# CLI2API vs NGINX

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | CLI2API | NGINX |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 45/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #25 of 39 in API Gateway | #2 of 12 in Web Servers |
| GitHub stars | 283 | 31 996 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +275 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 21 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.7.20 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ | release-1.31.8 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | BSD-2-Clause |
| Main language | Go | C |

## Which one should you pick?

NGINX scores 84/100 against 45/100 for CLI2API, so it is the safer default.

NGINX ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for CLI2API.

NGINX is growing faster right now (+275 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [CLI2API](https://selfhost.directory/project/cli2api) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/cli2api.md)
- [NGINX](https://selfhost.directory/project/nginx) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nginx.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/cli2api-vs-nginx