Nginx vs Traefik
| Feature | Nginx | Traefik |
|---|---|---|
| Category | DNS & Networking | DNS & Networking |
| Sub-category | Reverse Proxy | Reverse Proxy |
| Maturity | mature | stable |
| Complexity | intermediate | beginner |
| Performance tier | medium | medium |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| License type | permissive | permissive |
| Pricing | fully free | fully free |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 53.0K |
| Contributors | 0 | 0 |
| Commit frequency | weekly | weekly |
| Plugin ecosystem | none | none |
| Docs quality | good | good |
| Backing org | F5 Networks | Traefik Labs |
| Funding model | corporate | vc_backed |
| Min RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Min CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Scaling pattern | single_node | single_node |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| K8s native | No | No |
| Offline capable | Yes | No |
| Vendor lock-in | none | none |
| Languages | C | Go |
| API type | REST | REST |
| Protocols | HTTP | HTTP |
| Deployment | apt, docker, binary | docker, binary |
| SDK languages | — | — |
| Team size fit | solo, small, medium, enterprise | solo, small, medium, enterprise |
| First release | 2020 | 2020 |
| Latest version | — | — |
When to use Nginx
- ✓ Reverse proxy for web applications
- ✓ SSL/TLS termination
- ✓ Load balancing across backend servers
- ✓ Static file serving at scale
When to use Traefik
- ✓ Primary: dynamic-reverse-proxy
- ✓ Primary: kubernetes-ingress
- ✓ Primary: automatic-ssl
Nginx anti-patterns
- ✕ Config file syntax learning curve
- ✕ No automatic HTTPS like Caddy
- ✕ Dynamic config requires reload
- ✕ Modules need recompilation