Algernon vs NPS
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?
Algernon
Small self-contained pure-Go web server with Lua, Markdown, HTTP/2,
VS
NPS
Lightweight proxy server for intranet penetration
| Feature | Algernon | NPS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,023 | ★ 34,157 |
| First released | 2026 | 2019 |
| Replaces | — | ngrok |
Why pick each one
Choose Algernon if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Choose NPS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 34.2k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Algernon or NPS better?
Neither is universally better. NPS has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Algernon and NPS free and open-source?
Yes. Algernon is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and NPS under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Algernon and NPS with Docker?
Algernon: yes. NPS: yes.