Runbeam vs NGINX
Comparing a general-purpose reverse proxy with Runbeam's distributed proxy architecture for interoperability and secure data exchange
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Runbeam | NGINX |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Interoperability gateways and managed pipelines | Reverse proxying and traffic management |
| Architecture | Opinionated gateway + pipeline model | Flexible proxy building block |
| Deployment model | Distributed proxies + centralised orchestration | Deploy wherever you run NGINX |
| Healthcare protocols | ✓ FHIR, DICOM (HL7 v2 coming soon) | Requires custom modules/Lua |
| Protocol transforms | ✓ Native (e.g. FHIR ↔ DICOM) | External processing required |
| Cross-site connectivity | ✓ JWT-based Data Mesh authentication | Typically handled outside the proxy (network/identity) |
| Federated data meshes | ✓ Supported | Not supported |
| HTTP/3 (QUIC) | ✓ Supported (HTTP/3 + TLS 1.3) | Varies by NGINX distribution and configuration |
| Extensibility | Protocol-focused adapters and pipeline config | Extensible via modules/plugins (varies) |
| Operational model | Configuration-first pipelines + orchestration | Proxy configuration + separate tooling |
Choose Runbeam For
Protocol interoperability as a product
Runbeam is designed around interoperability workflows rather than generic HTTP reverse proxying.
- FHIR and DICOM workflows as first-class concerns
- Policy and routing as pipeline configuration
- Federated Data Mesh for cross-organisation connectivity
Authenticated cross-site connectivity
Use Data Mesh authentication instead of treating connectivity as a separate network project.
- JWT-based mutual authentication
- Federated topologies
- Explicit ingress/egress rules
Choose NGINX For
Proxy building block
If you want a flexible reverse proxy and will implement protocol handling, governance, and cross-site patterns separately.
- Widely deployed reverse proxy
- Configurable routing and traffic controls
- Often used as a base layer in custom stacks
Use Case Comparison
From proxying to interoperability
A team starts with HTTP routing and then needs healthcare protocol mediation and partner connectivity.
Use pipeline configuration for routing and protocol mediation, and add Federated Data Mesh for partner access.
Use NGINX for routing and add separate application components for healthcare protocols and partner connectivity patterns.
Pricing Comparison
Runbeam
- Gateway runs in your infrastructure
- Commercial orchestration options
NGINX
- Cost varies by distribution and support model
- You may need additional tooling for governance and cross-site connectivity
NGINX is a general-purpose proxy building block; Runbeam packages protocol interoperability and federated connectivity into a single gateway model.
Need more than HTTP routing?
If you need interoperability workflows and federated cross-site connectivity, Runbeam provides a more opinionated architecture.