Sonatype NexusvsZed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Sonatype Nexus | Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 64/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 11 in Package Management | #4 of 78 in Security |
| GitHub stars | 2 689 | 16 058 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +34 | +243 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 30 | 31 |
| Latest release | release-3.97.2-02 · 23 Oct 2026 | w2026-10-23 · 23 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | EPL-1.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Java | Java |
Which one should you pick?
Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) scores 80/100 against 64/100 for Sonatype Nexus, so it is the safer default.
Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 30 for Sonatype Nexus.
If you want the quickest setup, Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is easier to run; Sonatype Nexus needs more configuration.
Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is growing faster right now (+243 stars in 30 days).
Sonatype Nexus details →Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) details →