Ditch TeamViewer/Anydesk: A Free Self-Hosted Remote Desktop Solution is Here

Self-Hosted Encrypted Remote Desktop on Windows 11: RustDesk + Tailscale + WSL2

TLDR: Replace expensive, privacy-risking remote desktop tools with a free, encrypted, self-hosted stack. Zero public ports. No port forwarding. Dockerized RustDesk server running on WSL2, accessible only through your private Tailscale tailnet.

The Problem

TeamViewer and Anydesk want your money and/or data. Chrome Remote Desktop phones home to Google. And both ask you to trust their servers with your screen data. NO THANKS!

I wanted free, open-source, encrypted end-to-end, and no public attack surface.