--- title: This underrated Docker container is the perfect... description: A self-hosting enthusiast shares how ControlR, an open-source remote access tool built by Jared Goodwin (creator of Remotely), replaced their TeamViewer... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/this-underrated-docker-container-is-the-perfect-teamviewer-killer-i-wish-i-found-sooner-08sxhvsmw twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: This underrated Docker container is the perfect TeamViewer killer I wish I found sooner | daily.dev og:description: A self-hosting enthusiast shares how ControlR, an open-source remote access tool built by Jared Goodwin (creator of Remotely), replaced their TeamViewer... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/this-underrated-docker-container-is-the-perfect-teamviewer-killer-i-wish-i-found-sooner-08sxhvsmw og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/08sXHvsmw.png og:image:alt: This underrated Docker container is the perfect TeamViewer killer I wish I found sooner og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # This underrated Docker container is the perfect TeamViewer killer I wish I found sooner **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 4 min read · 7 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A self-hosting enthusiast shares how ControlR, an open-source remote access tool built by Jared Goodwin (creator of Remotely), replaced their TeamViewer subscription. Running as a single Docker container, ControlR offers remote desktop, a built-in PowerShell terminal, file manager, chat, device tags, logs, and cross-platform agents for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The appeal is full control over where the server runs, no reliance on a third-party provider, and transparency from being open source. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is ControlR and how is it different from TeamViewer? ControlR is an open-source, self-hosted remote access tool created by Jared Goodwin, the developer behind the earlier Remotely project. Unlike TeamViewer, it runs as a Docker container on your own infrastructure, giving you full control over where the server runs and how it's exposed, plus features like a built-in PowerShell terminal, remote file manager, chat, device tags, and logs. _Developers weighing self-hosted versus commercial remote access tools can find comparisons like this on daily.dev._ ### Can ControlR be used for remote command execution without a full remote desktop session? Yes, ControlR includes a built-in PowerShell terminal that lets you run commands on a Windows machine without opening a full remote desktop session, useful for quick checks and small maintenance tasks. It also supports Windows, macOS, and Linux agents, along with a remote file manager, device status tracking, permissions, and a chat feature for communicating during remote sessions. _Homelabbers evaluating self-hosted device management tools can track projects like ControlR on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [I replaced my mini PC's paid remote-access app with a self-hosted tool that does the same job](https://daily.dev/posts/i-replaced-my-mini-pc-s-paid-remote-access-app-with-a-self-hosted-tool-that-does-the-same-job-f0csdj43r) · XDA Developers · 7 upvotes · 2 comments - [Chrome Remote Desktop is an okay TeamViewer alternative, this free, open-source tool is better than both](https://daily.dev/posts/chrome-remote-desktop-is-an-okay-teamviewer-alternative-this-free-open-source-tool-is-better-than--7caca841a) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [This free remote desktop tool is TeamViewer on steroids and I can’t recommend it enough](https://daily.dev/posts/this-free-remote-desktop-tool-is-teamviewer-on-steroids-and-i-can-t-recommend-it-enough-spdi1qnot) · XDA Developers · 2 upvotes · 1 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#docker](https://daily.dev/tags/docker), [#self-hosting](https://daily.dev/tags/self-hosting) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/this-underrated-docker-container-is-the-perfect-teamviewer-killer-i-wish-i-found-sooner-08sxhvsmw) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"This underrated Docker container is the perfect TeamViewer killer I wish I found sooner","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-underrated-docker-container-is-the-perfect-teamviewer-killer-i-wish-i-found-sooner-08sxhvsmw","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-underrated-docker-container-is-the-perfect-teamviewer-killer-i-wish-i-found-sooner-08sxhvsmw"},"datePublished":"2026-08-31T20:02:32.710Z","dateModified":"2026-08-31T20:20:31.681Z","description":"A self-hosting enthusiast shares how ControlR, an open-source remote access tool built by Jared Goodwin (creator of Remotely), replaced their TeamViewer...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/74d70a1ed88f701d9132997163e81e81?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/74d70a1ed88f701d9132997163e81e81?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"XDA Developers","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"XDA Developers","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--kCg6yyAP--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774964407/logos/xda-developers?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-underrated-docker-container-is-the-perfect-teamviewer-killer-i-wish-i-found-sooner-08sxhvsmw","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":7},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"open-source,docker,self-hosting","timeRequired":"PT4M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"XDA Developers","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"This underrated Docker container is the perfect TeamViewer killer I wish I found sooner"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-underrated-docker-container-is-the-perfect-teamviewer-killer-i-wish-i-found-sooner-08sxhvsmw#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is ControlR and how is it different from TeamViewer?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"ControlR is an open-source, self-hosted remote access tool created by Jared Goodwin, the developer behind the earlier Remotely project. Unlike TeamViewer, it runs as a Docker container on your own infrastructure, giving you full control over where the server runs and how it's exposed, plus features like a built-in PowerShell terminal, remote file manager, chat, device tags, and logs. Developers weighing self-hosted versus commercial remote access tools can find comparisons like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can ControlR be used for remote command execution without a full remote desktop session?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, ControlR includes a built-in PowerShell terminal that lets you run commands on a Windows machine without opening a full remote desktop session, useful for quick checks and small maintenance tasks. It also supports Windows, macOS, and Linux agents, along with a remote file manager, device status tracking, permissions, and a chat feature for communicating during remote sessions. Homelabbers evaluating self-hosted device management tools can track projects like ControlR on daily.dev."}}]} ```