Caddy is a lightweight, general-purpose web server for Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD, and [Android](https://github.com/mholt/caddy/wiki/Running-Caddy-on-Android). It is a capable alternative to other popular and easy to use web servers.
The most notable features are HTTP/2, Virtual Hosts, TLS + SNI, and easy configuration with a [Caddyfile](https://caddyserver.com/docs/caddyfile). Usually, you have one Caddyfile per site. Most directives for the Caddyfile invoke a layer of middleware which can be [used in your own Go programs](https://github.com/mholt/caddy/wiki/Using-Caddy-Middleware-in-Your-Own-Programs).
The most notable features are HTTP/2, [Let's Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org) support, Virtual Hosts, TLS + SNI, and easy configuration with a [Caddyfile](https://caddyserver.com/docs/caddyfile). In development, you usually put one Caddyfile with each site. In production, Caddy serves HTTPS by default and manages all cryptographic assets for you.
Note: You will need **[Go 1.4](https://golang.org/dl)** or newer
1.`$ go get github.com/mholt/caddy`
2.`cd` into your website's directory
3. Run `caddy` (assumes `$GOPATH/bin` is in your `$PATH`)
If you're tinkering, you can also use `go run main.go`.
By default, Caddy serves the current directory at [localhost:2015](http://localhost:2015). You can place a Caddyfile to configure Caddy for serving your site.
Caddy accepts some flags from the command line. Run `caddy -h` to view the help for flags. You can also pipe a Caddyfile into the caddy command.
**Running as root:** We advise against this; use setcap instead, like so: `setcap cap_net_bind_service=+ep ./caddy` This will allow you to listen on ports below 1024 (like 80 and 443).
#### Docker Container
Caddy is available as a Docker container from any of these sources:
Although Caddy's binaries are completely static, Caddy relies on some excellent libraries. [Godoc.org](https://godoc.org/github.com/mholt/caddy) shows the packages that each Caddy package imports.
Run `caddy` from that directory, and it will automatically use that Caddyfile to configure itself.
That simple file enables compression, allows directory browsing (for folders without an index file), serves clean URLs, hosts an echo server for WebSocket connections at /echo, logs accesses to access.log, and adds the coveted `Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *` header for all responses from some API.
That simple file enables compression, allows directory browsing (for folders without an index file), serves clean URLs, hosts a WebSocket echo server at /echo, logs requests to access.log, and adds the coveted `Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *` header for all responses from some API.
Wow! Caddy can do a lot with just a few lines.
#### Defining multiple sites
You can run multiple sites from the same Caddyfile, too:
```
http://mysite.com,
http://www.mysite.com {
redir https://mysite.com
site1.com {
# ...
}
https://mysite.com {
tls mysite.crt mysite.key
site2.com, sub.site2.com {
# ...
}
```
Note that the secure host will automatically be served with HTTP/2 if the client supports it.
Note that all these sites will automatically be served over HTTPS using Let's Encrypt as the CA. Caddy will manage the certificates (including renewals) for you. You don't even have to think about it.
For more documentation, please view [the website](https://caddyserver.com/docs). You may also be interested in the [developer guide](https://github.com/mholt/caddy/wiki) on this project's GitHub wiki.
## Running from Source
Note: You will need **[Go 1.4](https://golang.org/dl)** or newer
1.`$ go get github.com/mholt/caddy`
2.`cd` into your website's directory
3. Run `caddy` (assumes `$GOPATH/bin` is in your `$PATH`)
If you're tinkering, you can also use `go run main.go`.
By default, Caddy serves the current directory at [localhost:2015](http://localhost:2015). You can place a Caddyfile to configure Caddy for serving your site.
Caddy accepts some flags from the command line. Run `caddy -h` to view the help for flags. You can also pipe a Caddyfile into the caddy command.
**Running as root:** We advise against this; use setcap instead, like so: `setcap cap_net_bind_service=+ep ./caddy` This will allow you to listen on ports < 1024 like 80 and 443.
#### Docker Container
Caddy is available as a Docker container from any of these sources:
Although Caddy's binaries are completely static, Caddy relies on some excellent libraries. [Godoc.org](https://godoc.org/github.com/mholt/caddy) shows the packages that each Caddy package imports.
