NGINX
High-performance web server, reverse proxy and load balancer with a permissive BSD core, proven at internet scale. Active health checks, JWT auth and dynamic config sit behind the paid Plus tier.
Networking
Category: Networking under Infrastructure & Cloud
Caddy
Web server and reverse proxy in a single Go binary that issues and renews HTTPS certificates automatically. Apache-licensed with no paid tier: every feature ships in the open build.
Traefik
Reverse proxy and Kubernetes ingress that self-configures from service discovery, so routes update without restarts. MIT core, single binary. Advanced auth, WAF and multi-cluster are paid tiers.
NSD
An authoritative-only DNS server from the Dutch non-profit NLnet Labs, run by DNS root servers and many TLDs. Minimal attack surface by design, BSD-3. It serves zones only, not recursion.
Unbound
A validating recursive DNS resolver from the Dutch non-profit NLnet Labs. Resolve from the root servers yourself, so no public resolver sees your lookups. A focused resolver, not a full server.
BIND 9
The reference DNS implementation much of the internet runs on, governed by the non-profit ISC, not a company. Authoritative and recursive, MPL-2.0. Configuration is manual and zonefile-driven.
PowerDNS
Carrier-grade open source DNS used by ISPs and telcos: authoritative server, recursor and load balancer in one GPLv2 codebase. EU-owned via Open-Xchange. The management UI and support are a paid tier.
AdGuard Home
A self-hosted DNS ad-blocker with encrypted DNS and DHCP built in, blocking ads across every device. Auditable GPL code that phones nothing home. A modern sinkhole, not a full authoritative server.
Pi-hole
A network DNS sinkhole that blocks ads and trackers for every device, with no client software. Runs fully offline, so its US parent never sees a query. A focused ad-blocker, not a full DNS server.
Technitium DNS Server
A self-hosted DNS server, both a privacy resolver and a full authoritative server. Encrypted DNS, DNSSEC, clustering and SSO are all free, no paid tier. Development rests on one maintainer.
OPNsense
A FreeBSD-based firewall and router that replaces Fortinet and Cisco, with IDS/IPS, VPN and traffic shaping built in. The paid edition only gates a hardened, slower release track, not features.