Life & fun · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to An alternative to Apache / Nginx config hell
Concept wireframes: https://imgur.com/a/Qyvq5HF HN, I've been chronically frustrated by how challenging it is to configure nginx and Apache config files. I had the idea for a simple, intuitive interface that could automatically generate and manage htaccess and SitesAvailable files. Does anyone think it would be worthwhile for me to build this?
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. An alternative to Apache / Nginx config hell launched in 2019; newer entries below may have overtaken it.
- 1
🛡️ Open-source and cloud-native Web Application Firewall (WAF) - bunkerity/bunkerweb
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 2
Helps generate Apache2 config and get your site live
2021 · its alternatives →
- 3
Hey all, I just wanted to share a project I've been working on for the past month. After years of heavy frameworks, I really like the idea of using htmx, but it’s a little too low level for me and needs a thin layer above it to facilitate things like components, better syntax with complex JS inside of an attribute, etc To try and solve this problem with a very minimal stack (golang + htmx) that I've been really enjoying, I'm building this project to cater to my needs and was thinking it would be useful for other developers.
2024 · htmgo.dev · its alternatives →
- 4AH
I've been trying to write my "go on rails" framework for years. I never quite got it like I wanted. There is gin and echo and all sorts of other frameworks and patterns but I finally found something I really like: /foo/ /foo/bar/ /foo/bar/more/ That's it. Just three levels and all my controllers get passed in what's between the / with var names first, second, third. In order to really make sure this framework could build something real I made a Hacker News clone. RemoteRenters.com is a HN just for articles about the remote work revolution…
2023 · remoterenters.com · its alternatives →
- 5
Turn GitHub into a project management suite! Plus, socks
2015 · app.zenhub.com · its alternatives →
- 6
Free Nginx configuration generator. Build server blocks for static sites, PHP, reverse proxy and Node.js apps with SSL, gzip and security headers.
Sep 2026 · tools.techtransit.org · its alternatives →
- 7
wsgrok▲7I built it for myself because ngrok didn't let me add one more domain unless I paid $12 more. I probably should've looked for alternatives before building my own, but my grudge got in the way . Once I started, I wanted to make it better than the other options. Silly, I know. No one probably cares. I plan to open source it sometime next year because I’ve got other projects to finish first. It's free until I deplete my cloud credits, then it will switch to a tier-based model with a free option.
Jan 2026 · wsgrok.com · its alternatives →
- 8AS
Hi! I am sharing this because it may be useful to others. I created a simple Docker image that lets you easily expose a web app running locally on your dev machine to the Internet, via a proxy server. It is a self hosted alternative to something like Ngrok, which is a paid service if you use custom domains. A small server is cheaper than Ngrok (I use Hetzner Cloud and the cheapest server costs me 3€ per month). I use this method in particular to test HTTP verification with Let's Encrypt for a SaaS app running on my Mac. Hope this is useful :) Code:…
2019 · its alternatives →
- 9AS
This is a proof of concept utility which allows you to expose local services to the internet at large: https://github.com/skx/tunneller In short it is a simple ngrok alternative, which you can self-host. Because it is a proof of concept it hasn't been tested extensively, but it seems like it will solve my immediate-needs. Of course it needs test, and structure added. But feedback can't hurt :)
2019 · its alternatives →
- 10
If you are tired of using Apache or Nginx to proxy your app and implement validation or limiting you may be interested in this hobbyist project. Thanks for all feedback.
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 11
Write apache and nginx conf in JSON and switch between the two seamlessly - luke-j/switch
2016 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 12
Configurable vHost generator for Apache 2.2, Apache 2.4 and Nginx - devilbox/vhost-gen
2017 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 13
2016 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 14
Discover our strategy for easily securing applications without the overhead of using a datastore, setting up users, and facilitating authentication.
2016 · arcweb.co · its alternatives →
- 15
Online nginx configuration generator for general purposes
2018 · digitalocean.com · its alternatives →
- 16
- 17NH
I'm looking for some help developing this front end: http://equationdesigner.appspot.com/ I'm pretty much a n00b when it comes to what web technologies to use, my focus has been the back end. This is also my first attempt seeking help on HN, lets hope this GOes well. I started this project for a group of lake ecologists (GLEON.org), but I think the computer science can be used more broadly.
2012 · equationdesigner.appspot.com · its alternatives →
- 18
Write Nginx configs faster and without errors
Nov 2025 · plugins.jetbrains.com · its alternatives →
- 19
Config parser for go, modeled after Nginx format, Nice lenient syntax with Comments - lytics/confl
2015 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 20
I needed to make a tiny webapp backend to upload to shared LAMP hosting (they still exist, and I think they're fun despite us being well beyond 2005), but I couldn't face waiting for FTP to sync down however thousands files Laravel or similar frameworks need. So I made a tiny PHP framework that gets packaged into a single file. I'm using it for my own shady purposes, but I decided to put it on GitHub in case anyone else finds the approach useful. It has typed request/response handling, filesystem-based routing, object serialization, database models/schema generation, and a little…
Aug 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 21
While it's not hard to write a Dockerfile, I think it's hard to write a good one. Every language has its own quirks, and every framework has a special way of building things. I was looking for a collection of well-written and well-maintained Dockerfiles, but I couldn't find one. Thus, I thought of creating one! I realized it's not enough to have a simple Dockerfile. Sometimes you need other files for your build: nginx.conf, php.ini, my.cnf, etc. I also realized that people have different preferences. In Node, some use NPM, some use YARN, some use PNPM. In PHP, some use Apache, some use FPM…
2022 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 22
A HTTP3 web server for reverse proxy and single page application, automatically apply for ssl certificate, Zero-Configuration. - txthinking/nico
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 23SW
i'm building this minimalistic framework mostly for myself. it's really just a project template + a tiny library that adds file based routes to express and persistent task queues. i wanted something that: 1. is a single long-running process to deploy and manage (thanks sqlite!) 2. has type-safe database queries and type-safe server rendered React-like `.tsx` components 3. addresses 80% of common full-stack concerns like emails, task queues and routing 4. doesn't have a frontend build process curious to hear what you think!
2024 · plainweb.dev · its alternatives →
- 24
Also compare
- Bunkerized-Nginx – Nginx Docker image secure by default alternatives
- Apache Config Generator alternatives
- htmgo - build simple and scalable systems with golang + htmx alternatives
- A HN clone writen in Go alternatives
- ZenHub for Firefox alternatives
- Browser-based Nginx config generator with live preview alternatives
Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →