Nginx Proxy Manager vs Sozu
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?
Nginx Proxy Manager
Easy reverse proxy management with a web UI and free SSL
VS
Sozu
Hot-reconfigurable HTTP reverse proxy in Rust
| Feature | Nginx Proxy Manager | Sozu |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,804 | ★ 3,715 |
| First released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Cloudflare | HAProxy, Nginx |
Why pick each one
Choose Nginx Proxy Manager if…
- Beginner-friendly
- Free certificates built in
Choose Sozu if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is Nginx Proxy Manager or Sozu better?
Nginx Proxy Manager is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Sozu if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Nginx Proxy Manager and Sozu free and open-source?
Yes. Nginx Proxy Manager is licensed under MIT and Sozu under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Nginx Proxy Manager and Sozu with Docker?
Nginx Proxy Manager: yes. Sozu: yes.