Bunny CDN

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Bunny CDN

A curated collection of the 5 best self hosted alternatives to Bunny CDN.

Content delivery network and edge platform providing global caching, HTTP/HTTPS delivery, edge rules and reverse-proxy features, DDoS protection, streaming video delivery (HLS/MP4), and object storage for websites, applications, and media distribution.

Alternatives List

#1
BunkerWeb

BunkerWeb

BunkerWeb is an open-source WAF and NGINX-based reverse proxy to protect web apps and APIs with HTTPS automation, security policies, and extensible plugins.

BunkerWeb screenshot

BunkerWeb is a next-generation, open-source web application firewall (WAF) that runs as an NGINX-based reverse proxy in front of your web services. It aims to provide secure-by-default protection for websites, applications, and APIs while staying easy to integrate into common deployment environments.

Key Features

  • Reverse proxy web server built on NGINX for fronting multiple web services
  • Built-in web security hardening (TLS configuration, HTTP security headers)
  • Automated HTTPS certificate management with ACME/Let’s Encrypt
  • Integrated ModSecurity WAF with OWASP Core Rule Set support
  • Rate limiting and request/connection limiting to reduce abuse
  • Automatic banning based on suspicious behavior and HTTP status patterns
  • Bot protection with challenge mechanisms (for example JavaScript, cookie, CAPTCHA)
  • IP reputation blocking via external lists and DNSBL
  • Extensible plugin system for adding or customizing security capabilities
  • Optional web UI for managing instances and configuration

Use Cases

  • Protecting self-hosted websites and web apps behind a hardened reverse proxy
  • Shielding APIs from common web attacks, abusive clients, and automated bots
  • Standardizing HTTPS/TLS and baseline security policies across environments

Limitations and Considerations

  • Some advanced capabilities are reserved for the commercial PRO offering
  • As with any WAF, effective protection requires careful tuning to minimize false positives

BunkerWeb is a strong fit when you want an auditable, configurable WAF that can be deployed across Linux, containers, and Kubernetes. Its secure-by-default approach, NGINX foundation, and plugin model make it suitable for both homelabs and production environments.

9.8kstars
560forks
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#2
HAProxy

HAProxy

HAProxy is a fast, reliable reverse proxy and load balancer for TCP and HTTP applications, providing high availability, TLS termination, health checks, and traffic routing.

HAProxy screenshot

HAProxy is a high-performance reverse proxy and load balancer designed to improve availability and scalability of TCP and HTTP-based services. It is widely used as an edge proxy to route traffic, terminate TLS, and enforce traffic policies for web applications and APIs.

Key Features

  • Layer 4 (TCP) and Layer 7 (HTTP) proxying with flexible routing rules
  • Load balancing algorithms and active health checks for backend pools
  • TLS termination and modern HTTPS features (including HTTP/2 support)
  • High availability options, including multi-process support and state synchronization features
  • Rich observability via detailed logs, statistics, and runtime control interfaces
  • Extensibility via Lua scripting and advanced traffic processing mechanisms

Use Cases

  • Reverse proxy in front of web apps and microservices with TLS termination
  • High-availability load balancer for clustered services and databases exposing TCP
  • Traffic shaping, access control, and DDoS resilience at the edge

Limitations and Considerations

  • Configuration is powerful but can be complex for advanced Layer 7 routing policies
  • Some advanced features are version-dependent; production setups typically follow stable branches

HAProxy is a proven choice for performance-critical traffic management, combining efficient proxying with mature load-balancing capabilities. It fits well as a core component in both homelab and enterprise edge architectures where reliability and control are priorities.

6.3kstars
898forks
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#3
Varnish Cache

Varnish Cache

Varnish Cache is a high-performance HTTP reverse proxy cache for accelerating web applications and APIs with flexible caching rules and detailed request logging.

Varnish Cache screenshot

Varnish Cache is a high-performance HTTP accelerator commonly deployed in front of web servers to cache content and reduce backend load and latency. It operates as a reverse proxy and is tuned for high throughput, with flexible request handling and caching behavior.

