3proxy vs Caddy

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
Feature3proxyCaddy
CategoryReverse Proxy & GatewaysReverse Proxy & Gateways
LicenseBSD-3-ClauseApache-2.0
LanguageCGo
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM16 MB64 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, source, dockerdocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 5,379★ 74,748
First released20022015
ReplacesSquidNginx, Apache

Why pick each one

Choose 3proxy if…

  • Multi-protocol in one binary
  • Very small footprint
3proxy details

Choose Caddy if…

  • Zero-config TLS
  • Easy to learn
Caddy details

Frequently asked questions

Is 3proxy or Caddy better?

Caddy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider 3proxy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are 3proxy and Caddy free and open-source?

Yes. 3proxy is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Caddy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run 3proxy and Caddy with Docker?

3proxy: yes. Caddy: yes.

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