Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Cloudflare SSL/TLS and reverse proxy features

Nginx Proxy Manager (NPM) is a web-based management interface for configuring Nginx as a reverse proxy. It simplifies publishing internal web apps to the internet or to private networks by providing a UI to create proxy hosts, manage TLS certificates, and apply common security and routing settings without hand-editing Nginx config files.

Key Features

• Manage Proxy Hosts (reverse proxy) with per-host settings (forward host/port, WebSocket support, caching, header tweaks)
• Built-in Let’s Encrypt certificate issuance and renewals (including wildcard support via DNS challenge in supported setups)
• Central certificate management: upload/import custom certificates and reuse across hosts
• Access Lists for basic HTTP authentication and IP-based allow/deny rules
• Support for Redirection Hosts (HTTP redirects) and 404 hosts (catch-all behavior)
• Stream (TCP/UDP) proxying for non-HTTP services
• Multi-user admin UI with permissions suitable for delegating proxy management
• Runs well in containers; commonly deployed via Docker/Docker Compose

Use Cases

• Put multiple self-hosted apps behind a single domain with HTTPS and per-app routing
• Provide TLS termination and simple authentication in front of internal services
• Publish TCP/UDP services (e.g., game servers or databases) through a managed stream proxy

Limitations and Considerations

• Designed as a management layer over Nginx; complex Nginx behaviors may still require custom configuration patterns outside the UI.

NPM is a practical choice when you want the reliability of Nginx with a straightforward web UI for day-to-day proxy, TLS, and access-control operations. It is widely used in homelab and small-team environments to standardize how services are exposed and secured.

Pangolin is a self-hosted secure access gateway designed to publish internal web apps and services without directly exposing your network. It focuses on simplifying tunneled publishing, centralizing access control, and providing an admin UI for managing endpoints and users.

Key Features

• Secure tunneling to expose private services behind NAT/firewalls
• Reverse-proxy style routing to multiple apps/services under one gateway
• Identity-aware access controls for protected routes (authentication/authorization)
• Web-based admin UI for managing services, users, and configuration
• Designed for homelab and small-team deployments with straightforward setup

Use Cases

• Publish homelab dashboards and internal tools to the internet with access control
• Provide remote access to self-hosted business apps without opening inbound ports broadly
• Create a single entry point for multiple internal services with centralized policy

Limitations and Considerations

• Feature set and integrations may be less extensive than large, mature zero-trust platforms; validate required auth providers and policies before adopting.

Pangolin is a good fit when you want a single, manageable gateway to expose internal services via tunnels while keeping access policies centralized. It targets practical deployments where ease of operation and controlled access are more important than complex enterprise features.

Technitium DNS Server is a self-hosted DNS platform that can act as a recursive resolver (with caching) and as an authoritative DNS server for your own zones. It includes a web-based admin interface and security/privacy-focused DNS features such as encrypted DNS protocols and blocklists.

Key Features

• Recursive DNS resolver with caching for faster local name resolution
• Authoritative DNS hosting for zones with common record types and zone management
• DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) and DNS-over-TLS (DoT) for encrypted client and forwarder traffic
• Built-in DNS-based blocking (ad/malware domain blocklists) with configurable allow/deny lists
• DNS forwarding/upstream configuration options (including encrypted upstreams)
• DHCP Server integration (optional) for LAN IP assignment and DNS configuration
• Web UI for configuration, logs, stats, and administration
• Extensible “Apps” system to add capabilities (plugin-like modules)

Use Cases

• Replace ISP/router DNS with a private LAN resolver supporting DoH/DoT
• Run internal authoritative DNS for homelab or small business domains
• Network-wide ad/malware domain blocking without client-side browser plugins

Limitations and Considerations

• Some advanced enterprise DNS features (e.g., anycast clustering) depend on external design/ops rather than being a single turnkey feature.

Technitium is a strong fit when you want an all-in-one DNS stack: recursive + authoritative, a web UI, encrypted DNS support, and optional DHCP and filtering features. It’s commonly deployed in homelabs and SMB networks as a Pi-hole/AdGuard Home alternative with deeper DNS server capabilities.

HAProxy is a high-performance, event-driven load balancer and reverse proxy commonly used to front web applications and APIs. It provides Layer 4 (TCP) and Layer 7 (HTTP) traffic management with strong reliability, detailed control over routing, and production-grade operational tooling.

