Nginx vs Caddy

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Nginx and Caddy?

Caddy modernizes web serving with automatic HTTPS, simple configuration, and sensible defaults. Nginx remains the performance king at massive scale. For most deployments, Caddy's ease of use and automatic security make it the better default choice.

Which is better, Nginx or Caddy?

Caddy is the recommended choice. Caddy modernizes web serving with automatic HTTPS, simple configuration, and sensible defaults. Nginx remains the performance king at massive scale. For most deployments, Caddy's ease of use and automatic security make it the better default choice.

What are the pros of Nginx?

Battle-tested at massive scale. Extremely efficient with low resource usage. Extensive module ecosystem. Universal documentation and community support. Proven reverse proxy and load balancer.

What are the pros of Caddy?

Automatic HTTPS with built-in certificate management. Simple, readable Caddyfile configuration. HTTP/3 and modern protocols by default. Single binary deployment with no dependencies. API-driven dynamic configuration.

What are the cons of Nginx?

Configuration syntax is arcane and error-prone. No automatic HTTPS: requires manual cert setup. Reloading config requires careful handling.

What are the cons of Caddy?

Higher memory usage than Nginx. Smaller ecosystem and fewer modules. Less battle-tested at extreme scale. Performance slightly trails Nginx under heavy load.

Why choose Caddy over the alternative?

Caddy is the recommended choice based on head-to-head comparison. Caddy modernizes web serving with automatic HTTPS, simple configuration, and sensible defaults. Nginx remains the performance king at massive scale. For most deployments, Caddy's ease of use and automatic security make it the better default choice.

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