Traefik Proxy vs Caddy

Traefik Proxy8.8Visit Caddy8.3Visit

Higher score Traefik Proxy #4 in Reverse Proxy Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Traefik Proxy

vs

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

• Traefik Proxy fits best

  Broad self-hosted routing and orchestration

• Caddy fits best

  Simple HTTPS-enabled self-hosted proxying

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Side by side

Feature	Traefik Proxy 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Caddy 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.3
Ranking	#4 in Reverse Proxy Software	#7 in Reverse Proxy Software
Best for	Broad self-hosted routing and orchestration	Simple HTTPS-enabled self-hosted proxying
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Traefik Proxy 4/5 · Caddy 2/5
TLS termination	✓	✓
Web application firewall	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Response caching	Not checked yet	—
WebSocket support	✓	✓
Rate limiting	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Configuration method	Both	Both
Our review
Pros	Dynamic discovery configures routes as services change Supports L4/L7 routing plus HTTP, TCP, UDP, gRPC, and WebSockets Automatic HTTPS, observability, and deployment integrations are included	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 ownership The broad feature set may exceed simple proxying needs No AI features are 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	Traefik Proxy is an open-source application proxy, reverse proxy, ingress controller, and load balancer for cloud-native applications. It is designed for developers and DevOps teams running microservices and containerized infrastructure… 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

• Traefik Proxy — where it wins

  • Dynamic discovery configures routes as services change
  • Supports L4/L7 routing plus HTTP, TCP, UDP, gRPC, and WebSockets
  • Automatic HTTPS, observability, and deployment integrations are included

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure ownership
  • The broad feature set may exceed simple proxying needs
  • No AI features are 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

• Traefik Proxy8.8/10 · Free plan

  A broad self-hosted proxy for dynamic discovery, multi-protocol routing, and cloud-native operations.

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

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

  Visit CaddyFull verdict →