Caddy vs Nginx: Which Web Server?

Quick Verdict

Caddy is the better choice for most self-hosters. Automatic HTTPS, a two-line reverse proxy config, and minimal resource usage make it the fastest path to a working setup. Choose Nginx if you need advanced caching, rate limiting, complex rewrite rules, or if you already know Nginx config syntax and prefer its flexibility.

Overview

Caddy (v2.9) is a modern web server written in Go with automatic HTTPS as its defining feature. Its Caddyfile configuration format is minimal and readable. Caddy handles certificate provisioning, renewal, and OCSP stapling without any configuration. It is a capable reverse proxy and static file server in a single binary.

Nginx (v1.28) is the most widely deployed web server on the internet. It handles HTTP, HTTPS, and TCP traffic with extremely low resource usage and a C-based event-driven architecture. Nginx configuration uses a block-based syntax that is more verbose than Caddy’s but offers fine-grained control over every aspect of request handling.

Both serve as reverse proxies for self-hosted Docker containers. The tradeoff is simplicity (Caddy) versus control (Nginx).

Feature Comparison

Feature	Caddy (v2.9)	Nginx (v1.28)
Automatic HTTPS	Yes — zero config, enabled by default	No — requires Certbot or manual setup
Config format	Caddyfile (minimal) or JSON API	nginx.conf (block-based, verbose)
SSL certificate management	Built-in (Let’s Encrypt, ZeroSSL)	External (Certbot, acme.sh, manual)
HTTP/2	Yes — default	Yes — requires http2 directive
HTTP/3 (QUIC)	Yes	Experimental (as of 1.28)
WebSocket proxying	Automatic	Manual — requires header directives
Static file serving	Yes — excellent	Yes — excellent
Reverse proxying	Yes	Yes
URL rewriting	Yes	Yes — powerful rewrite module
Caching	Via plugins	Built-in proxy cache (production-grade)
Rate limiting	Via plugins	Built-in rate limiting (proven at scale)
Gzip/Brotli compression	Yes — automatic	Yes — configured manually
Access control	Via plugins and Caddyfile directives	Built-in (IP, basic auth, GeoIP, many modules)
Load balancing	Yes — multiple algorithms	Yes — upstream module
TCP/UDP proxying	Layer 4 module (plugin)	Stream module (built-in)
Lua scripting	No	Yes — via OpenResty/njs
Config reload	API or caddy reload	nginx -s reload (graceful)
Environment variable substitution	Native in Caddyfile	Via template files in Docker image
License	Apache 2.0	BSD 2-Clause

Installation Complexity

Caddy reverse proxy for a single service:

app.example.com {
    reverse_proxy myapp:8080
}

That is the entire config. Two lines. HTTPS is automatic.

Nginx reverse proxy for a single service:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name app.example.com;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://myapp:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}

That is 12 lines for the same result, minus HTTPS (which requires additional config for Certbot integration). The verbose proxy headers are required because Nginx does not set them automatically.

For initial setup, Caddy wins decisively. Caddy also wins for ongoing maintenance — adding a new service is 3 lines versus 12+.

Performance and Resource Usage

Metric	Caddy	Nginx
Idle RAM	~20-40 MB	~10-30 MB
Under load RAM	~50-100 MB	~30-80 MB
CPU efficiency	Good (Go)	Excellent (C, event-driven)
Requests/second (synthetic)	Very high	Higher (marginally)
Docker image size	~40 MB	~60 MB (Debian), ~10 MB (Alpine)
Startup time	< 1 second	< 1 second

Nginx is slightly more efficient due to its C-based event-driven architecture. In synthetic benchmarks, Nginx handles marginally more requests per second. For self-hosting, this difference is irrelevant — both handle homelab traffic without breaking a sweat. The bottleneck is always the backend service, never the proxy.

Community and Support

Metric	Caddy	Nginx
GitHub stars	60K+	26K+ (nginx/nginx)
First release	2015 (v1), 2020 (v2)	2004
Deployment share	Growing	~34% of all web servers
Documentation	Excellent, concise	Comprehensive, verbose
Community	caddy.community forum	nginx.org, mailing lists, huge ecosystem
Third-party tutorials	Growing	Massive — 20 years of content

Nginx has an incomparably larger ecosystem. Every hosting tutorial, Stack Overflow answer, and DevOps guide covers Nginx. If you hit an obscure issue, someone has solved it for Nginx. Caddy’s community is smaller but growing fast, and its documentation is better organized.

Use Cases

Choose Caddy If…

• You want the simplest possible reverse proxy setup
• Automatic HTTPS without any external tooling is important
• You run a homelab with 5-30 services
• You want to also serve static sites (Hugo, Astro, documentation)
• You want HTTP/3 support today
• Memory is constrained (Raspberry Pi, small VPS)
• You are new to reverse proxies and want the lowest learning curve

Choose Nginx If…

• You need advanced caching (proxy_cache with fine-grained controls)
• You need production-grade rate limiting at scale
• You need complex URL rewriting or Lua scripting (OpenResty)
• You already know Nginx config syntax
• You need the maximum number of modules and community resources
• You need TCP/UDP stream proxying without plugins
• You are running a high-traffic production site

FAQ

Is Caddy fast enough for production?

Yes. Caddy handles production traffic well. It is used by companies and serves millions of requests per day. The performance difference versus Nginx only matters at extreme scale (tens of thousands of concurrent connections).

Can I migrate from Nginx to Caddy?

Yes. The main work is translating your nginx.conf server blocks to Caddyfile entries. Most standard proxy configurations translate directly. SSL certificates do not need migration — Caddy will provision new ones automatically.

Does Caddy support Nginx’s location blocks?

Caddy uses handle and route directives instead of location. The concepts map closely, though Caddy’s matcher syntax differs. Most Nginx location patterns have direct Caddy equivalents.

Final Verdict

Caddy is the better reverse proxy for most self-hosters. The Caddyfile is radically simpler than nginx.conf, automatic HTTPS eliminates certificate management entirely, and WebSocket proxying works without extra headers. For the typical homelab, Caddy does everything you need with a fraction of the configuration.

Nginx remains the right choice for power users who need its caching, rate limiting, Lua extensibility, or 20-year ecosystem of solutions. If you are managing a high-traffic site or have complex routing requirements, Nginx’s verbosity is the price of its flexibility.

For self-hosting, start with Caddy. Move to Nginx only if you hit a limitation Caddy cannot solve.

Related

• How to Self-Host Caddy with Docker
• How to Self-Host Nginx with Docker
• Traefik vs Caddy
• Nginx Proxy Manager vs Caddy
• Best Self-Hosted Reverse Proxy
• Reverse Proxy Explained
• SSL Certificates Explained
• Docker Compose Basics