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Caddy VS NGINX Plus

Compare Caddy VS NGINX Plus and see what are their differences

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Caddy logo Caddy

The HTTP/2 Web Server with Automatic HTTPS

NGINX Plus logo NGINX Plus

NGINX Plus is an open-source software load balancer that improves the speed of the applications and enhances the distribution of workloads.
  • Caddy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-22
  • NGINX Plus Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-30

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.

NGINX Plus features and specs

  • Scalability
    NGINX Plus can efficiently handle a large number of simultaneous connections, making it ideal for high-traffic websites and services.
  • Advanced Load Balancing
    Offers sophisticated load balancing features that can optimize traffic distribution across multiple servers and ensure high availability.
  • Performance
    Known for its speed and efficiency, NGINX Plus can significantly reduce latency and improve overall application performance.
  • Security Features
    Includes robust security tools such as WAF (Web Application Firewall) and DDoS mitigation to protect applications from common vulnerabilities and attacks.
  • Support and Updates
    Provides commercial support with regular updates and technical assistance to address potential issues and maintain optimal performance.
  • Session Persistence
    Supports session persistence to maintain a consistent user experience by directing requests from the same client to the same server.
  • Integrated Monitoring
    Offers integrated monitoring and management tools to help administrators keep track of server performance and issues.

Possible disadvantages of NGINX Plus

  • Cost
    As a commercial product, NGINX Plus comes with licensing fees, which may be expensive for small businesses or projects with budget constraints.
  • Complexity
    Setting up and configuring NGINX Plus can be complex, requiring expertise and possibly a steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with it.
  • Limited Windows Support
    NGINX Plus is primarily designed for Unix-based systems, providing limited support and optimization for Windows environments.
  • Feature Overlap
    Many functionalities in NGINX Plus might overlap with existing solutions in use, which could lead to redundant tools and increased complexity.
  • Dependency on Ecosystem
    NGINX Plus can heavily integrate with other products in its ecosystem, potentially leading to dependencies that can affect flexibility or adaptability.

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.

Caddy videos

+ Add

Getting started with Caddy the HTTPS Web Server from scratch

NGINX Plus videos

+ Add

Master in Nginx | Nginx PlusTutorial | Nginx complete Tutorial -1

More videos:

  • Review - Dynamic Load Balancing with Consul and Nginx Plus

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Caddy and NGINX Plus)

Caddy

NGINX Plus

Web Servers
93 93%
Web Servers
7% 7
Web And Application Servers
83 83%
Web And Application Servers
17% 17
HTTP/2 Web Server
100 100%
HTTP/2 Web Server
0% 0
API Tools
0 0%
API Tools
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Caddy Reviews

Self Hosting Like Its 2025
If you’re looking to forego fancy web interfaces and prefer editing a straightforward file while having the server manage everything from proxying to HTTPS via Let’s Encrypt, then this is the option for you. However, due to the absence of a web interface, I wouldn’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

NGINX Plus Reviews

We have no reviews of NGINX Plus yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Caddy seems to be a lot more popular than NGINX Plus. While we know about 248 links to Caddy, we've tracked only 15 mentions of NGINX Plus. 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 (248)

  • I no longer have an old-school cert on my HTTPS site
    The Caddy[1] webserver also has built-in ACME. It has all the problems Rachel mentioned, of course, because now it's an ACME client embedded in an even bigger piece of software, but it's handy for sure! I don't know much about Caddy scalability but it's worked great for my personal sites. [1] https://caddyserver.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 27 days ago
  • How I made my Home Server accessible outside my home
    This single record will suffice as we will be using a reverse proxy to map each of our application. For the reverse proxy solution, we will be using Caddy, particularly xcaddy. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Simple Web Server
    It looks nice and friendly, but for developers I can recommend exploring caddy[1] or nginx[2]. It's a useful technology to have worked with, even if they're ultimately only used for proxying analytics. [1] https://caddyserver.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Adventures in Homelabbing: From Cloud Obsession to Self-Hosted Shenanigans
    I began to self-host a Minecraft server using Crafty Controller, an Excalidraw instance, Docmost to replace Notion, Plane to replace Jira, and Penpot to replace Figma. To be able to access them from the internet, I used Nginx Proxy Manager to set up reverse proxies with SSL. You can use Traefik or Caddy instead, but I enjoyed the ease-of-use of NPM. For a dashboard solution, I started with Homarr, but later... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Self-hosting with Caddy Server And Souin (Caching Module)
    Caddy is the ultimate web server anyone should be using. This is true for production as well as for local development. It is very fast, and by default obtains and renews SSL certificates automatically. This is useful for when you want to test certain website feature that is only allowed when they're accessed with HTTPS. You get free TLS for all your subdomains, and it does that in a scalable way. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

NGINX Plus mentions (15)

  • Mastering Microservices: A Hands-On Tutorial with Node.js, RabbitMQ, Nginx, and Docker
    For setting up Nginx as a reverse proxy, you can follow the installation instructions on Nginx's official documentation. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Help finding downloadable Nginx docs in either pdf or text format
    I need to download the Nginx help files directly into my custom data directory, and I know that text or pdf works - not sure about the html version but would try. All I can find is the online content at nginx.com - if I'm missing a download link please help! Source: about 2 years ago
  • kind - Setting up CNI using Calico - Part 7
    $ kubectl run busybox --image=busybox --restart=Never --rm -it -- wget -O- http://nginx If you don't see a command prompt, try pressing enter. Warning: couldn't attach to pod/busybox, falling back to streaming logs: Internal error occurred: error attaching to container: failed to load task: no running task found: task 9268947ec3741ac1bad25fab9454c9c56e51131e7d65098993a87a96ed7ea7d7 not found: not found Connecting... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Docker networking: Network Namespaces, Docker and DNS
    Docker compose exec nginx_a curl nginx_b Welcome to nginx! Html { color-scheme: light dark; } Body { width: 35em; margin: 0 auto; Font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; } Welcome to nginx! If you... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Should we tell him?
    The solution is obvious: you should contact nginx.com for help. It says so on that there. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

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

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

BunkerWeb - BunkerWeb is a next-generation and open-source Web Application Firewall (WAF).

Microsoft IIS - Internet Information Services is a web server for Microsoft Windows

Haproxy - Reliable, High Performance TCP/HTTP Load Balancer

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