Sōzu by sozu-proxy
Sōzu HTTP reverse proxy, configurable at runtime, fast and safe, built in Rust. It is awesome!
About Sōzu
From the project's README at github.com/sozu-proxy/sozu. Lightly cleaned for readability; for the full source see the upstream repo.
Sōzu is a lightweight, fast, always-up reverse proxy server. Why use Sōzu? Hot configurable: Sōzu can receive configuration changes at runtime, through secure unix sockets, without having to reload. Upgrades without restarting: Sōzu is always-up, meaning it upgrades itself while still processing requests. Handles SSL: Sōzu works as a TLS endpoint, so your backend servers can focus on what they do best. Multiple cryptographic backends are supported at compile time: ring (default), AWS-LC (with post-quantum and FIPS 140-3 options), and OpenSSL. Protects your network: Sōzu protect backends by shielding them behind the reverse proxy, limiting direct network access. Sōzu uses Rust, a language primed for memory safety. And even if a worker is exploited, Sōzu workers are sandboxed. Optimize performance: Sōzu makes the most of Rust's capacity to avoid useless copying and memory usage. Two key dependencies have been optimized in this way: Kawa is a generic HTTP representation library that parses and translates HTTP messages with zero copy Rustls is a TLS library that encrypts/decrypts TLS traffic with as little intermediate memory usage as it gets
Health score breakdown
6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.
Adoption signals
Real-world usage data, pulled from each registry. The bigger the numbers, the more battle-tested the project.
| Signal | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 3.7k | github.com/sozu-proxy/sozu |
| GitHub forks | 213 | github.com/sozu-proxy/sozu |
| CRATES downloads (last month) | 136 | sozu |
Release & maintenance
Is this project actively maintained, or about to die? Check the recency of last commit and last release.
| Project age | 9.3 years | since Jan 2017 |
| Last commit | 3 days ago | May 4, 2026 |
| Releases shipped | 23 | last: 6 months ago |
Self-hosting cost across providers
Detected requirements: 4GB RAM, 40GB disk minimum. Cheapest plan per provider that meets the requirement.
| Provider | Plan | Specs | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hetzner | CAX11 | 2c · 4GB · 40GB | $4.13 USD | Deploy → |
| vultr | VC2 | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5 USD | Deploy → |
| linode | Nanode 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5.12 USD | Deploy → |
| digitalocean | Basic Regular 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $6 USD | Deploy → |
What people say on Hacker News
Ready to self-host Sōzu?
Spin up a hetzner CAX11 (4GB RAM, 40GB disk) for $4.13/mo and follow the project's official install docs.
Data last refreshed May 7, 2026.
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