Every Site on HTTPS
Caddy is a general-purpose HTTP/2 web server that serves HTTPS by default.
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---
Caddy is fast, easy to use, and makes you more productive.
Available for Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD, Solaris, and [Android](https://github.com/mholt/caddy/wiki/Running-Caddy-on-Android).
## Menu
- [Features](#features)
- [Install](#install)
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Running in Production](#running-in-production)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [Donors](#donors)
- [About the Project](#about-the-project)
## Features
- **Easy configuration** with the Caddyfile
- **Automatic HTTPS** on by default (via [Let's Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org))
- **HTTP/2** by default
- **Virtual hosting** so multiple sites just work
- Experimental **QUIC support** for those that like speed
- TLS session ticket **key rotation** for more secure connections
- **Extensible with plugins** because a convenient web server is a helpful one
- **Runs anywhere** with **no external dependencies** (not even libc)
There's way more, too! [See all features built into Caddy.](https://caddyserver.com/features) On top of all those, Caddy does even more with plugins: choose which plugins you want at [download](https://caddyserver.com/download).
## Install
Caddy binaries have no dependencies and are available for every platform. Get Caddy any one of these ways:
- **[Download page](https://caddyserver.com/download)** allows you to
customize your build in the browser
- **[Latest release](https://github.com/mholt/caddy/releases/latest)** for
pre-built, vanilla binaries
- **go get** to build from source: `go get github.com/mholt/caddy/caddy` (requires Go 1.8 or newer) - to build with proper version information (required when filing issues), `cd` to the `caddy` folder and use `go run build.go`.
Then make sure the `caddy` binary is in your PATH.
## Quick Start
To serve static files from the current working directory, run:
```
caddy
```
Caddy's default port is 2015, so open your browser to [http://localhost:2015](http://localhost:2015).
### Go from 0 to HTTPS in 5 seconds
If the `caddy` binary has permission to bind to low ports and your domain name's DNS records point to the machine you're on:
```
caddy -host example.com
```
This command serves static files from the current directory over HTTPS. Certificates are automatically obtained and renewed for you!
### Customizing your site
To customize how your site is served, create a file named Caddyfile by your site and paste this into it:
```plain
localhost
push
browse
websocket /echo cat
ext .html
log /var/log/access.log
proxy /api 127.0.0.1:7005
header /api Access-Control-Allow-Origin *
```
When you run `caddy` in that directory, it will automatically find and use that Caddyfile.
This simple file enables server push (via Link headers), allows directory browsing (for folders without an index file), hosts a WebSocket echo server at /echo, serves clean URLs, logs requests to an access log, proxies all API requests to a backend on port 7005, and adds the coveted `Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *` header for all responses from the API.
Wow! Caddy can do a lot with just a few lines.
### Doing more with Caddy
To host multiple sites and do more with the Caddyfile, please see the [Caddyfile tutorial](https://caddyserver.com/tutorial/caddyfile).
Sites with qualifying hostnames are served over [HTTPS by default](https://caddyserver.com/docs/automatic-https).
Caddy has a command line interface. Run `caddy -h` to view basic help or see the [CLI documentation](https://caddyserver.com/docs/cli) for details.
## Running in Production
Caddy is production-ready if you find it to be a good fit for your site and workflow.
**Running as root:** We advise against this. You can still listen on ports < 1024 on Linux using setcap like so: `sudo setcap cap_net_bind_service=+ep ./caddy`
The Caddy project does not officially maintain any system-specific integrations nor suggest how to administer your own system. But your download file includes [unofficial resources](https://github.com/mholt/caddy/tree/master/dist/init) contributed by the community that you may find helpful for running Caddy in production.
How you choose to run Caddy is up to you. Many users are satisfied with `nohup caddy &`. Others use `screen`. Users who need Caddy to come back up after reboots either do so in the script that caused the reboot, add a command to an init script, or configure a service with their OS.
If you have questions or concerns about Caddy' underlying crypto implementations, consult Go's [crypto packages](https://golang.org/pkg/crypto), starting with their documentation, then issues, then the code itself; as Caddy uses mainly those libraries.
## Contributing
**[Join our forum](https://caddy.community) where you can chat with other Caddy users and developers!** To get familiar with the code base, try [Caddy code search on Sourcegraph](https://sourcegraph.com/github.com/mholt/caddy/-/search)!
Please see our [contributing guidelines](https://github.com/mholt/caddy/blob/master/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md) for instructions. If you want to write a plugin, check out the [developer wiki](https://github.com/mholt/caddy/wiki).
We use GitHub issues and pull requests only for discussing bug reports and the development of specific changes. We welcome all other topics on the [forum](https://caddy.community)!
If you want to contribute to the documentation, please submit pull requests to [caddyserver/website](https://github.com/caddyserver/website).
Thanks for making Caddy -- and the Web -- better!
## Donors
- [DigitalOcean](https://m.do.co/c/6d7bdafccf96) is hosting the Caddy project.
- [DNSimple](https://dnsimple.link/resolving-caddy) provides DNS services for Caddy's sites.
- [DNS Spy](https://dnsspy.io) keeps an eye on Caddy's DNS properties.
We thank them for their services. **If you want to help keep Caddy free, please [become a sponsor](https://caddyserver.com/pricing)!**
## About the Project
Caddy was born out of the need for a "batteries-included" web server that runs anywhere and doesn't have to take its configuration with it. Caddy took inspiration from [spark](https://github.com/rif/spark), [nginx](https://github.com/nginx/nginx), lighttpd,
[Websocketd](https://github.com/joewalnes/websocketd) and [Vagrant](https://www.vagrantup.com/), which provides a pleasant mixture of features from each of them.
**The name "Caddy":** The name of the software is "Caddy", not "Caddy Server" or "CaddyServer". Please call it "Caddy" or, if you wish to clarify, "the Caddy web server". See [brand guidelines](https://caddyserver.com/brand).
*Author on Twitter: [@mholt6](https://twitter.com/mholt6)*