nginx-proxyvsopenvpn
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| nginx-proxy | openvpn | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 24 in Reverse Proxy | #4 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 19 937 | 14 738 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 | +138 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 14 |
| Latest release | 1.11.6 · 16 Jul 2026 | v2.7.8 · 6 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Python | C |
Which one should you pick?
nginx-proxy and openvpn score the same (76/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.
openvpn ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for nginx-proxy.
If you want the quickest setup, nginx-proxy is easier to run; openvpn needs more configuration.
openvpn is growing faster right now (+138 stars in 30 days).
nginx-proxy details →openvpn details →