# caddyserver/caddy

Fast and extensible multi-platform HTTP/1-2-3 web server with automatic HTTPS

Repository: https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/caddy
Homepage: https://caddyserver.com
Language: Go
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: go, web-server, caddyfile, http, http-server, reverse-proxy, https, tls, automatic-https, privacy, security, acme, caddy, golang, http3
Last push: 2026-08-25T18:12:08+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 91/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 75, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4250, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 91, "gap_med": 44.0, "n_releases_24m": 9}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 75231, forks 4912 (observed 2026-08-28T04:12:21.511355+00:00)

## What it is
Caddy is a fast, extensible, multi-platform web server written in Go that serves HTTP/1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 with automatic HTTPS by default. It obtains and renews TLS certificates automatically via ACME, supports reverse proxying, static file serving, and dynamic configuration through a JSON API or the human-friendly Caddyfile.

## Use cases
- serve a static website with automatic HTTPS
- set up a reverse proxy in front of my backend app
- get TLS certificates for custom domains automatically
- serve localhost over HTTPS for local development
- host a WordPress site with managed TLS
- provision certificates on-demand for customer-owned SaaS domains
- replace nginx with a simpler web server
- run an internal PKI for a fleet of servers

## When to choose
- you want HTTPS with zero certificate management hassle
- you need a simple, production-ready reverse proxy or static file server
- you serve many domains or customer-owned domains at scale
- you want a single static binary with no runtime dependencies
- you need HTTP/3 support out of the box

## When to avoid
- you need extremely fine-grained, battle-tested nginx module ecosystem features
- your team already has deep nginx/Apache expertise and configs
- you need a general-purpose application server for non-HTTP protocols without modules

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: http-server, web-framework, security, proxy, api-gateway, middleware, routing
- domain: web-development, backend, security, self-hosted, networking
- platform: windows, cross-platform, go, self-hosted
- tags: automatic-https, tls, acme, reverse-proxy, http3, caddyfile, lets-encrypt, on-demand-tls, static-file-server, zero-config, devops, linux, macos, docker, web-server

## Member repositories
- caddyserver/caddy (main) score 91

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:12:21.511355+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T16:14:42.634416+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy (fetched 2026-08-28T04:12:21.511355+00:00, sha 59e3667cfd06)
  - homepage: https://caddyserver.com (fetched 2026-08-28T17:45:20.285715+00:00, sha a3af361ab606)
  - site_page: https://caddyserver.com/docs/ (fetched 2026-08-28T17:45:20.294685+00:00, sha 4feef37ea953)
  - site_page: https://caddyserver.com/docs/install (fetched 2026-08-28T17:45:20.296591+00:00, sha 2b1c3e5bd9b7)
  - site_page: https://caddyserver.com/docs/caddyfile (fetched 2026-08-28T17:45:20.298743+00:00, sha 3c96ff5a7563)
  - site_page: https://caddyserver.com/docs/json (fetched 2026-08-28T17:45:20.300336+00:00, sha ab80f55f6ddb)
  - site_page: https://caddyserver.com/docs/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-28T17:45:20.302477+00:00, sha 71cc0452c06a)
  - site_page: https://caddyserver.com/docs/quick-starts/static-files (fetched 2026-08-28T17:45:20.304802+00:00, sha f2602545d7fb)
  - site_page: https://caddyserver.com/docs/quick-starts/reverse-proxy (fetched 2026-08-28T17:45:20.306595+00:00, sha c7a637ef4e76)
  - site_page: https://caddyserver.com/docs/troubleshooting (fetched 2026-08-28T17:45:20.308365+00:00, sha 6e55dfbb65a7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.