Caddy Security vs OpenZiti
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
OpenZiti
Programmable zero-trust networking platform
| Feature | Caddy Security | OpenZiti |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Identity & SSO | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,213 | ★ 4,336 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| 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 OpenZiti if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (4.3k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Caddy Security or OpenZiti better?
Neither is universally better. OpenZiti has the larger community, while Caddy Security is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Caddy Security and OpenZiti free and open-source?
Yes. Caddy Security is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenZiti under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Caddy Security and OpenZiti with Docker?
Caddy Security: check the project docs for container support. OpenZiti: yes.