Caddy

Proper Noun · Open Source

Definitions

  1. An open-source web server written in Go, distinguished by obtaining and renewing TLS certificates automatically by default. Where other servers treat HTTPS as configuration to be added, Caddy provisions certificates from Let's Encrypt or ZeroSSL on first request for a hostname and renews them without intervention, which removes an entire category of expired-certificate outage. Its configuration file, the Caddyfile, is deliberately terse, and a functional HTTPS reverse proxy commonly fits in two lines. Caddy ships as a single static binary with no external dependencies, and its functionality extends through compiled-in modules rather than dynamically loaded ones. It is most often chosen for small deployments and internal services where operational simplicity outweighs the ecosystem depth of nginx.

    In plain English: A web server that makes modern HTTPS setup simple.

    Example: "They picked Caddy because TLS setup was almost effortless."

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