Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Caddy VS AMPPS

Compare Caddy VS AMPPS and see what are their differences

Caddy logo Caddy

The HTTP/2 Web Server with Automatic HTTPS

AMPPS logo AMPPS

MAMP and WAMP stack with Latest PHP, Apache, MySQL and Softaculous. Install and manage apps like PHP, WordPress and much more with just one click.
  • Caddy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-22
  • AMPPS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-17

AMPPS is a bloat-free local development stack with PHP, MySQL, Apache and Softaculous.AMPPS supports all the latest versions of PHP, Apache and MySQL. Installing and updating these packages is just one click. Softaculous auto installer is also included with AMPPS which enables you to install 380+ apps like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, phpBB, etc which can be installed and updated with just one click.

Caddy

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

AMPPS

Website
ampps.com
$ Details
freemium $49.0 / Annually
Platforms
Mac OSX Windows
Release Date
2021 October

Caddy features and specs

  • Automatic HTTPS
    Caddy automatically handles HTTPS by obtaining and renewing certificates from Let's Encrypt, simplifying the process of securing web applications.
  • Ease of Configuration
    Caddy uses a straightforward configuration file (Caddyfile) that is easier to write and understand compared to other web servers like Nginx or Apache.
  • Cross-Platform
    Caddy is designed to run efficiently on virtually any platform, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Docker, giving it great flexibility for deployment.
  • Built-in Reverse Proxy
    Caddy includes built-in support for reverse proxy functionality, which can easily be configured to distribute load among multiple servers.
  • Extensible
    Caddy supports plugins for additional features, allowing users to extend its functionality without compromising its core simplicity.
  • Integrated Logging and Metrics
    Caddy includes integrated logging and monitoring capabilities, which make it easier to maintain and debug the server without additional tools.
  • Active Community and Support
    Caddy has an active community and is well-supported with extensive documentation, which helps new users get up to speed quickly and troubleshoot issues effectively.

Possible disadvantages of Caddy

  • Memory Usage
    Caddy can have higher memory usage compared to other web servers like Nginx, which might be a concern for resource-constrained environments.
  • TLS Configuration Complexity
    While Caddy handles basic HTTPS automatically, advanced TLS configurations can be more complicated to manage and may require a deeper understanding.
  • Learning Curve for New Features
    As Caddy rapidly evolves and adds new features, there can be a learning curve associated with keeping up to date on the latest changes and functionalities.
  • Performance
    Although Caddy performs adequately for many use cases, it may not match the high performance of optimized setups with other web servers like Nginx in highly demanding environments.
  • Licensing Costs
    While Caddy is open source, certain features are available under a commercial license. Organizations may incur additional costs for enterprise-grade functionality.

AMPPS features and specs

  • Lightweight - Install apps as per your needs
  • Latest PHP versions - One click install and update
  • Domain Management - Add unlimited addon/parked/alias domains
  • Database management
  • Enable/Disable PHP extensions
  • Manage Apache Configuration
  • Start, Stop, Restart Apache and MySQL services
  • WordPress Manager - Manage plugins, themes, auto login, WordPress core updates, plugins and themes updates, debug mode
  • Backups - Local, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, AWS S3, FTP, FTPS and SFTP
  • Clone and Staging
  • Remote Import
  • 400+ apps

Analysis of Caddy

Overall verdict

  • Caddy is generally considered a good choice for developers looking for a hassle-free, secure, and modern web server. Its automatic HTTPS and easy configuration make it particularly appealing for small teams and developers who need to deploy web services quickly without diving deep into server setup complexities.

Why this product is good

  • Caddy, available at caddyserver.com, is praised for its ease of use, automatic HTTPS configuration, and modern design. It features an intuitive configuration system and comes with a built-in SSL/TLS to automatically manage HTTPS certificates using Let's Encrypt. Caddy is highly regarded for its simple deployment, minimal configuration, and the ability to serve static and dynamic content efficiently. It also supports HTTP/2 and QUIC protocols, making it a future-proof choice for web servers.

