# Kanidm vs NGINX

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

| | Kanidm | NGINX |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 3 in IAM | #2 of 12 in Web Servers |
| GitHub stars | 5 512 | 31 998 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +108 | +277 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 21 ✓ |
| Latest release | v1.11.2 · 11 Sept 2026 | release-1.31.8 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MPL-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Main language | Rust | C |

## Which one should you pick?

NGINX scores 84/100 against 67/100 for Kanidm, so it is the safer default.

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

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

NGINX is growing faster right now (+277 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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