3proxy vs Varnish Cache
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | 3proxy | Varnish Cache |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 16 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source, docker | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,479 | ★ 4,045 |
| First released | 2002 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Squid | Cloudflare, Squid |
What are 3proxy and Varnish Cache?
3proxy
3proxy is a small, free proxy server supporting HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS, FTP, and other protocols in a single package. It is designed for low resource consumption and flexible access control.
- HTTP, SOCKS, and FTP proxy
- Per-user access control
- Bandwidth limiting
- Logging and accounting
Varnish Cache
Varnish Cache is a powerful HTTP accelerator that sits in front of web servers to cache content and dramatically speed up delivery. Its VCL language gives fine-grained control over caching.
- Powerful HTTP caching
- VCL configuration language
- Massive throughput
- Edge-side includes
3proxy vs Varnish Cache: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Varnish Cache's repository is archived and no longer developed, while 3proxy is actively maintained. Both projects are written in C. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for 3proxy versus BSD-2-Clause for Varnish Cache. 3proxy is the lighter option, starting around 16 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Varnish Cache. 3proxy is the more established project (first released 2002), while Varnish Cache arrived in 2006.
Why pick each one
Choose 3proxy if…
- Multi-protocol in one binary
- Very small footprint
Watch out for
- Sparse documentation
- Manual configuration
Choose Varnish Cache if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Frequently asked questions
Is 3proxy or Varnish Cache better?
3proxy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Varnish Cache if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are 3proxy and Varnish Cache free and open-source?
Yes. 3proxy is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Varnish Cache under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 3proxy and Varnish Cache with Docker?
3proxy: yes. Varnish Cache: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, 3proxy or Varnish Cache?
3proxy has the smaller minimum footprint at 16 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Varnish Cache. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.