OAuth2 Proxy vs Pomerium
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
OAuth2 Proxy
Reverse proxy that adds authentication to any web app
VS
Pomerium
Identity-aware reverse proxy for zero-trust access
| Feature | OAuth2 Proxy | Pomerium |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,998 | ★ 5,016 |
| First released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Cloudflare Access | Cloudflare Access, BeyondCorp |
What are OAuth2 Proxy and Pomerium?
OAuth2 Proxy
OAuth2 Proxy is a reverse proxy and static file server that adds OAuth and OIDC authentication in front of upstream applications. It protects services that lack their own login.
- Adds OAuth/OIDC to any app
- Many identity providers
- Forward-auth mode
- Lightweight Go binary
Pomerium
Pomerium is an open-source identity-aware reverse proxy that secures internal applications without a VPN. It enforces context-aware access policies on every request.
- Identity-aware access proxy
- Context-aware policies
- No VPN required
- SSO integration
OAuth2 Proxy vs Pomerium: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — MIT for OAuth2 Proxy versus Apache-2.0 for Pomerium. OAuth2 Proxy is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Pomerium. OAuth2 Proxy is the more established project (first released 2015), while Pomerium arrived in 2019. OAuth2 Proxy has the considerably larger community, at 14,998 GitHub stars versus 5,016.
Why pick each one
Choose OAuth2 Proxy if…
- Works with any upstream
- Broad provider support
- Kubernetes friendly
Watch out for
- Many flags to learn
- Limited authorization rules
Choose Pomerium if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 5k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is OAuth2 Proxy or Pomerium better?
Neither is universally better. OAuth2 Proxy has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OAuth2 Proxy and Pomerium free and open-source?
Yes. OAuth2 Proxy is licensed under MIT and Pomerium under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OAuth2 Proxy and Pomerium with Docker?
OAuth2 Proxy: yes. Pomerium: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OAuth2 Proxy or Pomerium?
OAuth2 Proxy has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Pomerium. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.