Caddy

Caddy

Caddy is an open source web server that makes it easy to set up and configure secure SSL/TLS certificates and enable HTTPS on websites. It's designed to be simple, lightweight, and easy-to-use compared to more complex servers like Nginx.
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ssltls https web-server open-source

Caddy: Secure Web Server

Open source web server for secure SSL/TLS certificates and HTTPS on websites, simple and lightweight compared to Nginx

What is Caddy?

Caddy is an open source, cross-platform web server and reverse proxy that is designed to be easy to set up and configure for serving static and dynamic content over HTTP and HTTPS. Some key features of Caddy include:

  • Automatic HTTPS configuration - Caddy can automatically obtain and renew TLS/SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt and enable HTTPS on websites with just a few lines of configuration.
  • Simple configuration syntax - Caddy uses a human-readable Caddyfile for configuration instead of complex config files. This allows configuring routes, proxies, headers and more in an intuitive way.
  • Built-in support for latest web technologies - Caddy supports HTTP/2, IPv6, WebSockets and more out of the box and keeps up with latest web standards.
  • Modular architecture - Caddy has a plug-in system that allows extending its functionality with extensions for things like authentication, logging, rate limiting etc.
  • Performance and scalability - Caddy is optimized for speed and efficiency. It can handle thousands of requests per second on a single node.
  • Open source with permissive license - Caddy is open source under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing modification and free use.

Overall, Caddy aims to provide an easy-to-use and hassle-free web server that just works without needing to manage SSL certificates or complex configuration. Its simple but extensible architecture makes it well-suited for small to large scale websites and services.

Caddy Features

Features

  1. Automatic HTTPS
  2. Easy configuration
  3. Plugin architecture
  4. Reverse proxy
  5. Load balancing
  6. FastCGI support
  7. HTTP/2 support

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Simple and easy to use

Automatic SSL/TLS certificates

Lightweight and fast

Open source with permissive license

Built-in support for HTTP/2

Active development and community

Cons

Less flexibility than Nginx for advanced use cases

Limited market share compared to Nginx/Apache

Less mature than established options like Nginx


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