Feature Request: Panel-only version without bundled NGINX

Hi,

First of all, thanks for the great project 🙏 It’s incredibly useful and saves a lot of time.

I’d like to propose a panel-only version of Nginx Proxy Manager (without a bundled NGINX binary).
Right now, NPM ships its own embedded NGINX inside the container. While this is convenient, it also has some downsides:

• NGINX updates are tied to container image releases → delays in receiving security patches.
• Users can’t upgrade NGINX independently or run custom builds with extra modules.
• In some environments, NGINX is already installed system-wide or runs in a separate container, and it would be better if NPM only managed configs instead of bundling its own web server.

Proposal

• Provide an alternative Docker image (e.g. nginxproxymanager:panel-only) that runs just the admin panel and generates configs.
• Leave NGINX itself to be installed/maintained separately by the user.

Benefits

• Faster security updates (users patch NGINX independently).
• Flexibility to run custom or enterprise NGINX builds.
• Clearer separation between the control plane (panel) and the data plane (NGINX).

The default image could stay the same for users who prefer the “all-in-one” setup. The panel-only variant would just give more freedom for advanced users.

Would this be something the maintainers would consider?

Thanks again for the awesome work 🚀

Start by reviewing how the Docker image bundles NGINX, how the admin panel generates configurations, and how the proposed panel-only image would separate those responsibilities. Done means providing a viable alternative image that runs the panel and generates configs while leaving NGINX installation and maintenance to the user.