# NGINX vs openvpn

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

| | NGINX | openvpn |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Web Servers | #4 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 31 993 ✓ | 14 738 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +272 ✓ | +138 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 ✓ | 14 |
| Latest release | release-1.31.8 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.7.8 · 6 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | Other |
| Main language | C | C |

## Which one should you pick?

NGINX scores 84/100 against 76/100 for openvpn, so it is the safer default.

NGINX ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for openvpn.

## Details

- [NGINX](https://selfhost.directory/project/nginx) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nginx.md)
- [openvpn](https://selfhost.directory/project/openvpn) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openvpn.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/nginx-vs-openvpn