Side by side
HAProxy Community Edition vs MetalLB
Both stand on load balancing software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2
HAProxy Community Edition brings TCP and HTTP proxying, load balancing, and high availability together in free, self-hosted software. Its Linux focus and self-management model are important considerations; the project also points users to commercial support contracts and professional services.
Visit HAProxy Community Edition Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
MetalLB provides service IP allocation and announcement for Kubernetes clusters where cloud-provider load balancing is not being used. Check the cluster requirements and beta status before adopting it.
Visit MetalLBThe facts
| HAProxy Community Edition | MetalLB | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | Linux, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | haproxy.org | metallb.io |
| On load balancing software | #1 of 32 | #4 of 32 |
HAProxy Community Edition: what it does well
- Free plan for TCP and HTTP proxying.
- Supports Layer 4 and Layer 7 routing.
- Includes TLS termination.
- Shipped with most mainstream Linux distributions.
- LTS branches are maintained for five years.
What to know first
- Self-hosted rather than a managed service.
- Runs on Linux according to the listed platforms.
- The 3.4 branch is listed as in development.
MetalLB: what it does well
- Free and open source, with no paid plans listed.
- Supports ARP, NDP, and BGP announcement modes.
- BGP mode can distribute traffic across multiple nodes.
- Install options include manifests, Kustomize, and Helm.
- Layer 4 routing is supported.
What to know first
- Remains idle until configured with resources such as an IPAddressPool.
- Requires Kubernetes 1.13.0 or later and a compatible network.
- AWS, Azure, DigitalOcean, and Google Cloud are listed as unsupported.
- Project is beta and its configuration format may change incompatibly.
Alternatives to HAProxy Community Edition Alternatives to MetalLB The whole list