NPS vs Tor Snowflake Proxy
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?
NPS
Lightweight proxy server for intranet penetration
VS
Tor Snowflake Proxy
Help defeat internet censorship
| Feature | NPS | Tor Snowflake Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | GPL-3.0 | free |
| Language | Go | |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 34,157 | — |
| First released | 2019 | 2022 |
| Replaces | ngrok | — |
Why pick each one
Choose NPS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 34.2k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Choose Tor Snowflake Proxy if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is NPS or Tor Snowflake Proxy better?
Neither is universally better. NPS has the larger community, while Tor Snowflake Proxy is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are NPS and Tor Snowflake Proxy free and open-source?
Yes. NPS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Tor Snowflake Proxy under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run NPS and Tor Snowflake Proxy with Docker?
NPS: yes. Tor Snowflake Proxy: yes.