Coraza WAF vs Traefik Geoblock
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Coraza WAF | Traefik Geoblock |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 76 · Good |
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,835 | ★ 324 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | ModSecurity, Cloudflare WAF | Cloudflare WAF |
What are Coraza WAF and Traefik Geoblock?
Coraza WAF
Coraza is an open-source, high-performance web application firewall library compatible with ModSecurity rules and the OWASP Core Rule Set. It is embedded into self-hosted proxies such as Caddy and Traefik.
- ModSecurity-compatible
- OWASP CRS support
- High performance
- Embeddable WAF
Traefik Geoblock
traefik-geoblock is a Traefik middleware plugin that restricts access based on the geographic origin of client IP addresses using an embedded database. It is loaded into a self-hosted Traefik instance.
- Geo-based access control
- Traefik middleware plugin
- Embedded IP database
- Allow and block lists
Coraza WAF vs Traefik Geoblock: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Coraza WAF versus MIT for Traefik Geoblock. Traefik Geoblock is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Coraza WAF. Coraza WAF has the considerably larger community, at 3,835 GitHub stars versus 324. Traefik Geoblock lists first-class Docker deployment; Coraza WAF does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Coraza WAF if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (3.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Traefik Geoblock if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Coraza WAF or Traefik Geoblock better?
Neither is universally better. Coraza WAF has the larger community, while Traefik Geoblock is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Coraza WAF and Traefik Geoblock free and open-source?
Yes. Coraza WAF is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Traefik Geoblock under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Coraza WAF and Traefik Geoblock with Docker?
Coraza WAF: check the project docs for container support. Traefik Geoblock: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Coraza WAF or Traefik Geoblock?
Traefik Geoblock has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Coraza WAF. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.