--- title: "nginx-ui vs headlamp" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/0xjacky-nginx-ui-vs-kubernetes-sigs-headlamp" tools: ["0xjacky-nginx-ui", "kubernetes-sigs-headlamp"] --- # nginx-ui vs headlamp *GraphCanon updated Aug 26, 2026* ## Verdict Pick nginx-ui if nginx-ui is a graphical interface for managing Nginx configurations written in Go and Vue, featuring Let's Encrypt integration and cron job scheduling; pick headlamp if headlamp is a user-friendly Kubernetes web UI built in TypeScript under the Apache-2.0 license for flexible debugging, monitoring, and orchestration tasks. [nginx-ui](https://nginxui.com) reports 11k GitHub stars, 867 forks, and 48 open issues, last pushed Aug 25, 2026. [headlamp](https://headlamp.dev) has 7.0k stars, 1.0k forks, and 1.1k open issues, last pushed Aug 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [nginx-ui's repository](https://github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui) and [headlamp's repository](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/headlamp). | | [nginx-ui](/tools/0xjacky-nginx-ui.md) | [headlamp](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-headlamp.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | WebUI for Nginx management | A user-friendly Kubernetes web UI that is fully-featured and extensible | | Stars | 11,447 | 7,040 | | Forks | 867 | 1,011 | | Open issues | 48 | 1,134 | | Language | Go | TypeScript | | Adopt for | nginx-ui is a graphical interface for managing Nginx configurations written in Go and Vue, featuring Let's Encrypt integration and cron job scheduling. | Headlamp is a user-friendly Kubernetes web UI built in TypeScript under the Apache-2.0 license for flexible debugging, monitoring, and orchestration tasks. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Developer Tools | Evaluation & Observability | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [nginx-ui](/tools/0xjacky-nginx-ui.md) | [headlamp](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-headlamp.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Open issues (now) | 48 | 1.1k | | Stars delta | +111 (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | -44 (30d) | Unknown | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/0xjacky-nginx-ui/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-headlamp/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: nginx-ui - **Adopt for:** nginx-ui is a graphical interface for managing Nginx configurations written in Go and Vue, featuring Let's Encrypt integration and cron job scheduling. ## Decision facts: headlamp - **Adopt for:** Headlamp is a user-friendly Kubernetes web UI built in TypeScript under the Apache-2.0 license for flexible debugging, monitoring, and orchestration tasks. ## Choose when ### Choose nginx-ui if… - nginx-ui is primarily Go; headlamp is TypeScript. - License: nginx-ui is AGPL-3.0, headlamp is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to nginx-ui: code-completion, copilot, cron, docker. - Also covers Developer Tools. - - You need to manage Nginx configurations through a visual interface and not via command line or text files directly ### Choose headlamp if… - headlamp is primarily TypeScript; nginx-ui is Go. - License: headlamp is Apache-2.0, nginx-ui is AGPL-3.0. - Tags unique to headlamp: cloud-native, dashboard, debugging, devops. - Also covers Evaluation & Observability. - For comprehensive Kubernetes cluster management with a focus on ease of use ## When NOT to use nginx-ui - - When the preference is for server management tools exclusively based on console commands without graphical support - - If you are looking for a tool that supports extensive customization beyond Nginx configuration ## When NOT to use headlamp - If you require low-level command-line interactions that the web UI does not support - In scenarios where a highly specialized dashboard is needed over a general-purpose option like Headlamp ## Common questions ### What is the difference between nginx-ui and headlamp? nginx-ui: WebUI for Nginx management. headlamp: A user-friendly Kubernetes web UI that is fully-featured and extensible. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose nginx-ui over headlamp? Choose nginx-ui over headlamp when nginx-ui is primarily Go; headlamp is TypeScript; License: nginx-ui is AGPL-3.0, headlamp is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to nginx-ui: code-completion, copilot, cron, docker; Also covers Developer Tools; - You need to manage Nginx configurations through a visual interface and not via command line or text files directly. ### When should I choose headlamp over nginx-ui? Choose headlamp over nginx-ui when headlamp is primarily TypeScript; nginx-ui is Go; License: headlamp is Apache-2.0, nginx-ui is AGPL-3.0; Tags unique to headlamp: cloud-native, dashboard, debugging, devops; Also covers Evaluation & Observability; For comprehensive Kubernetes cluster management with a focus on ease of use. ### When should I avoid nginx-ui? - When the preference is for server management tools exclusively based on console commands without graphical support - If you are looking for a tool that supports extensive customization beyond Nginx configuration ### When should I avoid headlamp? If you require low-level command-line interactions that the web UI does not support In scenarios where a highly specialized dashboard is needed over a general-purpose option like Headlamp ### Is nginx-ui or headlamp more popular on GitHub? nginx-ui has more GitHub stars (11,447 vs 7,040). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are nginx-ui and headlamp open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (nginx-ui: AGPL-3.0, headlamp: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to nginx-ui or headlamp? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [nginx-ui alternatives](/tools/0xjacky-nginx-ui/alternatives) and [headlamp alternatives](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-headlamp/alternatives) ([nginx-ui markdown twin](/tools/0xjacky-nginx-ui/alternatives.md), [headlamp markdown twin](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-headlamp/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/0xjacky-nginx-ui-vs-kubernetes-sigs-headlamp.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, nginx-ui or headlamp? nginx-ui: Very active. headlamp: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for nginx-ui and headlamp? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [nginx-ui trust report](/tools/0xjacky-nginx-ui/trust); [headlamp trust report](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-headlamp/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=0xjacky-nginx-ui`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=0xjacky-nginx-ui) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_