Nginx Proxy Managervsopenvpn
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Nginx Proxy Manager | openvpn | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 24 in Reverse Proxy | #4 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 34 562 | 14 737 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +348 | +137 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 14 |
| Latest release | v2.16.0 · 24 Sept 2026 | v2.7.8 · 6 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | C |
Which one should you pick?
Nginx Proxy Manager scores 82/100 against 76/100 for openvpn, so it is the safer default.
openvpn ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for Nginx Proxy Manager.
If you want the quickest setup, Nginx Proxy Manager is easier to run; openvpn needs more configuration.
Nginx Proxy Manager is growing faster right now (+348 stars in 30 days).
Nginx Proxy Manager details →openvpn details →