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The Bottom Line

Entry price

Free, no paid tier

Biggest pro

Automatic HTTPS

Biggest con

Smaller community than nginx

TL;DR - Caddy

  • Caddy is a web server with automatic HTTPS and simple configuration
  • It obtains and renews TLS certificates automatically with zero configuration
  • Free and open-source
Pricing: Free forever
Best for: Individuals & startups

What is Caddy?

Editorial review
Caddy serves websites with automatic HTTPS. No certificate management, no complex configuration-point Caddy at your site, and it handles SSL certificates, renewals, and redirects automatically. The config file is human-readable. The defaults are sensible. When you need more, the module system extends capabilities. Developers tired of Apache and Nginx configuration complexity choose Caddy for a web server that does the right thing by default.

Available on: Web, Windows, macOS, Linux

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Automatic HTTPS
  • Simple configuration
  • Good performance
  • Modern and well-designed
  • Single binary

Cons

  • Smaller community than nginx
  • Less plugins/modules
  • Some advanced features missing
  • Commercial license for some uses
  • Less enterprise adoption

Ratings Across the Web

3.2(3 reviews)

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Key Features

Web serverAutomatic HTTPSReverse proxyHTTP/3Config APIOpen source

Pricing Plans

Most Popular

Free

Free

Open source

  • Automatic HTTPS
  • HTTP/3
  • Reverse proxy
  • No enterprise paywall

Reviews

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Caddy FAQ

Is Caddy free?

Yes, Caddy is open source and free. Apache 2.0 license. Commercial licenses available for enterprises needing support.

What is Caddy?

Caddy is a web server with automatic HTTPS. Easy configuration, automatic SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt. Modern alternative to Nginx.

Caddy vs Nginx?

Caddy has automatic HTTPS and simpler config. Nginx is more established with more features. Caddy for simplicity; Nginx for maximum control.

How does automatic HTTPS work?

Caddy obtains and renews Let's Encrypt certificates automatically. Just configure your domain - SSL just works. No certbot or manual renewals.

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