SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway vs Squid

SafeSquid Secure Web Gateway is an HTTP proxy and secure web gateway for controlling web access and protecting web applications in reverse-proxy mode. It categorizes websites, identifies applications and applies user-access policies. HTTPS inspection can use an enterprise root certificate or a SafeSquid self-signed certificate. Malware scanning options include a built-in scanner, ClamAV and ICAP or other third-party systems. Data-loss prevention detects configured keyword patterns in uploads and can restrict them. SafeSquid supports Active Directory, OpenLDAP, Kerberos single sign-on and Linux-PAM authentication. It can use DNSBL services and stream logs to remote aggregators or SIEM systems. Deployment can use standard server hardware, a virtual appliance or private cloud, with multiple nodes in load-balanced or failover clusters. Cloud-backed configuration backup keeps version history for up to 365 days. The vendor says it supports Linux and Microsoft Windows. It is sold as an annual subscription with pricing on request, and the FAQ says the product stops working when an annual subscription is not renewed.

Squid is a self-hosted caching proxy for web traffic. It keeps commonly requested pages and other supported data available for reuse, helping reduce bandwidth and improve response times. Squid handles HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and gopher data; supported cache engines also include ICP and HTCP. Administrators can apply access controls and use full request logging. Squid can accelerate servers, direct content among web servers, and organize content clusters for load balancing. Multiple caches can be connected as a mesh or hierarchy through parent and sibling links. Proxy authentication options include Basic, NTLM, Digest, and Negotiate, with bundled helpers for LDAP, SQL databases, PAM, RADIUS, and Windows domains. Basic authentication encodes credentials with Base64 rather than encrypting them, so credentials are effectively cleartext between browser and proxy. Squid is free to download, use, and modify, and is distributed under GPL version 2, with some components under compatible open-source licenses. It is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with installation through operating-system packages, source releases, and binaries. Documentation, a wiki, bug tracking, and mailing lists are available.