mitmproxy vs KrakenD
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?
mitmproxy
Interactive HTTPS proxy for inspection and debugging
VS
KrakenD
Ultra-high-performance API gateway
| Feature | mitmproxy | KrakenD |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 44,605 | ★ 2,662 |
| First released | 2010 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Charles Proxy, Fiddler | AWS API Gateway, Kong |
Why pick each one
Choose KrakenD if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is mitmproxy or KrakenD better?
mitmproxy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider KrakenD if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are mitmproxy and KrakenD free and open-source?
Yes. mitmproxy is licensed under MIT and KrakenD under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mitmproxy and KrakenD with Docker?
mitmproxy: yes. KrakenD: yes.