nginx-proxyvsStalwart Mail Server
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| nginx-proxy | Stalwart Mail Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 78/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 24 in Reverse Proxy | #2 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 19 937 | 15 451 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 | +667 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 30 |
| Latest release | 1.11.6 · 16 Jul 2026 | v1.0.0 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0-only AND LicenseRef-SEL |
| Main language | Python | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
Stalwart Mail Server scores 78/100 against 76/100 for nginx-proxy, so it is the safer default.
Stalwart Mail Server ships more often: 30 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for nginx-proxy.
If you want the quickest setup, nginx-proxy is easier to run; Stalwart Mail Server needs more configuration.
Stalwart Mail Server is growing faster right now (+667 stars in 30 days).
nginx-proxy details →Stalwart Mail Server details →