head to head · open source
nginx vs algo
nginx has 32,033 GitHub stars, 8,410 forks, 468 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. algo has 30,448 stars, 2,370 forks, 77 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. nginx leads on adoption by 5% (32,033 vs 30,448 stars). nginx is written in C under BSD-2-Clause; algo is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. nginx has attracted 26% as many forks as stars, algo 8%. nginx was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (security), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | algo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 30K |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C | Python |
| Last push | 2026-10-29 | 2026-10-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.4K | ⑂ 2.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick nginx if
- You weight community size — 32K stars and counting
- You want the BSD-2-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick algo if
- You want the algo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and algo fits your workflow better
About nginx
NGINX (pronounced "engine x" or "en jin eks") is the world's most popular Web Server, high performance Load Balancer, Reverse Proxy, API Gateway and Content Cache. NGINX is free and open source software, distributed under the terms of a simplified 2 clause BSD like license. Enterprise distributions, commercial support and training are available from F5, Inc. [!IMPORTANT] The goal of this README is to provide a basic, structured introduction to NGINX for novice users. Please refer to the full NGINX documentation for detailed information on installing, building, configuring, debugging, and more. These…
read the full nginx overview →
About algo
Algo VPN Algo VPN is a set of Ansible scripts that simplify the setup of a personal WireGuard and IPsec VPN. It uses the most secure defaults available and works with common cloud providers. See our release announcement for more information. Features Supports only IKEv2 with strong crypto (AES GCM, SHA2, and P 256) for iOS, MacOS, and Linux Supports WireGuard for all of the above, in addition to Android and Windows 11 Generates .conf files and QR codes for iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows WireGuard clients Generates Apple profiles to auto configure iOS and macOS devices for IPsec no client software required…
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Frequently asked questions
Is nginx or algo more popular?
nginx has 32,033 GitHub stars and algo has 30,448. nginx has the larger community by that measure.
Are nginx and algo free?
Both are open source. nginx is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and algo under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between nginx and algo?
nginx is written in C and algo in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, nginx or algo?
Choose nginx if you want the larger community (32,033 stars) or its BSD-2-Clause licence terms. Choose algo if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.