head to head · open source
nginx-proxy vs OpenVPN
nginx-proxy has 19,915 GitHub stars, 3,044 forks, 327 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. OpenVPN has 14,580 stars, 3,403 forks, 226 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. nginx-proxy leads on adoption by 37% (19,915 vs 14,580 stars). nginx-proxy is written in Python under MIT; OpenVPN is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence. nginx-proxy has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, OpenVPN 23%. OpenVPN 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
| nginx-proxy | OpenVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 20K | ★ 15K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-16 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 3.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick nginx-proxy if
- You weight community size — 20K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenVPN if
- You want the OpenVPN feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and OpenVPN fits your workflow better
About nginx-proxy
nginx proxy is an automated Nginx reverse proxy for Docker that watches containers start and stop and rewrites its own proxy configuration in response, and it is for anyone running containerised services who needs hostname based routing without hand editing nginx configuration files.
read the full nginx-proxy overview →
About OpenVPN
OpenVPN is open source VPN daemon. It provides secure tunneling for network connections. Project lives in Infrastructure & Operations / Networking & Connectivity ecosystem. Tagline says Zero Trust VPN solutions for secure business networking. GitHub description says OpenVPN is an open source VPN daemon. Repository language is C. GitHub license field says NOASSERTION, while README states GNU General Public License version 2. README states copyright 2002 2026 OpenVPN Inc.
read the full OpenVPN overview →
More in Infrastructure & Operations
Related comparisons
More Networking & Connectivity projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Networking & Connectivity field.
Frequently asked questions
Is nginx-proxy or OpenVPN more popular?
nginx-proxy has 19,915 GitHub stars and OpenVPN has 14,580. nginx-proxy has the larger community by that measure.
Are nginx-proxy and OpenVPN free?
Both are open source. nginx-proxy is licensed under MIT, and OpenVPN has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between nginx-proxy and OpenVPN?
nginx-proxy is written in Python and OpenVPN in C. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, nginx-proxy or OpenVPN?
Choose nginx-proxy if you want the larger community (19,915 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose OpenVPN if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.