Surge

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Surge

A curated collection of the 2 best self hosted alternatives to Surge.

Static web publishing platform for deploying HTML/CSS/JS sites via a command-line client to surge.sh subdomains or custom domains. Provides single-command deploys, automatic HTTPS, custom domain support and simple static hosting/CDN delivery for front-end projects.

Alternatives List

#1
Static Web Server

Static Web Server

Static Web Server (SWS) is a lightweight, cross-platform Rust web server for serving static files with HTTP/2, TLS, compression, caching headers, and SPA fallbacks.

Static Web Server (SWS) is a small, production-ready web server designed for fast and efficient static file and asset hosting. Built in Rust on asynchronous networking foundations, it targets low resource usage while supporting modern HTTP features across many platforms.

Key Features

  • High-performance asynchronous static file serving
  • HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 support
  • TLS support with optional HTTP to HTTPS redirect
  • Optional on-demand and pre-compressed file serving (gzip, brotli, zstd, deflate)
  • Byte-range requests (partial content) for large files
  • SPA-friendly 404 fallback pages and custom error pages
  • Directory listing (with sorting) and optional JSON output
  • Configurable headers (including Cache-Control and security headers) and CORS support
  • Basic HTTP authentication, URL rewrites/redirects, and virtual hosting
  • Configuration via CLI, environment variables, or a TOML config file

Use Cases

  • Hosting static websites, documentation, and front-end assets
  • Serving single-page applications behind a lightweight web server
  • Running a minimal file server in containers or on resource-constrained hosts

Limitations and Considerations

  • Focused on static content; it is not intended to be a full dynamic application server

SWS is a strong fit when you need a simple, secure, and fast static server with modern protocol support and flexible runtime configuration. Its small footprint and broad platform support make it suitable for everything from local development to production deployments.

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#2
Privoxy

Privoxy

Privoxy is a self-hosted, non-caching web proxy that filters ads and trackers, rewrites content, and modifies HTTP headers for privacy and access control.

Privoxy screenshot

Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy focused on privacy and policy-based filtering. It can modify web page content and HTTP headers to reduce tracking, remove ads, and enforce access rules for users or networks.

Key Features

  • Non-caching HTTP/HTTPS proxy suitable for single users or multi-user networks
  • Rule-based content filtering to remove ads, trackers, and unwanted page elements
  • HTTP header modification to improve privacy and control client/server behavior
  • Access control features for restricting sites, clients, or request patterns
  • Highly flexible, file-based configuration designed for customization

Use Cases

  • Network-wide ad/tracker reduction for browsers without needing extensions
  • Privacy hardening by stripping or rewriting identifying headers and content
  • Enforcing browsing policies and access restrictions on a home or small-office network

Limitations and Considerations

  • No built-in trusted binary build infrastructure; users should prefer verified sources and signatures when available
  • Filtering requires ongoing rule/config tuning and may occasionally break site functionality

Privoxy is a mature, configurable proxy for users who want transparent, centralized filtering and privacy controls. It fits well as a local host proxy or a gateway service for multiple devices and users.

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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