HAProxy

Self-Hosted

High-performance TCP/HTTP load balancer and reverse proxy

Overview

HAProxy is an open-source, high-performance load balancer and reverse proxy for TCP/HTTP traffic. It optimizes resource usage by distributing requests across backend servers, maximizing throughput, minimizing latency, and ensuring high availability. Deployable via package managers, Docker, or source code, it supports SSL/TLS termination, health checks, session persistence, Layer 7 routing, and integration with monitoring tools. Ideal for scaling web apps, it’s a staple in modern infrastructure for reliable traffic management.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  haproxy:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: haproxy
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

High-performance load balancing for TCP/HTTP traffic
SSL/TLS termination and offloading
Advanced backend health checks and failover
Layer 7 routing and session persistence

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is HAProxy hard to install?

HAProxy is easy to install via package managers (apt, yum) on Linux, as a Docker image, or from source. Basic setup requires editing a simple config file, though advanced features like Layer 7 routing may need more expertise.

? Is it a good alternative to proprietary load balancers like F5 BIG-IP?

Yes—HAProxy offers core enterprise features (load balancing, SSL termination, health checks) for free. While it lacks some proprietary GUI tools, its performance and flexibility make it a top choice for teams avoiding licensing fees.

? Is HAProxy completely free?

Yes—HAProxy is released under the GNU GPL v2 license. It’s free to use, modify, and distribute for personal or commercial purposes without any hidden costs.

Top Alternatives

F5 BIG-IP Search Google

Citrix ADC Search Google

Tool Info

Pricing Open Source

Category Web Servers

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Extremely low latency and high throughput
⊕ Flexible, configurable via plain-text files
⊕ Free and open-source with active community support

Cons

⊖ Steeper learning curve for advanced configurations
⊖ No built-in GUI (requires third-party tools for visualization)
⊖ Limited native caching compared to full web servers like Nginx