Nginx Proxy Manager vs Tinyproxy
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
Tinyproxy
Lightweight HTTP and HTTPS forward proxy daemon
| Feature | Nginx Proxy Manager | Tinyproxy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 16 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,804 | ★ 5,951 |
| First released | 2019 | 1998 |
| Replaces | Cloudflare | Squid |
Why pick each one
Choose Nginx Proxy Manager if…
- Beginner-friendly
- Free certificates built in
Frequently asked questions
Is Nginx Proxy Manager or Tinyproxy better?
Neither is universally better. Nginx Proxy Manager has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Nginx Proxy Manager and Tinyproxy free and open-source?
Yes. Nginx Proxy Manager is licensed under MIT and Tinyproxy under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Nginx Proxy Manager and Tinyproxy with Docker?
Nginx Proxy Manager: yes. Tinyproxy: yes.