# nginx-proxy vs Portainer

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

| | nginx-proxy | Portainer |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 77/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 24 in Reverse Proxy | #1 of 44 in Container Management |
| GitHub stars | 19 936 | 38 743 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +18 | +181 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 21 ✓ |
| Latest release | 1.11.6 · 16 Jul 2026 | 2.45.3 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Zlib |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Portainer scores 77/100 against 76/100 for nginx-proxy, so it is the safer default.

Portainer ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for nginx-proxy.

Portainer is growing faster right now (+181 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [nginx-proxy](https://selfhost.directory/project/nginx-proxy) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nginx-proxy.md)
- [Portainer](https://selfhost.directory/project/portainer) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/portainer.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/nginx-proxy-vs-portainer