Blocky 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?
Blocky
Fast DNS proxy and ad-blocker for local networks
VS
Caddy
Fast, multi-platform web server with automatic HTTPS
| Feature | Blocky | Caddy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,844 | ★ 74,748 |
| First released | 2019 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Pi-hole, AdGuard Home | Nginx, Apache |
Why pick each one
Choose Blocky if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.8k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Blocky or Caddy better?
Neither is universally better. Caddy has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Blocky and Caddy free and open-source?
Yes. Blocky is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Caddy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Blocky and Caddy with Docker?
Blocky: yes. Caddy: yes.