Apache HTTP Server vs Nginx
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?
Apache HTTP Server
The world's most widely used web server
VS
Nginx
High-performance web server and reverse proxy
| Feature | Apache HTTP Server | Nginx |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,050 | ★ 31,360 |
| First released | 1995 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Nginx, IIS | Apache, IIS |
Why pick each one
Choose Apache HTTP Server if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Choose Nginx if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 31.4k GitHub stars
- Written in C
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache HTTP Server or Nginx better?
Neither is universally better. Nginx has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Apache HTTP Server and Nginx free and open-source?
Yes. Apache HTTP Server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Nginx under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache HTTP Server and Nginx with Docker?
Apache HTTP Server: yes. Nginx: yes.