Fast and extensible multi-platform HTTP/1-2-3 web server with automatic HTTPS by default.
Caddy is an extensible server platform written in Go, designed to make HTTPS the default for every site. It simplifies web serving by automatically handling TLS certificates and providing a unified configuration system, making secure deployments more accessible and reliable.
Developers and system administrators who need a production-ready web server with automatic HTTPS, especially those managing multiple sites or seeking a simpler alternative to NGINX or Apache.
Caddy stands out by enforcing HTTPS by default with automatic certificate management from ZeroSSL and Let's Encrypt, offering a unified JSON API for dynamic configuration, and running as a single binary with no external dependencies.
Fast and extensible multi-platform HTTP/1-2-3 web server with automatic HTTPS
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Caddy automatically obtains and renews TLS certificates from ZeroSSL and Let's Encrypt for public names, with a local CA for internal ones, eliminating manual cert management.
Dynamic config changes via a native JSON API allow real-time updates without restarts, reducing downtime and hidden variables compared to static file configurations.
Runs as a self-contained executable with no external dependencies, not even libc, simplifying installation and portability across diverse environments.
Serves HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 simultaneously by default, ensuring compatibility with the latest web standards out of the box.
The native JSON config, while powerful, can be verbose and less intuitive than traditional configs like NGINX's, requiring a steeper learning curve for advanced use cases.
Adding functionality often requires compiling with plugins via xcaddy, which adds steps compared to drop-in modules in servers like Apache or NGINX.
Caddy focuses on serving and proxying, so it lacks native support for server-side scripting languages, forcing reliance on separate backend applications for dynamic content.
Caddy is an open-source alternative to the following products: