mitmproxy vs Linkerd
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
Linkerd
Ultralight, security-first service mesh for Kubernetes
| Feature | mitmproxy | Linkerd |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 44,605 | ★ 11,478 |
| First released | 2010 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Charles Proxy, Fiddler | Istio, AWS App Mesh |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is mitmproxy or Linkerd better?
mitmproxy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Linkerd if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are mitmproxy and Linkerd free and open-source?
Yes. mitmproxy is licensed under MIT and Linkerd under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mitmproxy and Linkerd with Docker?
mitmproxy: yes. Linkerd: check the project docs for container support.