Apache Traffic Server vs Skipper
Apache Traffic Server
trafficserver.apache.org
Skipper
opensource.zalando.comSide by side
| Figure | Apache Traffic Server | Skipper |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Reverse Proxy Software | 9.0 (#2) | 7.3 (#20) |
| Deployment | The documentation lists web proxy cache, reverse proxy, and cache hierarchy deployments. | The project provides a Linux binary example and instructions for running Skipper in a Docker container. |
| License | ATS is distributed under the OSI-approved Apache License 2.0. | The project publishes a LICENSE file in its GitHub repository. |
| Maker founded | The Apache Software Foundation was established in 1999. | Zalando says it was founded in Berlin in 2008. |
| Maker headquarters | LinkedIn lists the foundation headquarters as Wilmington, Delaware. | Zalando's corporate page identifies Berlin as its headquarters. |
| Purpose | Apache Traffic Server is a fast, scalable, extensible HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 caching proxy server. | Skipper is an HTTP router and reverse proxy for service composition, including Kubernetes Ingress use cases. |
| Scale | The project says major CDNs and content providers use it for multiple terabits per second of traffic. | The documentation says Skipper is designed to handle more than 800,000 dynamically configured HTTP route definitions. |
| Support | Users can seek help through the Users Mailing List or ASF Slack, and code questions through the developers discussion list. | The project directs user and developer questions to its public Google Group and Slack channel, and also suggests creating an issue. |
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.
Skipper
Skipper has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.