SHSelfHostIndex

Apache HTTP Server vs OpenResty

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?
AP Apache HTTP Server The world's most widely used web server VS OP OpenResty Scalable web platform extending Nginx with Lua
FeatureApache HTTP ServerOpenResty
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score86 · Excellent87 · Excellent
CategoryReverse Proxy & GatewaysReverse Proxy & Gateways
LicenseApache-2.0BSD-2-Clause
LanguageCC
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, bare-metaldocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 4,038★ 14,045
First released19952011
ReplacesNginx, IISNginx

What are Apache HTTP Server and OpenResty?

Apache HTTP Server

The Apache HTTP Server is a powerful, flexible open-source web server that can also act as a reverse proxy and load balancer through its mod_proxy modules. It has decades of stability.

  • Mature reverse proxy
  • Extensive module system
  • Per-directory configuration
  • Cross-platform

OpenResty

OpenResty is a full-fledged web platform that bundles Nginx with LuaJIT and many libraries, enabling powerful programmable proxies and gateways. It is the foundation for several API gateways.

  • Nginx plus LuaJIT scripting
  • Programmable request handling
  • Foundation for API gateways
  • High performance

Apache HTTP Server vs OpenResty: key differences

Both projects are written in C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Apache HTTP Server versus BSD-2-Clause for OpenResty. Apache HTTP Server is the more established project (first released 1995), while OpenResty arrived in 2011. OpenResty has the considerably larger community, at 14,045 GitHub stars versus 4,038.

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
Apache HTTP Server details

Choose OpenResty if…

  • Very high performance
  • Programmable with Lua
  • Battle-tested Nginx core

Watch out for

  • Lua knowledge required
  • Config more complex than Nginx
OpenResty details

Frequently asked questions

Is Apache HTTP Server or OpenResty better?

Neither is universally better. OpenResty has the larger community, while Apache HTTP Server is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Apache HTTP Server and OpenResty free and open-source?

Yes. Apache HTTP Server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenResty under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Apache HTTP Server and OpenResty with Docker?

Apache HTTP Server: yes. OpenResty: yes.

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