Nginx Proxy Manager vs Traefik: Which Reverse Proxy Should You Use?

Quick Answer

Use Nginx Proxy Manager if you want the easiest reverse proxy setup with a web UI and point-and-click SSL. Use Traefik if you run many Docker services and want automatic route discovery via labels. NPM is better for beginners; Traefik is better for power users.

Overview

Nginx Proxy Manager

A web UI on top of Nginx. Add proxy hosts, request SSL certificates, configure access lists — all through a browser. No config files to edit for basic use cases.

Traefik

An advanced reverse proxy with automatic Docker service discovery. Add labels to your Docker Compose services and Traefik automatically creates routes. Powerful middleware system for rate limiting, authentication, headers, and more.

Feature Comparison

Feature	NPM	Traefik
Configuration	Web UI	YAML + Docker labels
SSL certificates	One-click Let’s Encrypt	Automatic with config
Docker auto-discovery	No	Yes
Middleware	Basic (via custom config)	Extensive built-in
Access lists	Built-in	Via middleware
Dashboard	Full management UI	Read-only metrics
WebSocket support	Toggle in UI	Automatic
TCP/UDP proxy	Yes (Streams)	Yes
Learning curve	Low	Medium-High
Wildcard certs	DNS challenge	DNS challenge

Installation & Setup

NPM: One Docker container, access the UI, start adding proxy hosts. A new self-hoster can have HTTPS working in 15 minutes.

Traefik: Requires understanding YAML configuration, Docker labels, and Traefik concepts (routers, services, middleware, entrypoints). Initial setup takes longer, but adding new services is faster once configured.

When Each Shines

NPM shines when:

You’re new to reverse proxies
You have 5-15 services
You want visual management
You don’t want to edit config files

Traefik shines when:

You have 15+ Docker services
You frequently add/remove services
You want automatic configuration via labels
You need advanced middleware (rate limiting, auth, etc.)

The Verdict

For most self-hosters, start with NPM. It covers 90% of use cases with a fraction of the complexity. If you outgrow it — too many services to manage manually, need advanced middleware, want automatic Docker discovery — then migrate to Traefik.