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?
Apache HTTP Server
The world's most widely used web server
VS
OpenResty
Scalable web platform extending Nginx with Lua
| Feature | Apache HTTP Server | OpenResty |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,050 | ★ 13,988 |
| First released | 1995 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Nginx, IIS | Nginx |
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 OpenResty if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 14k GitHub stars
- Written in C
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.