headscalevsnginx-ldap-auth
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| headscale | nginx-ldap-auth | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 43/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #31 of 40 in Authentication |
| GitHub stars | 45 172 | 709 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 065 | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 0 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-2-Clause |
| Main language | Go | Python |
Which one should you pick?
headscale scores 82/100 against 43/100 for nginx-ldap-auth, so it is the safer default.
headscale ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for nginx-ldap-auth.
If you want the quickest setup, headscale is easier to run; nginx-ldap-auth needs more configuration.
headscale is growing faster right now (+1 065 stars in 30 days).
headscale details →nginx-ldap-auth details →