Shellroute vs VPN
Proxy one shell, not your whole machine
VPNs route everything. Shellroute gives developers session-scoped proxy access — your browser and other apps stay untouched.
| VPN | Shellroute | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Entire machine | One shell session |
| Browser affected | Yes | No |
| Country switching | Reconnect VPN | /connect DE |
| Parallel countries | No | Multiple sessions |
| IP type | Datacenter (usually) | Residential + datacenter |
| Billing | Monthly subscription | Pay per GB |
| Automation | Manual toggle | Script/CI native |
The key difference
A VPN changes your entire machine's network. Shellroute proxies only the commands you run inside it.
terminal
$ shellroute
$ /connect US
✓ Connected to US — New IP: 45.12.67.89
# This terminal → proxied through US
$ curl https://httpbin.org/ip
{"origin": "45.12.67.89"}
# Your browser, Slack, Spotify → direct
# Other terminal tabs → direct
# Docker, databases → directMultiple countries at once
VPNs connect to one country. Shellroute lets you open multiple sessions in different tabs.
three terminals
# Tab 1
shellroute → /connect US → curl https://httpbin.org/ip
{"origin": "45.12.67.89"}
# Tab 2
shellroute → /connect DE → curl https://httpbin.org/ip
{"origin": "78.46.91.23"}
# Tab 3
shellroute → /connect JP → curl https://httpbin.org/ip
{"origin": "103.75.12.8"}When a VPN is fine
- — Route all device traffic (streaming, browsing)
- — Privacy for general internet use
- — Corporate network access
When Shellroute is better
- — Only need to proxy terminal commands
- — Don't want to affect browser/apps
- — Need multiple countries simultaneously
- — Need residential IPs
- — Want to script or automate proxy access
- — Prefer pay-per-use over monthly
Open-source CLI · Pay per use · Residential + datacenter proxies · macOS + Linux
Start proxying your shell.
Open a session, connect a proxy, and run commands normally
Pay per use · Open-source CLI · No contracts