Recommended for

  • Small to medium-sized web developers who require quick and secure web server deployments.
  • Developers who prefer automatic HTTPS setups.
  • Projects that benefit from modern protocols like HTTP/2 and QUIC.
  • Users looking for a straightforward configuration process with minimal overhead.

Analysis of AMPPS

Overall verdict

  • AMPPS is generally a good choice for developers who need a comprehensive local server solution. It is praised for its ease of use and convenience, though some users might find its resource usage to be higher compared to other lightweight solutions.

Why this product is good

  • AMPPS is considered beneficial because it provides an extensive local development stack for developers. It includes all necessary components like Apache, MySQL, MongoDB, PHP, Perl, and Python in a single package, which makes setting up a development environment straightforward and efficient. Additionally, it supports a wide variety of applications and offers an easy-to-use interface for managing databases and development projects.

Recommended for

  • Web developers who require a full-featured local development stack.
  • Students and educators involved in web development training.
  • Freelancers and small teams who need a simple, all-in-one development environment.
  • Those who prefer managing development environments through a graphical user interface.

Caddy videos

Getting started with Caddy the HTTPS Web Server from scratch

AMPPS videos

Install Ampps Webserver With Softaculous

More videos:

  • Review - Install AMPPS on Windows 10
  • Review - WAMP on PC to AMPPS on Mac, wordpress site

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Caddy and AMPPS)
Web Servers
82 82%
18% 18
Web And Application Servers
HTTP/2 Web Server
100 100%
0% 0
Development Tools
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Caddy and AMPPS.

What makes your product unique?

AMPPS's answer:

AMPPS is a bloat-free stack so you only install the apps that you want to install.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

AMPPS's answer:

You can install from a long list of PHP versions available. You can switch PHP versions with a click. You can also install new PHPs when they are released or upgrade the existing PHPs, Apache, MySQL to the latest version with a click.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

AMPPS's answer:

If you are a developer who use any of the following technologies then you can use AMPPS : - PHP - Apache - MySQL - MongoDB

User comments

Share your experience with using Caddy and AMPPS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Caddy and AMPPS

Caddy Reviews

Self Hosting Like Its 2025
If youโ€™re looking to forego fancy web interfaces and prefer editing a straightforward file while having the server manage everything from proxying to HTTPS via Letโ€™s Encrypt, then this is the option for you. However, due to the absence of a web interface, I wouldnโ€™t recommend it for complete beginners. But if you appreciate simple UNIX-based tooling, Caddy is an excellent...
Source: kiranet.org
Top Linux Web Servers: Pros and Cons
Now that we know their advantages and disadvantages, which web server is the best? The answer depends on your use case. Nginx is a very fast and powerful option, Apache is a great general-purpose web server, while LiteSpeed represents a premium alternative. Caddy works great if you need simplicity, while Lighthttpd works best when resources are low.
Source: bigstep.com

AMPPS Reviews

Best XAMPP Alternatives for Website Development in 2024
The last alternative to XAMPP on our list is AMPPS available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. AMPPS provides a complete local setup for WordPress site development. With its versatility across multiple operating systems, it offers convenience and flexibility for developers.
Source: instawp.com
8 Best MAMP Alternatives (Definitive List)
The free version of AMPSS doesnโ€™t limit the number of local websites that you can set up. However, that version doesnโ€™t come with AMPPSโ€™ built-in WordPress manager tool. This feature helps you manage multiple WordPress websites using a panel thatโ€™s very similar to a multisite setup.
Source: kinsta.com
13 Best XAMPP Alternatives
Most AMPPS servers offer similar features as shared hosting plans from companies like HostGator or DreamHost without requiring you to pay a monthly fee. If you donโ€™t have your server, many hosts offer great packages for $5-10 per month that let you test out how effective an AMPPS setup will be for your needs.
Source: thetechtian.com
9 Best XAMPP Alternatives Cross Platform Web Server
AMPPS supports a variety of open sources web applications such as Dolphin, Joomla!, and WordPress. As a result of which, creating a website has become a matter of mere minutes. All you need for that is the AMPPS package and the latest version of your favorite web application.
10 Best alternatives of XAMPP servers for Windows, Linux and macOS
AMPPS comes with a Domain Administrator and an auto-installation tool for hundreds of web applications. Also, there are many free features that we have not yet explored. In comparison, I think that AMPPS could be a better alternative to WAMP, MAMP, and XAMPP.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Caddy seems to be a lot more popular than AMPPS. While we know about 262 links to Caddy, we've tracked only 3 mentions of AMPPS. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Caddy mentions (262)

