Caddy vs Shadowsocks-libev
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?
Caddy
Fast, multi-platform web server with automatic HTTPS
VS
Shadowsocks-libev
Lightweight encrypted SOCKS5 proxy
| Feature | Caddy | Shadowsocks-libev |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | bare-metal, source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 74,748 | ★ 16,181 |
| First released | 2015 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Nginx, Apache | commercial VPN proxies |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Caddy or Shadowsocks-libev better?
Caddy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Shadowsocks-libev if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Caddy and Shadowsocks-libev free and open-source?
Yes. Caddy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Shadowsocks-libev under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Caddy and Shadowsocks-libev with Docker?
Caddy: yes. Shadowsocks-libev: yes.