Alternatives to Squid

Squid is a widely used proxy server and web cache application that provides centralized internet access control, security, and monitoring. It offers features like access control lists, caching of web content, and extensive logging capabilities. However, Squid can be complex to configure and may require advanced knowledge to optimize its performance.

1. Varnish Cache: Varnish Cache is an open-source web application accelerator that caches web content to speed up delivery. Key features include HTTP/2 support, flexible caching policies, and easy configuration via VCL (Varnish Configuration Language). Pros: High-performance caching, robust flexibility. Cons: Steeper learning curve compared to Squid.
2. Nginx: Nginx is a popular web server and reverse proxy application known for its lightweight and efficient performance. It offers features like load balancing, SSL termination, and dynamic content caching. Pros: High performance, easy to configure. Cons: Simplified caching compared to Squid.
3. Apache Traffic Server: Apache Traffic Server is a high-performance caching proxy server with features like caching, traffic routing, and SSL proxying. It is known for scalability and customizability. Pros: Scalable architecture, robust caching capabilities. Cons: Complex configuration compared to Squid.
4. HAProxy: HAProxy is a versatile TCP/HTTP load balancer and proxy server known for its high availability and performance. It offers features like SSL offloading, health checks, and request routing. Pros: High availability, strong performance. Cons: Limited caching capabilities compared to Squid.
5. SquidGuard: SquidGuard is a content filtering plugin for Squid that provides URL blacklisting, access control, and content filtering capabilities. Pros: Customizable content filtering, integrates seamlessly with Squid. Cons: Requires Squid proxy server to function.
6. Privoxy: Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with filtering capabilities for ad blocking, cookie management, and privacy protection. It offers versatile filtering rules and is highly customizable. Pros: Effective ad blocking, privacy protection. Cons: Lacks caching features present in Squid.
7. Tinyproxy: Tinyproxy is a lightweight HTTP/HTTPS proxy server designed for speed and simplicity. It is easy to configure and suitable for scenarios where a minimalistic proxy solution is needed. Pros: Lightweight, easy to configure. Cons: Limited features compared to Squid.
8. CNTLM: CNTLM is a fast NTLM authentication proxy with features like username/password caching and transparent NTLM authentication for web applications. It simplifies NTLM authentication for applications that do not support it natively. Pros: NTLM authentication support, easy setup. Cons: Lack of broader caching functionalities.
9. Polipo: Polipo is a small and fast caching web proxy with features like HTTP streaming, ad filtering, and header rewriting. It is known for its efficiency in caching and page delivery acceleration. Pros: Efficient caching, lightweight. Cons: Limited support for complex configurations compared to Squid.
10. Srelay: Srelay is a SOCKS5 proxy server that can work as a forwarding or reverse proxy with support for various proxy protocols. It offers features like multiple proxy chaining, bandwidth throttling, and access control. Pros: Versatile proxy protocol support, flexible proxy chaining. Cons: Limited caching capabilities compared to Squid.