Caddy vs Skipper
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
Skipper
HTTP router and reverse proxy for service composition
| Feature | Caddy | Skipper |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | kubernetes, docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 74,748 | ★ 3,311 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Nginx, Apache | Nginx, Traefik |
Why pick each one
Choose Skipper if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (3.3k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Caddy or Skipper better?
Caddy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Skipper if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Caddy and Skipper free and open-source?
Yes. Caddy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Skipper under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Caddy and Skipper with Docker?
Caddy: yes. Skipper: yes.