go-rdp-server¶

A lightweight, browser-based RDP gateway that brokers temporary Windows credentials and connects directly to RDP using a pure-Go client — no external dependencies required.

Features¶

🌐 Browser-Based RDP

• Zero client installation — pure WebSocket from the browser
• Pure-Go RDP client (github.com/nakagami/grdp) — no guacd or Guacamole daemon needed
• Canvas-based HTML/JS client served directly from the binary
• JSON WebSocket wire protocol with base64-encoded JPEG tile updates

🔐 Temporary Credential Brokering

• Provisions short-lived local Windows accounts per session
• Credentials are automatically removed on session close or error
• Isolates each session with a unique account identity

🔄 Session Management

• Configurable maximum concurrent sessions (MAX_SESSIONS)
• Admission control rejects connections when capacity is reached
• Graceful cleanup on disconnect, error, or shutdown

🪟 Windows Service Ready

• Runs as a native Windows Service via golang.org/x/sys/windows/svc
• SCM start/stop/shutdown signal handling
• Automatic recovery configuration support

Quick Links¶

• Architecture — Runtime flow, component diagram, and shutdown behaviour
• Configuration — All environment variables and recommended defaults
• Windows Service — Install, operate, and harden the service
• Development — Build, test, and release workflows

Architecture Overview¶

flowchart TD
    Browser["Browser (WebSocket)"] -->|"/ws/rdp"| Web["internal/web\nHTTP + WebSocket"]
    Web -->|CredRequest chan| Broker["internal/broker\nCredential broker"]
    Broker -->|Win32 NetUserAdd| WinAccounts["Windows local accounts"]
    Web -->|SessionEvent chan| Manager["internal/session\nSession manager"]
    Manager -->|RDP via grdp| WinRDP["Windows RDP Server"]

Getting Started¶

Prerequisites¶

• A Windows host with RDP enabled
• Go 1.26+ (for building from source)

Installation¶

# Set configuration via environment variables
$env:RDP_HOST   = "127.0.0.1"
$env:RDP_PORT   = "3389"
$env:HTTP_PORT  = "8080"
$env:MAX_SESSIONS = "10"

# Run the server
.\rdpserver.exe

git clone https://github.com/pacorreia/go-rdp-server
cd go-rdp-server

# Cross-compile for Windows
GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o rdpserver.exe ./cmd/rdpserver

# Build and register as a Windows Service using the built-in flag
go build -o rdpserver.exe ./cmd/rdpserver
.\rdpserver.exe -install-service
sc.exe start go-rdp-server

First Use¶

After starting the server, open http://<host>:8080 in your browser. The embedded client will connect automatically over WebSocket to /ws/rdp.

# Verify the server is running
curl http://localhost:8080/