprland |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
 Explore our carefully curated directory of recommended free and open source software, covering every major software category.The directory forms part of our extensive collection of articles for Linux enthusiasts. It includes hundreds of detailed reviews, together with free and open source alternatives to proprietary software from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. LinuxLinks also covers interesting projects worth exploring, Linux-compatible hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful free and open source Linux application that we haven’t covered? Tell us about it using our submission form. |
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