# Portainer vs Syslog-ng

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

| | Portainer | Syslog-ng |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 66/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 44 in Container Management | #3 of 8 in Logging |
| GitHub stars | 38 737 ✓ | 2 385 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +188 ✓ | +9 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 ✓ | 2 |
| Latest release | 2.45.3 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | syslog-ng-4.12.0 · 16 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Zlib | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | C |

## Which one should you pick?

Portainer scores 77/100 against 66/100 for Syslog-ng, so it is the safer default.

Portainer ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for Syslog-ng.

If you want the quickest setup, Portainer is easier to run; Syslog-ng needs more configuration.

Portainer is growing faster right now (+188 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Portainer](https://selfhost.directory/project/portainer) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/portainer.md)
- [Syslog-ng](https://selfhost.directory/project/syslog-ng) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/syslog-ng.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/portainer-vs-syslog-ng