head to head · open source
FireZone vs Defguard
FireZone has 9,158 GitHub stars, 466 forks, 412 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Defguard has 2,894 stars, 121 forks, 308 open issues and last shipped yesterday. FireZone leads on adoption by 216% (9,158 vs 2,894 stars). FireZone is written in Elixir under Apache-2.0; Defguard is written in Rust under a custom or non-standard licence. FireZone has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, Defguard 4%. FireZone was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| FireZone | Defguard | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.2K | ★ 2.9K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Elixir | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 466 | ⑂ 121 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick FireZone if
- You weight community size — 9.2K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Elixir
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Defguard if
- You want the Defguard feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Defguard fits your workflow better
About FireZone
Blazing fast remote access with identity based policies, attested device trust, and detailed audit logs Documentation Quickstart Download Clients Support Overview Firezone is a secure remote access platform built on WireGuard®. Connect users to private applications, databases, servers, and subnets with granular policies that define who can access each Resource and under what conditions. Combine identity based access with cryptographic device verification and detailed audit records. Gateways run in your infrastructure, and the full product source is available for inspection in this repository. Getting Started…
read the full FireZone overview →
About Defguard
Defguard is a self hosted secure remote access platform that combines WireGuard VPN, identity and access management, multi factor authentication, and network access control in a single solution. Built with a security first architecture, Defguard helps organizations securely manage access to infrastructure, applications, and private networks while maintaining full control over their environment. Why Defguard? Modern organizations often rely on multiple disconnected tools to manage identity, VPN access, authentication, and network permissions. Defguard brings these capabilities together into a unified platform…
read the full Defguard overview →
More in Security & Privacy
Related comparisons
More Network Security projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Network Security field.
Frequently asked questions
Is FireZone or Defguard more popular?
FireZone has 9,158 GitHub stars and Defguard has 2,894. FireZone has the larger community by that measure.
Are FireZone and Defguard free?
Both are open source. FireZone is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Defguard has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between FireZone and Defguard?
FireZone is written in Elixir and Defguard in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, FireZone or Defguard?
Choose FireZone if you want the larger community (9,158 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Defguard if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.