Apache Traffic Server vs Pound
Apache Traffic Server
trafficserver.apache.orgPound
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Apache Traffic Server | Pound |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Reverse Proxy Software | 9.0 (#2) | 7.1 (#25) |
| License | ATS is distributed under the OSI-approved Apache License 2.0. | Pound is distributed under the GNU General Public License version 3 or any later version. |
| Purpose | Apache Traffic Server is a fast, scalable, extensible HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 caching proxy server. | Pound is a reverse proxy, load balancer, and HTTPS front end for web servers. |
| Security | Security options include client access controls, client authentication, SSL termination, and access control via SSL. | The project describes Pound as a small program that can run setuid/setgid or in a chroot jail and does not access the hard disk except to read certificate files at startup when required. |
| Support | Users can seek help through the Users Mailing List or ASF Slack, and code questions through the developers discussion list. | The maintainer directs bug reports to email addresses [email protected] and [email protected] or the GitHub issue tracker. |
| What it does | Apache Traffic Server is a fast, scalable and extensible HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 caching proxy. | Pound is a reverse proxy, load balancer, and HTTPS front-end for web servers. |
Plans
In their own words
Apache Traffic Server
Apache Traffic Server is a free, open-source caching proxy server for HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2. It stores frequently requested pages, images, and web service calls so they can be reused, with the stated aims of improving response time and reducing server load and bandwidth needs. It can also add keep-alive behavior, filter or anonymize requests, and balance traffic through a proxy layer. Deployment patterns include web proxy cache, reverse proxy, and cache hierarchy. As a layer 7 HTTP load balancer, it can choose next-hop servers using request attributes, weighted round robin, or URL consistent hashing. Plug-in APIs let teams add behavior such as changing headers, handling ESI requests, or implementing cache algorithms. Security options include client access controls and authentication, SSL termination, and SSL-based access control. It is self-hosted, with Linux and macOS listed as platforms. The project identifies enterprises, internet service providers, backbone providers, and large intranets as its intended audience. The listed stable release is 10.2.0; 9.2.15 is listed as the long-term support release.