freenginx is an effort to keep development of nginx server software free and open. It can serve static files and act as an HTTP and reverse proxy, a mail proxy, or a general TCP/UDP proxy. HTTP functions include caching, load balancing, fault tolerance, and support for SSL/TLS SNI, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3. It can connect with caching and acceleration to FastCGI, uwsgi, SCGI, and memcached servers. Mail proxy functions cover IMAP, POP3, and SMTP authentication, with SSL and STARTTLS/STLS. TCP and UDP proxying supports load balancing, fault tolerance, and client-address access control. Configuration can be reloaded and the executable upgraded without interrupting client servicing. The source code and documentation use a 2-clause BSD-like license. The free software is self-hosted, with file-based configuration; downloads include mainline and stable versions, Windows builds, and source code. Support is provided through mailing lists, which require an email subscription before posting.
Who it is for
freenginx suits people who need self-hosted HTTP, mail, or TCP/UDP proxying and want source code under a 2-clause BSD-like license. It is also relevant to operators needing configuration reloads or executable upgrades without interrupting service.
What is good
- Supports HTTP/2 and HTTP/3.
- Offers caching, load balancing, and fault tolerance.
- Supports IMAP, POP3, and SMTP proxying.
- Reloads configuration without interrupting client service.
- Source and documentation use a 2-clause BSD-like license.
What to know first
- Self-hosted deployment is required.
- Mailing-list posting requires an email subscription.
- Support is through mailing lists.
Verdict
freenginx covers several server and proxy roles, with multiple protocol and upgrade options. Consider whether self-hosting and mailing-list support fit your operations.
freenginx plans and pricing
All plansCompared on reverse proxy software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self-hosted
- TLS termination
- Yes
- Response caching
- Yes
- Configuration method
- file
- WebSocket support
- Yes
- Rate limiting
- Yes
