HAProxy vs Zoraxy: Which Proxy to Self-Host?

Quick Verdict

Zoraxy is the better choice for self-hosting. It has a web UI, automatic SSL, GeoIP blocking, and a guided setup process. HAProxy is a superior load balancer and connection handler, but its text-only configuration and lack of automatic SSL make it unnecessary for typical homelab and VPS setups.

Overview

HAProxy is a high-performance TCP/HTTP load balancer used by some of the highest-traffic sites on the internet. Configuration is entirely through haproxy.cfg — powerful but complex. Current stable: 3.3.3. LTS: 3.2.12.

Zoraxy is an all-in-one reverse proxy with a web management UI, built-in GeoIP blocking, ZeroTier VPN integration, and automatic Let’s Encrypt SSL. Current version: v3.3.1.

HAProxy is built for infrastructure engineers managing data center traffic. Zoraxy is built for homelab users who want proxying to just work.

Feature Comparison

Feature	HAProxy 3.3	Zoraxy v3.3
Configuration	haproxy.cfg (text)	Web UI
Automatic SSL	No	Built-in ACME
GeoIP blocking	Via ACLs (manual)	Built-in toggle
DDoS protection	Stick-tables, rate limiting	Smart Shield (basic)
ZeroTier VPN	No	Built-in
Web file manager	No	Built-in
Stats dashboard	Yes (built-in, manual config)	Yes (GUI)
Load balancing	12+ algorithms	Basic
Health checks	Advanced (HTTP, TCP, agent)	Basic
Connection queuing	Yes	No
TCP/UDP proxying	Yes	Yes
ACL system	Extremely powerful	Basic auth
Docker socket integration	No	Optional
Performance	Extremely high	Moderate
Learning curve	Steep	Low

Installation Complexity

HAProxy

services:
  haproxy:
    image: haproxy:3.3.3
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
      - "8404:8404"
    volumes:
      - ./haproxy.cfg:/usr/local/etc/haproxy/haproxy.cfg:ro
      - ./certs:/etc/ssl/certs:ro
    sysctls:
      - net.ipv4.ip_unprivileged_port_start=0
    restart: unless-stopped

You must write haproxy.cfg from scratch, configure SSL certificates manually, and reload after every change.

Zoraxy

services:
  zoraxy:
    image: zoraxydocker/zoraxy:v3.3.1
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
      - "8000:8000"
    volumes:
      - zoraxy-config:/opt/zoraxy/config
    extra_hosts:
      - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"
    restart: unless-stopped

Open port 8000, add proxy rules through the web interface. SSL certificates are requested automatically.

Winner: Zoraxy. The difference in setup effort is substantial.

Performance and Resource Usage

Metric	HAProxy	Zoraxy
Idle RAM	~15-30 MB	~60-100 MB
Requests/sec	100,000+	Moderate
Max connections	Millions	Thousands
Latency overhead	~0.1ms	~1-2ms
Written in	C	Go

HAProxy is one of the fastest proxies available. For self-hosting workloads (typically <100 concurrent connections), both perform identically. HAProxy’s performance advantage only matters at massive scale.

Use Cases

Choose HAProxy If…

• You need enterprise-grade load balancing
• You’re handling thousands of concurrent connections
• You need sophisticated health checks with failover
• You need advanced ACLs (regex, header matching, IP ranges)
• You need connection queuing and stick-table rate limiting
• You’re comfortable with text-based configuration files

Choose Zoraxy If…

• You want a web UI for proxy management
• You want automatic SSL with no extra setup
• You want built-in GeoIP blocking
• You want ZeroTier VPN integration
• You’re running a homelab with 5-30 services
• You prefer visual configuration over text files

Final Verdict

Zoraxy for self-hosting, HAProxy for infrastructure. HAProxy’s power is wasted on a homelab — its strength is handling millions of connections across server farms with complex failover logic. Zoraxy provides everything a self-hoster needs in a more accessible package.

If you need HAProxy’s specific features (advanced ACLs, stick-tables, agent health checks), you probably already know you need HAProxy. Everyone else should use Zoraxy, Nginx Proxy Manager, or Traefik.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Zoraxy handle the same load as HAProxy?

Not at extreme scale. HAProxy handles millions of concurrent connections; Zoraxy is designed for thousands. For self-hosting, this doesn’t matter — you’ll never saturate either.

Does HAProxy have a web UI?

HAProxy has a stats dashboard (read-only) that shows backend health, connection counts, and performance metrics. It doesn’t have a configuration UI — all routing is managed via the config file. Third-party tools like HAProxy Data Plane API add some API-based management.

Can I add GeoIP blocking to HAProxy?

Yes, via ACLs with GeoIP lookup maps. It requires downloading a GeoIP database, configuring a map file, and writing ACL rules in haproxy.cfg. Zoraxy does this with a single toggle in the UI.

Related

• How to Self-Host HAProxy with Docker
• How to Self-Host Zoraxy with Docker
• HAProxy vs Envoy
• Traefik vs HAProxy
• Zoraxy vs Nginx Proxy Manager
• Best Self-Hosted Reverse Proxies
• Reverse Proxy Explained