Nginx Proxy Manager

Nginx Proxy Manager is a web-based management interface for Nginx that lets you add, configure, and SSL-enable reverse proxy hosts without writing a single line of Nginx config. Point it at your domain, add the target IP and port, enable Let’s Encrypt, and your service is live over HTTPS in about a minute.

It is the starting point for most homelab setups. When you run a collection of Docker services on a single machine and want each accessible at its own subdomain over HTTPS, Nginx Proxy Manager handles the routing and certificate management in one place. Certificates provision automatically from Let’s Encrypt and renew themselves before expiry.

Access lists let you restrict proxy hosts by IP address or require HTTP basic authentication, which is useful for adding a login screen in front of internal services that have no native auth. Redirect hosts, 404 hosts, and stream hosts round out the feature set.

The honest limitation is that it is designed for simplicity. If you need container-aware dynamic routing, complex load balancing, or config stored as code in a repository, Traefik or Caddy serve those use cases better. Nginx Proxy Manager is the right choice when you want a GUI that removes the friction of SSL setup, not an enterprise routing layer.