Outline Server

A proxy server that runs a Shadowsocks instance for each access key and a REST API to manage the access keys.

Description from awesome-selfhosted (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Still maintained? Yes: 1 commit in the last 90 days, latest release server-v1.12.3 (Feb 2025).

Also an alternative to NordVPN.

Docker #7 of 9 in Proxy

At a glance

Outline Server quick facts

Health score: 41/100 SLOWING
Stars: 6,253
Last commit: 2 days ago (Oct 2026)
Latest release: server-v1.12.3, Feb 2025
Licence: Apache-2.0

View OutlineFoundation/outline-server on GitHub ↗ Website ↗

Top alternatives to Outline Server

Full rankings: NordVPN alternatives

In its own words

The project's README opens: "Outline Server is the component that provides the Shadowsocks service (via outline-ss-server) and a service management API. You can deploy this server directly following simple instructions in this repository, or if you prefer a ready-to-use graphical interface you can use the Outline Manager."

Why it ranks here

Health score explained

Outline Server scores 41/100, #7 of 9 in Proxy: 1 commit in the last 90 days earns 1.2 of 35 points, the latest release (server-v1.12.3, 1.7 years ago) earns 4.9 of 25, 6,253 stars add 15.2 of 20, an active, unarchived repository keeps 10 and Docker support adds the final 10. That places it in the slowing band (40 to 69). The biggest shortfall is commit activity, worth 33.8 more points.

Recomputed nightly from the GitHub API. How the score is calculated.

Commit activity biggest shortfall 1.2 / 35

1 commits in 90 days (30+ scores full marks)
Release recency 4.9 / 25

server-v1.12.3 released 1.7 years ago
Stars 15.2 / 20

6.3k stars on GitHub (logarithmic)
Not archived 10.0 / 10

Repository is active
Docker support 10.0 / 10

Docker image or Compose file available

Commit activity

1
Last 90 days: 16
Last 12 months: 2 days ago
Last push

Ranked #7 of 9 tools in Proxy by health , between socks5-proxy-server (#6) and Privoxy (#8) .

Details

Licence	Apache-2.0
Platforms	Docker, Nodejs
Latest release	server-v1.12.3 · 1.7 years ago
Stars	6,253
Open issues	153
Docker	Yes
Repository	OutlineFoundation/outline-server ↗

Visit website ↗ Source code ↗

Outline Server vs its top 5 alternatives

Active tools that share a comparison page or a category with Outline Server (Proxy), scored on the same five terms.

Tool	Health	Stars	Licence	Last commit
Firezone	96	9.1k	Apache-2.0	today
GitProxy	90	262	Apache-2.0	today
g3proxy	77	893	Apache-2.0	5 days ago
Tinyproxy	61	6k	GPL-2.0	1 month ago
socks5-proxy-server	46	145	Apache-2.0	9 days ago
Outline Server (this tool)	41	6.3k	Apache-2.0	2 days ago

Outline Server: common questions

What does Outline Server replace?

Repoly lists Outline Server as an open-source alternative to NordVPN. Each comparison page ranks every alternative by the same health score, so you can see where Outline Server stands against the others.

Is Outline Server still maintained?

Outline Server had 1 commit in the last 90 days and its last push was 2 days ago; the latest tagged release, server-v1.12.3, is from 1.7 years ago. Repoly recomputes this nightly.

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