Key Features

  • HTTP reverse proxy caching to speed up websites and APIs
  • Flexible request routing and cache logic via VCL (Varnish Configuration Language)
  • Advanced cache controls (TTL, grace/saint modes, cache invalidation patterns)
  • Detailed shared-memory logging (VSL) and runtime metrics for troubleshooting
  • Supports cache purging/ban mechanisms to invalidate cached objects
  • Designed for performance and efficient resource usage under heavy traffic

Use Cases

  • Accelerating content-heavy sites and CMS-backed pages by caching responses
  • Protecting origin servers from traffic spikes and reducing infrastructure cost
  • Serving as an edge caching layer in front of load balancers or web servers

Limitations and Considerations

  • Primarily targets HTTP caching; it is not a general-purpose L4 load balancer
  • Effective configuration often requires understanding VCL and HTTP caching semantics

Varnish Cache is a mature, widely used choice for organizations that need fast HTTP caching and fine-grained control over request handling. It fits well as an edge or mid-tier caching layer where performance and observability are critical.

4kstars
401forks
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#4
NetGoat

NetGoat

NetGoat is a self-hostable reverse proxy and traffic management platform offering Cloudflare-like features such as TLS termination, rate limiting, WAF-style filtering, and dashboards.

NetGoat screenshot

NetGoat is a self-hostable reverse proxy engine and traffic manager designed to provide Cloudflare-like controls for routing, security, and performance. It aims to help homelabs and teams manage inbound web traffic with an integrated UI and rule-based behavior.

Key Features

  • Reverse proxy for HTTP traffic, including WebSocket support
  • TLS termination with automated certificate handling
  • WAF-style request filtering and anti-abuse protections
  • Rate limiting and request queuing to protect APIs and apps
  • Load balancing and failover for multi-node routing
  • Per-domain configuration with wildcard/regex support
  • Dynamic rules engine for custom routing and filtering logic
  • Metrics dashboard for traffic and error visibility
  • Optional integration targeting Cloudflare workflows (such as tunnels)

Use Cases

  • Fronting multiple self-hosted services with a single security and routing layer
  • Adding rate limiting and basic WAF protections to APIs and web apps
  • Managing multi-service homelab ingress with per-domain policies and monitoring

Limitations and Considerations

  • Project is explicitly work-in-progress; features and stability may change significantly
  • Some advertised capabilities may be incomplete depending on the current release state

NetGoat is best suited for users who want a centralized, UI-driven reverse proxy with security-focused controls and extensibility. As it matures, it can serve as a flexible edge layer for both homelab and small-team deployments.

668stars
29forks
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#5
Squid

Squid

Squid is a high-performance caching proxy that accelerates web delivery, reduces bandwidth usage, and provides extensive access controls for proxy and reverse-proxy setups.

Squid screenshot

Squid is a widely used caching proxy server that optimizes web traffic by storing and reusing frequently requested content. It supports multiple protocols and is commonly deployed both as a forward proxy for users and as a reverse proxy (server accelerator) in front of web services.

Key Features

  • Caching proxy for web traffic to reduce bandwidth usage and improve response times
  • Supports HTTP and HTTPS proxying, plus FTP and additional protocols
  • Extensive access controls for controlling and filtering client access
  • Can act as a server accelerator (reverse proxy) to reduce origin load
  • Flexible request routing to build cache hierarchies and content clusters
  • SSL/TLS features for HTTPS handling (including interception modes in supported setups)

Use Cases

  • ISP and enterprise forward proxy to optimize outbound web access and control usage
  • Reverse proxy cache to accelerate websites and APIs and reduce backend load
  • Hierarchical caching deployments to improve throughput across multiple networks

Limitations and Considerations

  • HTTPS interception/"bumping" requires careful certificate management and has significant privacy and compliance implications
  • Configuration is powerful but can be complex for advanced routing and policy setups

Squid is a mature and performance-focused proxy cache with strong policy controls and deployment flexibility. It is best suited for environments that need bandwidth savings, improved latency, and fine-grained traffic control at the proxy layer.

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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running