nginx-proxyvsTailscale
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| nginx-proxy | Tailscale | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 84/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 24 in Reverse Proxy | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 19 937 | 38 231 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 | +1 426 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 14 |
| Latest release | 1.11.6 · 16 Jul 2026 | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Python | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Tailscale scores 84/100 against 76/100 for nginx-proxy, so it is the safer default.
Tailscale 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; Tailscale needs more configuration.
Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 426 stars in 30 days).
nginx-proxy details →Tailscale details →