Caddy vs Static Web Server
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
Static Web Server
Cross-platform, high-performance, and asynchronous web server for
| Feature | Caddy | Static Web Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 74,748 | ★ 2,312 |
| First released | 2015 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Nginx, Apache | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Static Web Server if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is Caddy or Static Web Server better?
Caddy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Static Web Server if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Caddy and Static Web Server free and open-source?
Yes. Caddy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Static Web Server under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Caddy and Static Web Server with Docker?
Caddy: yes. Static Web Server: yes.