Pomerium vs Tinyauth
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pomerium
Identity-aware reverse proxy for zero-trust access
VS
Tinyauth
Simplest way to protect your apps with a login screen
| Feature | Pomerium | Tinyauth |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,016 | ★ 8,284 |
| First released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Cloudflare Access, BeyondCorp | Cloudflare Access |
What are Pomerium and Tinyauth?
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
Tinyauth
Tinyauth is a lightweight authentication middleware that adds a login screen in front of any application using forward auth with reverse proxies. It supports OAuth and simple user accounts.
- Simple login screen for apps
- Forward-auth integration
- OAuth provider support
- Tiny footprint
Pomerium vs Tinyauth: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Pomerium versus GPL-3.0 for Tinyauth. Tinyauth is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Pomerium. Pomerium is the more established project (first released 2019), while Tinyauth arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Tinyauth if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.3k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Pomerium or Tinyauth better?
Tinyauth is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pomerium if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Pomerium and Tinyauth free and open-source?
Yes. Pomerium is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tinyauth under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pomerium and Tinyauth with Docker?
Pomerium: yes. Tinyauth: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pomerium or Tinyauth?
Tinyauth has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Pomerium. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.