Apache HTTP Server vs YARP
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Apache HTTP Server | YARP |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 78 · Good |
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | C | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,038 | ★ 9,615 |
| First released | 1995 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Nginx, IIS | Nginx |
What are Apache HTTP Server and YARP?
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
YARP
YARP, short for Yet Another Reverse Proxy, is a Microsoft open-source toolkit for building fast, customizable reverse proxy servers using ASP.NET Core. Developers configure it in code or config files.
- Build custom reverse proxies
- ASP.NET Core based
- Dynamic configuration
- Load balancing and health checks
Apache HTTP Server vs YARP: key differences
Apache HTTP Server is written in C, while YARP is built with C#. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Apache HTTP Server versus MIT for YARP. Apache HTTP Server is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for YARP. Apache HTTP Server is the more established project (first released 1995), while YARP arrived in 2021. YARP has the considerably larger community, at 9,615 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
Choose YARP if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.6k GitHub stars
- Written in C#
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache HTTP Server or YARP better?
Neither is universally better. YARP has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Apache HTTP Server and YARP free and open-source?
Yes. Apache HTTP Server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and YARP under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache HTTP Server and YARP with Docker?
Apache HTTP Server: yes. YARP: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Apache HTTP Server or YARP?
Apache HTTP Server has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for YARP. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.