  • I got tired of setting up SSL for every side project, so I made a 60-second Docker deploy kit
    The secret is Caddy. Unlike Nginx, Caddy handles SSL automatically โ€” it requests certificates from Let's Encrypt and renews them without any configuration. The entire reverse proxy config is 3 lines:. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Docker basics: Using mkcert and caddy with docker compose to host web services over HTTPS for local development
    This tutorial walks you through setting up a simple Docker Compose project that serves two Node web servers over HTTPS using Caddy as a reverse proxy. You will learn how to use mkcert to generate wildcard certificates and the minimal configuration needed in the Caddyfile and docker-compose.yml to get it all working. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Deploying Mercure alongside Caddy on a shared VPS
    Mercure is a real-time push protocol built on server-sent events (SSE). It ships as a standalone binary that embeds its own Caddy server. If you already run Caddy as your web server, you now have two Caddy processes fighting over ports. This post covers how to deploy both on the same VPS using Ansible, with solutions for every gotcha that came up. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Caddy Has a Free API: The Web Server With Automatic HTTPS
    Caddy is a modern web server with automatic HTTPS. It obtains and renews TLS certificates from Let's Encrypt without any configuration. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Traefik vs Caddy: Which Reverse Proxy?
    Caddy (v2.9) is a modern web server and reverse proxy written in Go. Its defining feature is automatic HTTPS โ€” point it at a domain name and it handles certificate provisioning and renewal without any configuration. Routes are defined in a Caddyfile, a human-readable config format that replaces Nginx's verbose blocks with minimal syntax. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
View more

AMPPS mentions (3)

  • Best MAMP Alternatives in 2025
    AMPPS is available for both Windows and MacOS, offering a straightforward setup for WordPress site development. Its versatility across different platforms makes it a convenient and flexible choice for developers. Furthermore, this tool enables you to test your site locally without interfering with the production site, making it a solid option for development and testing environments. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Form data from form page isn't submitted to the database, how can I fix this issue?
    It should have generated a log file, though. If it didn't then you need to make sure you actually restarted everything. I'd also consider switching to something like Ampps and see if that helps. Source: over 3 years ago
  • How to install WordPress
    Some web hosting providers offer a Softaculous auto-installer that simplifies WordPress installation to the smallest. - Source: dev.to / almost 5 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Caddy and AMPPS, you can also consider the following products

Apache HTTP Server - Apache httpd has been the most popular web server on the Internet since April 1996

XAMPP - XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server that is primarily used when locally developing web applications.

nginx - A high performance free open source web server powering busiest sites on the Internet.

MAMP - MAMP is the abbreviation for Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. It is a reliable application with its four components that allows you to access the local PHP server as well as the database server (SQL).

Nginx Proxy Manager - Docker container and built in Web Application for managing Nginx proxy hosts with a simple, powerful interface, providing free SSL support via Let's Encrypt

EasyPHP - EasyPHP installs a portable local WAMP server including the server-side scripting language: PHP 5, the web Server: Apache 2, the SQL Server: MySQL 5, a database manager: PhpMyAdmin and others development tools.