SafeLinevsShields
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| SafeLine | Shields | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 3 in Web Application Firewall | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 23 080 | 27 331 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +407 | +125 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 0 |
| Latest release | v9.4.3 · 21 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
SafeLine scores 81/100 against 80/100 for Shields, so it is the safer default.
SafeLine ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.
If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; SafeLine needs more configuration.
SafeLine is growing faster right now (+407 stars in 30 days).
SafeLine details →Shields details →