NGINX vs Caddy

NGINX9.3Visit Caddy8.3Visit

Higher score NGINX #1 in Reverse Proxy Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit NGINX

vs

Caddy #7 in Reverse Proxy Software 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Caddy

• NGINX fits best

  Established general-purpose reverse proxying

• Caddy fits best

  Simple HTTPS-enabled self-hosted proxying

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Side by side

Feature	NGINX 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Caddy 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.3
Ranking	#1 in Reverse Proxy Software	#7 in Reverse Proxy Software
Best for	Established general-purpose reverse proxying	Simple HTTPS-enabled self-hosted proxying
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux, Windows	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features NGINX 4/5 · Caddy 2/5
TLS termination	✓	✓
Web application firewall	—	Not checked yet
Response caching	✓ (best)	—
WebSocket support	✓	✓
Rate limiting	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Configuration method	File	Both
Our review
Pros	Free open-source deployment on Linux and Windows Supports HTTP, TCP, and UDP proxying and load balancing Includes caching, TLS termination, WebSockets, and rate limiting	Automatic TLS certificate provisioning and renewal Load balancing with active and passive health checks Caddyfile, JSON, and RESTful API configuration
Cons	Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure administration Configuration is managed through text files Web application firewall protection is not included	Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure management Standard distribution does not include response caching Focused on proxying rather than WAF or general rate limiting
Our verdict	NGINX is open-source infrastructure software for serving web content, reverse proxying applications, caching responses, and balancing or proxying HTTP, TCP, and UDP traffic. It is designed for teams managing their own infrastructure on… Read the review →	Caddy is an open-source, self-hosted web server and reverse proxy for websites, applications, and services. It handles HTTP, HTTPS, WebSocket, gRPC, and FastCGI traffic, while automatically obtaining and renewing TLS certificates. Its… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• NGINX — where it wins

  • Free open-source deployment on Linux and Windows
  • Supports HTTP, TCP, and UDP proxying and load balancing
  • Includes caching, TLS termination, WebSockets, and rate limiting

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure administration
  • Configuration is managed through text files
  • Web application firewall protection is not included

• Caddy — where it wins

  • Automatic TLS certificate provisioning and renewal
  • Load balancing with active and passive health checks
  • Caddyfile, JSON, and RESTful API configuration

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure management
  • Standard distribution does not include response caching
  • Focused on proxying rather than WAF or general rate limiting

• NGINX9.3/10 · Free plan

  A flexible self-hosted reverse proxy with caching, load balancing, TLS, and protocol support.

  Visit NGINXFull verdict →
• Caddy8.3/10 · Free plan

  A focused self-hosted proxy for automatic TLS, flexible configuration, and traffic routing.

  Visit CaddyFull verdict →