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.
Caddy
Fast, multi-platform web server with automatic HTTPS
VS
Skipper
HTTP router and reverse proxy for service composition
| Feature | Caddy | Skipper |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| 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 | ★ 76,036 | ★ 3,329 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Nginx, Apache | Nginx, Traefik |
What are Caddy and Skipper?
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
Skipper
Skipper is an open-source HTTP router and reverse proxy from Zalando, designed for service composition and used as a Kubernetes ingress controller. It supports flexible route filters.
- Flexible route predicates
- Kubernetes ingress support
- Rich filter chain
- Used at Zalando scale
Caddy vs Skipper: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Caddy is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Skipper. Caddy has the considerably larger community, at 76,036 GitHub stars versus 3,329.
Why pick each one
Choose Caddy if…
- Zero-config TLS
- Easy to learn
Watch out for
- Fewer tuning knobs than Nginx
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.
Which is lighter on resources, Caddy or Skipper?
Caddy has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Skipper. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.