Modern caching.
Without the complexity.
Compare Trident with Varnish, Nginx, Squid, HAProxy, and major CDNs. See why teams choose simple TOML over complex configurations.
What Modern Caching Looks Like
Declarative TOML Configuration
Clean, readable config files that any developer can understand. Hot reload without restarts.
All Features Included
Cache tags, real-time metrics, soft purge, compression — everything you need, in every plan.
Memory-Safe by Design
Built in Rust with compile-time safety guarantees. Modern security for modern infrastructure.
Built for Today
Native HTTP/2, zstd compression, DNS discovery, REST API. Modern architecture for modern problems.
The Landscape
Each solution has tradeoffs. Here's how they compare.
Varnish Cache
Dedicated Cache Server- +Fast cache lookup
- +Battle-tested
- +Large ecosystem
- −Complex VCL language
- −No cache compression
- −No HTTP/2 backends
Nginx
proxy_cache / fastcgi_cache- +Versatile
- +Widely deployed
- +Good docs
- −Cache is secondary
- −No tag support
- −Lua for logic
Apache Traffic Server
CDN-Grade Cache- +Used by CDNs
- +Plugin system
- +Proven scale
- −Complex setup
- −Steep learning curve
- −Heavy footprint
Squid
Forward/Reverse Proxy- +Mature project
- +Forward proxy
- +Free
- −Complex config
- −Dated architecture
- −Limited features
LiteSpeed / OpenLiteSpeed
Web Server + Cache- +Fast static files
- +Good PHP perf
- +Built-in cache
- −Less flexible
- −Smaller community
- −Limited API
Symfony HttpCache
Application-Level- +PHP native
- +Easy integration
- +ESI support
- −Same process
- −No clustering
- −Limited scale
Caddy
With Caching Plugins- +Auto HTTPS
- +Simple config
- +Modern
- −Cache is plugin
- −Limited features
- −No tags
HAProxy
Limited HTTP Cache- +Excellent LB
- +Low latency
- +Active dev
- −Basic caching
- −No tags
- −Not cache-first
Trident
Velocity Engine- +Simple TOML
- +Built-in compression
- +Rust memory safety
- −New to market
- −Smaller community
- −Self-hosted
Feature Comparison
Detailed feature breakdown across solutions
| Feature | Trident | Varnish | Nginx | ATS | Squid | LiteSpeed | Symfony | Caddy | HAProxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Config Language | TOML | VCL | Conf | Records | squid.conf | WebUI | PHP | Caddyfile | HAProxy |
| Cache Tags | ✓ | Plus | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Cache Compression | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HTTP/2 Backends | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Request Coalescing | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| DNS Discovery | ✓ | Plus | Plus | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bulk Purge API | ✓ | — | — | — | — | Partial | — | — | — |
| Prometheus Metrics | ✓ | Plus | Plus | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stale-While-Revalidate | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Memory Safe | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Simple Config | ✓ | — | Medium | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Medium |
ATS = Apache Traffic Server • Plus = Paid version only • Partial = Limited implementation
Configuration Complexity
The same cache logic across different tools
vcl 4.1;
import std;
backend default {
.host = "127.0.0.1";
.port = "8080";
}
sub vcl_recv {
set req.url = std.querysort(req.url);
if (req.url ~ "\.(css|js|png)$") {
unset req.http.Cookie;
}
if (req.method == "PURGE") {
if (!client.ip ~ purge_acl) {
return (synth(405));
}
return (purge);
}
}
sub vcl_backend_response {
if (bereq.url ~ "^/static/") {
set beresp.ttl = 1d;
}
set beresp.grace = 1h;
}
sub vcl_deliver {
if (obj.hits > 0) {
set resp.http.X-Cache = "HIT";
}
}[server]
listen = "0.0.0.0:8120"
[[backends]]
name = "default"
host = "127.0.0.1"
port = 8080
[cache]
default_ttl = "5m"
grace_period = "1h"
[[cache.rules]]
match_path = "/static/*"
ttl = "1d"Ready to Switch?
Most teams complete migration in a single afternoon.
Export Config
We help you translate your existing config to TOML.
Test in Shadow
Run Trident alongside your current cache. Compare responses.
Switch Over
Point traffic to Trident. Instant rollback if needed.
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