Key Features

• Layer 4 (TCP) and Layer 7 (HTTP) load balancing with multiple algorithms (e.g., round-robin, leastconn, hashing)
• Reverse proxy with advanced HTTP routing rules (ACLs, header/path-based routing, rewrites)
• Health checks (active/passive) with automatic failover and server draining
• TLS termination and SNI-based routing; certificate loading and TLS policy controls
• High availability patterns (multi-process/threading, seamless reloads, connection draining)
• Session persistence (stickiness) using cookies, source IP, or other keys
• Rate limiting, request/connection shaping, and basic DDoS/abuse mitigation primitives
• Built-in stats and administrative interface (stats page/CLI socket) plus Prometheus-style metrics support (via exporters/integrations)

Use Cases

• Fronting websites/APIs with HTTPS termination and path/host-based routing to multiple backends
• Highly available load balancing for microservices and internal TCP services (databases, message brokers)
• Edge proxy for gradual rollouts (canary), maintenance windows (draining), and traffic shaping

Limitations and Considerations

• Configuration is powerful but can be complex; many features are expressed via ACL/rules that require careful testing.
• Some advanced capabilities may require using HAProxy Enterprise add-ons in commercial contexts (depending on desired support/features).

HAProxy is widely deployed at scale due to its performance, stability, and deep traffic-control features. It fits well where you need fine-grained routing, reliable failover, and predictable behavior under heavy load, while remaining flexible enough for diverse TCP and HTTP workloads.

Zoraxy is a lightweight reverse proxy designed for self-hosters who want a simple web UI to publish multiple services behind one HTTP(S) entrypoint. It focuses on easy setup, practical routing features, and built-in utilities commonly needed in homelabs and small deployments.

Key Features

• Web-based admin UI to manage proxy hosts and routing rules
• Reverse proxy for HTTP/HTTPS services with host- and path-based routing
• TLS/HTTPS support (certificate management options depend on deployment)
• Access controls and request filtering features intended to reduce unwanted traffic
• Built-in traffic/utility tools (e.g., diagnostics and convenience features surfaced in the UI)
• Designed to be lightweight and easy to run on modest hardware

Use Cases

• Expose multiple self-hosted apps (media, dashboards, admin panels) under different subdomains
• Front internal services with HTTPS and centralized routing rules
• Provide a simple GUI-managed edge gateway for a homelab or small VPS

Limitations and Considerations

• Feature depth and ecosystem are smaller than larger proxy stacks (e.g., NGINX/Traefik) and may not cover advanced enterprise needs.

Zoraxy fits users who want a straightforward reverse proxy with a GUI and sensible defaults rather than a highly extensible edge platform. It is particularly suitable for homelabs and small deployments where simplicity and low overhead are priorities.

SWAG (Secure Web Application Gateway) is a LinuxServer.io Docker image that bundles Nginx with automated TLS certificates via Let’s Encrypt. It is commonly used as a front door for multiple web apps, providing HTTPS, reverse proxying, and security-oriented defaults.

Key Features

• Automated certificate issuance/renewal for domains and subdomains using Let’s Encrypt (Certbot)
• Nginx reverse proxy with a large library of sample proxy configurations for common apps
• Security-focused defaults and optional hardening snippets (headers, TLS settings, etc.)
• Supports multiple validation methods (e.g., HTTP-01; DNS-based workflows via plugins depending on setup)
• Optional fail2ban integration for banning abusive clients based on log patterns
• Designed for container deployments; configuration via mounted volumes and environment variables

Use Cases

• Put multiple self-hosted web services behind a single HTTPS endpoint with clean host-based routing
• Quickly enable HTTPS for a homelab by reusing provided proxy templates for popular apps
• Add a security layer (TLS, headers, basic request filtering, optional banning) in front of internal services

Limitations and Considerations

• Nginx configuration is template/snippet-based and still requires some familiarity for custom or unusual apps
• ACME challenges and DNS/port requirements can complicate setups behind CGNAT or restrictive networks

SWAG is a practical choice when you want an Nginx-based reverse proxy that also manages certificates automatically. Its curated proxy templates and security snippets reduce the time needed to publish and protect multiple services.

GoDoxy is a lightweight reverse proxy written in Go designed to sit in front of your self-hosted services and route traffic to them reliably. It focuses on straightforward configuration, modern TLS defaults, and making it easy to expose multiple apps behind a single entrypoint.

Key Features

• Reverse proxy for HTTP/HTTPS services with host-based routing
• Automatic TLS certificate provisioning/renewal (ACME/Let’s Encrypt)
• Support for multiple backends/services behind one proxy
• Configurable upstream targets, headers, and proxy behavior
• Designed to be small, fast, and easy to deploy (Go binary/container)

Use Cases

• Expose multiple homelab services on separate subdomains (e.g., app1.example.com, app2.example.com)
• Terminate TLS centrally and route to internal services on a private network
• Replace ad-hoc per-app web server configs with a single proxy layer

GoDoxy is a practical choice when you want a minimal reverse proxy focused on routing and automated HTTPS, without the operational overhead of larger ingress stacks. It fits well in small-to-medium self-hosted setups where simplicity and predictable behavior matter.