# nginx-proxy vs Tailscale

> 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).

## Details

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

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