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.
Not the right match-up?
Pomerium
Identity-aware reverse proxy for zero-trust access
VS
Tinyauth
Simplest way to protect your apps with a login screen
| Feature | Pomerium | Tinyauth |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 4,944 | ★ 8,092 |
| First released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Cloudflare Access, BeyondCorp | Cloudflare Access |
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
- Active community (4.9k 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 8.1k 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.