IronRDP is an open source implementation of the Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) written in Rust. It provides a collection of modular crates that allow developers to build RDP clients, servers, and related tools with a strong emphasis on security and modern Rust design.
The project implements core components of the RDP protocol including connection negotiation, graphics updates, input handling, and virtual channels. Supported graphics codecs include raw bitmaps, RLE bitmap compression, RDP 6.0 bitmap compression, and Microsoft RemoteFX.
IronRDP is structured as a workspace of reusable Rust crates covering different aspects of the protocol such as core protocol handling, graphics decoding, input processing, and networking integration (including asynchronous support). This modular architecture allows developers to integrate only the components they require when building custom RDP solutions.
Key Features
- Open source Rust implementation of the Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
- Modular architecture composed of reusable Rust crates.
- Support for multiple RDP graphics codecs including RLE, RDP 6.0 bitmap compression, and Microsoft RemoteFX.
- Libraries for handling protocol negotiation, graphics updates, input events, and networking integration.
- Example implementations including an asynchronous RDP client and screenshot capture example.
Website: github.com/Devolutions/IronRDP
Support:
Developer: Devolutions
License: Apache 2.0 License, MIT License
IronRDP is written in Rust. Learn Rust with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Remote Desktop Servers | |
|---|---|
| TigerVNC | Platform-neutral implementation of VNC |
| 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 |
| IronRDP | Rust implementation of RDP |
| GNOME Remote Desktop | Designed for GNOME using pipewire. |
| Dayon! | Easy to use, cross-platform remote desktop assistance solution |
| 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 comprehensive directory of recommended free and open source software. Our carefully curated collection spans every major software category.This directory is part of our ongoing series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. It features hundreds of detailed reviews, along with open source alternatives to proprietary solutions from major corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. You’ll also find interesting projects to try, hardware coverage, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Discovered a useful open source Linux program that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know by completing this form. |

