Traefik vs Nginx: Which Reverse Proxy to Self-Host?

Quick Verdict

Traefik is the better reverse proxy for Docker-based self-hosting setups. It auto-discovers containers via Docker labels, handles SSL certificates automatically, and requires zero manual config file editing for new services. Nginx is faster for raw throughput and gives you more control, but demands manual configuration for every change.

Overview

Traefik is a modern, cloud-native reverse proxy built specifically for containerized environments. It automatically discovers services through Docker labels, manages Let’s Encrypt certificates, and updates routing without restarts. Version 3.x (current: v3.6.8) is the latest stable release.

Nginx is the industry-standard web server and reverse proxy that powers roughly a third of the internet. It’s fast, stable, and extremely well-documented, but requires manual configuration files for every proxy host. Version 1.28.2 is the current mainline release.

Both are free and open source. The difference is philosophy: Traefik prioritizes automation and dynamic configuration; Nginx prioritizes raw performance and manual control.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Traefik v3.6	Nginx 1.28
Docker auto-discovery	Yes (labels)	No (manual config)
Automatic SSL (Let’s Encrypt)	Built-in ACME	Requires Certbot or similar
Configuration method	Docker labels + YAML/TOML	Config files (nginx.conf)
Hot reload	Automatic (watches Docker)	Manual (nginx -s reload)
Web dashboard	Built-in	No (third-party tools only)
Load balancing	Round-robin, weighted, sticky	Round-robin, least-conn, IP hash
HTTP/3 (QUIC)	Experimental	Supported (1.25+)
TCP/UDP proxying	Yes	Yes (stream module)
Middleware/plugins	Built-in middleware chain	Modules (compile-time or dynamic)
WebSocket support	Yes	Yes (with proxy_set_header)
Rate limiting	Built-in middleware	Built-in (limit_req)
Access control	BasicAuth, ForwardAuth	Basic auth, IP allow/deny

Installation Complexity

Traefik

Traefik is Docker-native. Add labels to your containers and Traefik routes traffic automatically:

services:
  traefik:
    image: traefik:v3.6.8
    command:
      - "--providers.docker=true"
      - "--entrypoints.web.address=:80"
      - "--entrypoints.websecure.address=:443"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.tlschallenge=true"
      - "[email protected]"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json"
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
      - letsencrypt:/letsencrypt
    restart: unless-stopped

Adding a new service means adding labels to that service’s container — no Traefik config changes needed.

Nginx

Nginx requires writing a config file for each proxied service:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name app.example.com;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://app:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

Every new service needs a new config block, followed by nginx -s reload. SSL requires additional Certbot setup and renewal cron jobs.

Winner: Traefik. Significantly less operational overhead for Docker environments.

Performance and Resource Usage

Metric	Traefik	Nginx
Idle RAM	~50-80 MB	~5-10 MB
CPU under load	Moderate	Very low
Requests/sec (benchmark)	~30,000	~50,000+
Startup time	2-3 seconds	<1 second
Binary size	~100 MB	~10 MB (Alpine)

Nginx wins on raw performance. It’s written in C and optimized for throughput. Traefik is written in Go and trades some performance for dynamic routing capabilities. For self-hosting workloads (typically under 1,000 concurrent connections), the difference is negligible.

Winner: Nginx on raw numbers, but irrelevant for most self-hosting scenarios.

Community and Support

Metric	Traefik	Nginx
GitHub stars	53K+	N/A (mirror only)
Docker Hub pulls	4B+	1B+ (official image)
Documentation quality	Excellent	Excellent
Community forum	Active	Active (forum.nginx.org)
Stack Overflow questions	~8K	~100K+
Commercial support	Traefik Enterprise	Nginx Plus (F5)

Nginx has decades of community knowledge. Every proxy configuration question has been answered somewhere. Traefik’s community is newer but highly active, especially for Docker-specific questions.

Use Cases

Choose Traefik If…

• You run Docker containers and want automatic service discovery
• You add/remove services frequently
• You want SSL certificates managed automatically with zero intervention
• You prefer configuration-as-code via Docker labels
• You want a built-in dashboard to see routing status
• You’re running microservices or multiple self-hosted apps

Choose Nginx If…

• You need maximum raw throughput (high-traffic sites)
• You’re serving static files alongside proxying
• You need granular control over every aspect of request handling
• You’re comfortable writing and managing config files
• You’re proxying non-Docker services on bare metal
• You need specific Nginx modules (Lua, njs, RTMP)

Final Verdict

For self-hosting with Docker: use Traefik. The automatic service discovery and SSL management eliminate the biggest pain points of running a reverse proxy. Adding a new self-hosted app is as simple as adding three labels to its Docker Compose file.

For static sites, high-traffic production, or non-Docker environments: use Nginx. Nothing beats Nginx for raw performance and flexibility when you’re willing to manage config files.

Most self-hosters should start with Traefik. If you find yourself needing Nginx-specific features (njs scripting, complex rewrite rules, static file serving), you can always add Nginx behind Traefik for specific services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Traefik replace Nginx completely?

For reverse proxying, yes. For serving static files or running as a web server, no. Traefik is a reverse proxy only — it doesn’t serve static content directly. Many setups use Traefik as the edge proxy with Nginx serving individual applications.

Is Traefik slower than Nginx?

In synthetic benchmarks, yes. In real self-hosting workloads with a few hundred concurrent users, the difference is undetectable. Traefik adds about 1ms of latency per request compared to Nginx.

Can I migrate from Nginx to Traefik gradually?

Yes. Run both simultaneously — Traefik on ports 80/443, Nginx on different ports. Migrate services one at a time by adding Traefik labels and removing Nginx config blocks.

Does Traefik support Nginx-style config files?

No. Traefik uses its own YAML/TOML format for static configuration and Docker labels for dynamic routing. The configuration models are fundamentally different.

Which uses less memory?

Nginx. It idles at 5-10 MB compared to Traefik’s 50-80 MB. On a 2 GB server this difference matters; on 4+ GB it doesn’t.

Related

• How to Self-Host Traefik with Docker Compose
• How to Self-Host Nginx with Docker Compose
• Nginx Proxy Manager vs Traefik
• Traefik vs Caddy
• Caddy vs Nginx
• Best Self-Hosted Reverse Proxies
• Reverse Proxy Explained