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freenginx

freenginx.org

Free plan WindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.6 #6 of 33 in Reverse Proxy Software

What it is

freenginx is an effort to preserve free and open development of server software used for HTTP, mail, and TCP/UDP proxying. Its HTTP server can serve static files, reverse proxy with caching, balance load, and provide fault tolerance. It supports SSL/TLS SNI, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3, along with access controls based on client IP address, HTTP Basic authentication, or a subrequest result. Cached and accelerated connections are available for FastCGI, uwsgi, SCGI, and memcached servers. The mail proxy supports IMAP, POP3, and SMTP authentication methods with SSL and STARTTLS/STLS. TCP and UDP proxying includes load balancing, fault tolerance, and client-address access control. The process design uses one master and several workers running under an unprivileged user. Configuration can be reloaded and the executable upgraded without interrupting client service. Source and documentation are distributed under a 2-clause BSD-like license. The software is self-hosted and uses file-based configuration; downloads include source, Windows builds, and mainline and stable versions.

Spec sheet

Purpose
freenginx is an effort to preserve free and open development of nginx, an HTTP and reverse proxy server, mail proxy server, and generic TCP/UDP proxy server.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Platforms
The site lists tested Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms, along with FreeBSD, Solaris, AIX, and HP-UX.Read 3 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Support
Support is offered through English and Russian mailing lists; posting requires subscribing the email address used to post.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
License
The source code and documentation are distributed under a 2-clause BSD-like license.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Access control
HTTP access control can be based on client IP address, password using HTTP Basic authentication, or the result of a subrequest.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Architecture
It uses one master process and several worker processes, which run under an unprivileged user.Read 3 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Backend integrations
It supports cached and accelerated connections to FastCGI, uwsgi, SCGI, and memcached servers.Read 3 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Current release
The news page lists freenginx 1.31.4 as the mainline release announced on 2026-09-01.Read 3 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Development
The project uses Mercurial to store source code and directs proposed changes to the nginx development mailing list.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Downloads
The download page lists mainline version 1.31.4 and stable version 1.30.1, with Windows builds and PGP links.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
HTTP features
It supports static files, cached reverse proxying, load balancing, and FastCGI, uwsgi, SCGI, and memcached servers.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Mail proxy
Its mail proxy supports IMAP, POP3, and SMTP authentication, plus SSL, STARTTLS, and STLS.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Operations
It supports reconfiguration and executable upgrades without interrupting client servicing.Read 3 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Performance
The site says 10,000 inactive HTTP keep-alive connections use about 2.5M of memory and data copy operations are kept to a minimum.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Process model
The architecture uses one master and several worker processes, with workers running under an unprivileged user.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Protocols
The HTTP server supports SSL/TLS SNI, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3.Read 3 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Resource use
The site states that 10,000 inactive HTTP keep-alive connections take about 2.5M memory.Read 3 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Security reporting
The security page directs reports to [email protected] and says patches are signed using one of its PGP public keys.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
TCP and UDP
It provides generic TCP and UDP proxying, including TCP SSL and TLS SNI support, load balancing, and fault tolerance.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
TCP/UDP proxy
The product provides generic TCP and UDP proxying, with load balancing, fault tolerance, and client-address access control.Read 3 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Upgrades
Configuration can be reloaded and an executable upgraded without interrupting client servicing.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org
Web protocols
The HTTP server supports SSL and TLS SNI, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3.Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org

Plans and prices

freenginx Free Sources and documentation distributed under a 2-clause BSD-like license Read 4 Oct 2026 · freenginx.org

Every freenginx plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Supports HTTP/2 and HTTP/3.
  • Provides caching, load balancing, and fault tolerance.
  • Supports mail proxying for IMAP, POP3, and SMTP.
  • Configuration reloads need not interrupt service.
  • Source and documentation use a 2-clause BSD-like license.

Limits

  • Deployment is self-hosted.
  • Configuration is file-based.
  • Mailing-list posting requires an email subscription.

Who it suits

It suits teams that need self-hosted HTTP, mail, or TCP/UDP proxying and can manage file-based configuration. Its support is through mailing lists, which require subscribing before posting.

Verdict

freenginx covers HTTP serving and proxying alongside mail and general TCP/UDP proxy functions. It is self-hosted, with file-based configuration and mailing-list support.

Where Specifiction places it

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