# NGINX vs PairDrop

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

| | NGINX | PairDrop |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 ✓ | 75/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Web Servers | #2 of 86 in File Sharing |
| GitHub stars | 31 993 ✓ | 11 713 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +272 ✓ | +254 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | release-1.31.8 · 21 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | C | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

NGINX scores 84/100 against 75/100 for PairDrop, so it is the safer default.

NGINX ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for PairDrop.

If you want the quickest setup, PairDrop is easier to run; NGINX needs more configuration.

## Details

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

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