mitmproxy vs Privoxy
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
Privoxy
Privacy-enhancing web proxy with content filtering
| Feature | mitmproxy | Privoxy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal, source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 44,605 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2010 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Charles Proxy, Fiddler | commercial ad-filtering proxies |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is mitmproxy or Privoxy better?
mitmproxy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Privoxy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are mitmproxy and Privoxy free and open-source?
Yes. mitmproxy is licensed under MIT and Privoxy under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mitmproxy and Privoxy with Docker?
mitmproxy: yes. Privoxy: yes.