# docker-mailserver vs NGINX

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

| | docker-mailserver | NGINX |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 16 in Mail Server | #2 of 12 in Web Servers |
| GitHub stars | 19 704 | 32 003 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +830 ✓ | +279 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 21 ✓ |
| Latest release | v16.0.1 · 4 Sept 2026 | release-1.31.8 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | BSD-2-Clause |
| Main language | Shell | C |

## Which one should you pick?

NGINX scores 84/100 against 80/100 for docker-mailserver, so it is the safer default.

NGINX ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for docker-mailserver.

If you want the quickest setup, NGINX is easier to run; docker-mailserver needs more configuration.

docker-mailserver is growing faster right now (+830 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/docker-mailserver-vs-nginx