acme.sh vs HAProxy Data Plane API
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
acme.sh
Pure shell ACME client for TLS certificates
VS
HAProxy Data Plane API
REST API for dynamic HAProxy configuration
| Feature | acme.sh | HAProxy Data Plane API |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Shell | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 47,426 | ★ 389 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Certbot | NGINX Plus API |
Why pick each one
Choose acme.sh if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 47.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Shell
Choose HAProxy Data Plane API if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is acme.sh or HAProxy Data Plane API better?
acme.sh is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider HAProxy Data Plane API if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are acme.sh and HAProxy Data Plane API free and open-source?
Yes. acme.sh is licensed under GPL-3.0 and HAProxy Data Plane API under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run acme.sh and HAProxy Data Plane API with Docker?
acme.sh: check the project docs for container support. HAProxy Data Plane API: yes.