Caddy Security vs OAuth2 Proxy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Caddy Security
Authentication and authorization plugin for Caddy
VS
OAuth2 Proxy
Reverse proxy that adds authentication to any web app
| Feature | Caddy Security | OAuth2 Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,213 | ★ 14,808 |
| First released | 2021 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Cloudflare Access | Cloudflare Access |
Why pick each one
Choose Caddy Security if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose OAuth2 Proxy if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 14.8k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Caddy Security or OAuth2 Proxy better?
Neither is universally better. OAuth2 Proxy has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Caddy Security and OAuth2 Proxy free and open-source?
Yes. Caddy Security is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OAuth2 Proxy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Caddy Security and OAuth2 Proxy with Docker?
Caddy Security: check the project docs for container support. OAuth2 Proxy: yes.