TinyProxy vs Varnish

Struggling to choose between TinyProxy and Varnish? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

TinyProxy is a Network & Admin solution with tags like proxy, anonymity, privacy.

It boasts features such as Lightweight HTTP/HTTPS proxy server, Runs on Linux, MacOS and Windows, Anonymizes web browsing sessions, Access control for connections, Extendable with custom plugins and pros including Open source and free, Small resource footprint, Simple configuration, Supports access control lists, Can be extended via plugins.

On the other hand, Varnish is a Network & Admin product tagged with caching, content-delivery, acceleration.

Its standout features include Caching and optimization of content delivery, Speeds up websites by reducing requests to backend servers, Sits in front of web servers as a reverse proxy, Supports load balancing, Caching of static and dynamic content, Caching rules based on URLs, cookies, device type, etc, Health checks for origin servers, Grace mode to serve stale content if backends are down, Edge Side Includes for dynamic caching, Logging and monitoring capabilities, and it shines with pros like Significant performance improvements, Reduces load on backend servers, Open source with active development community, Highly configurable and customizable, Integrates well with many frameworks/CMSs, Can scale horizontally with multiple Varnish servers.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

TinyProxy

TinyProxy

TinyProxy is a light-weight open source HTTP and HTTPS proxy server. It runs on Linux, MacOS, and Windows and allows users to anonymize web browsing sessions and control internet access. TinyProxy is configurable, supports access control, and can be extended with custom plugins.

Categories:
proxy anonymity privacy

TinyProxy Features

  1. Lightweight HTTP/HTTPS proxy server
  2. Runs on Linux, MacOS and Windows
  3. Anonymizes web browsing sessions
  4. Access control for connections
  5. Extendable with custom plugins

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Open source and free

Small resource footprint

Simple configuration

Supports access control lists

Can be extended via plugins

Cons

Limited feature set compared to larger proxies

No web-based interface for configuration

Lacks advanced caching and optimization features

Only supports basic authentication methods


Varnish

Varnish

Varnish is an open source web application accelerator designed to speed up websites by caching and optimizing content delivery. It sits in front of web servers and caches frequently-accessed content, reducing requests to backend servers.

Categories:
caching content-delivery acceleration

Varnish Features

  1. Caching and optimization of content delivery
  2. Speeds up websites by reducing requests to backend servers
  3. Sits in front of web servers as a reverse proxy
  4. Supports load balancing
  5. Caching of static and dynamic content
  6. Caching rules based on URLs, cookies, device type, etc
  7. Health checks for origin servers
  8. Grace mode to serve stale content if backends are down
  9. Edge Side Includes for dynamic caching
  10. Logging and monitoring capabilities

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Significant performance improvements

Reduces load on backend servers

Open source with active development community

Highly configurable and customizable

Integrates well with many frameworks/CMSs

Can scale horizontally with multiple Varnish servers

Cons

Complex configuration

Steep learning curve

No GUI, managed via command line

Caching needs to be configured properly

Not ideal for sites with highly dynamic content