head to head · open source
nginx-proxy vs openvpn-install
nginx-proxy has 19,933 GitHub stars, 3,038 forks, 327 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. openvpn-install has 16,180 stars, 3,335 forks, 24 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. nginx-proxy leads on adoption by 23% (19,933 vs 16,180 stars). nginx-proxy is written in Python under MIT; openvpn-install is written in Shell under MIT. nginx-proxy has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, openvpn-install 21%. nginx-proxy 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.
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Side by side
| nginx-proxy | openvpn-install | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 20K | ★ 16K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 3.3K |
| 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-install if
- You want the openvpn-install feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and openvpn-install fits your workflow better
About nginx-proxy
nginx proxy nginx proxy sets up a container running nginx and docker gen. docker gen generates reverse proxy configs for nginx and reloads nginx when containers are started and stopped. See Automated Nginx Reverse Proxy for Docker for why you might want to use this. Usage To run it: Then start any containers (here an nginx container) you want proxied with an env var VIRTUAL HOST=subdomain.yourdomain.com Provided your DNS is setup to resolve foo.bar.com to the host running nginx proxy, a request to will then be routed to a container with the VIRTUAL HOST env var set to foo.bar.com (in this case, the your proxied…
read the full nginx-proxy overview →
About openvpn-install
openvpn install OpenVPN installer for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, Amazon Linux, Arch Linux, Oracle Linux, Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux. This script will let you setup and manage your own secure VPN server in just a few seconds. What is this? This script is meant to be run on your own server, whether it's a VPS or a dedicated server, or even a computer at home. Once set up, you will be able to generate client configuration files for every device you want to connect. Internet routing, access between VPN clients, and access to selected server side networks can be configured independently. By default…
read the full openvpn-install overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is nginx-proxy or openvpn-install more popular?
nginx-proxy has 19,933 GitHub stars and openvpn-install has 16,180. nginx-proxy has the larger community by that measure.
Are nginx-proxy and openvpn-install free?
Both are open source. nginx-proxy is licensed under MIT and openvpn-install under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between nginx-proxy and openvpn-install?
nginx-proxy is written in Python and openvpn-install in Shell. 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-install?
Choose nginx-proxy if you want the larger community (19,933 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose openvpn-install if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.