Caddy vs Envoy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Caddy
Fast, multi-platform web server with automatic HTTPS
VS
Envoy
Cloud-native high-performance edge and service proxy
| Feature | Caddy | Envoy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 76,036 | ★ 28,983 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Nginx, Apache | Nginx, HAProxy |
What are Caddy and Envoy?
Caddy
Caddy is a powerful, extensible web server and reverse proxy written in Go that provides automatic HTTPS out of the box. Its simple configuration makes it popular for self-hosting.
- Automatic HTTPS by default
- Simple Caddyfile config
- Single binary
- Plugin ecosystem
Envoy
Envoy is a high-performance, open-source edge and service proxy designed for cloud-native applications and service meshes. It offers advanced load balancing, observability, and dynamic configuration.
- Service mesh data plane
- Dynamic xDS configuration
- Rich observability
- Advanced load balancing
Caddy vs Envoy: key differences
Caddy is written in Go, while Envoy is built with C++. Caddy is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Envoy. Caddy has the considerably larger community, at 76,036 GitHub stars versus 28,983.
Why pick each one
Choose Caddy if…
- Zero-config TLS
- Easy to learn
Watch out for
- Fewer tuning knobs than Nginx
Choose Envoy if…
- Advanced load balancing
- Dynamic configuration API
- Deep observability features
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Verbose YAML configuration
- Heavy for simple setups
Frequently asked questions
Is Caddy or Envoy better?
Caddy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Envoy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Caddy and Envoy free and open-source?
Yes. Caddy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Envoy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Caddy and Envoy with Docker?
Caddy: yes. Envoy: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Caddy or Envoy?
Caddy has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Envoy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.