Caddy vs Lwan
Caddy
caddyserver.comLwan
lwan.wsSide by side
| Figure | Caddy | Lwan |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $25/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 0 |
| Spec score · Web Server Software | 8.1 (#6) | 6.8 (#32) |
| Configuration | Caddy accepts JSON configuration through a RESTful API and also supports the Caddyfile and other config adapters. | Lwan uses a configuration file, and an unchanged default configuration serves files from ./wwwroot on port 8080. |
| Integrations | Caddy supports DNS challenge integrations for providers including Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Route 53, and dozens of others through libdns. | The README documents systemd socket activation for HTTP and HTTPS listeners. |
| Security | The maker says Caddy's TLS defaults meet PCI DSS, NIST, and HIPAA compliance requirements. | Its configuration can drop privileges and restrict the server's filesystem view with chroot. |
Plans
Caddy
- Indie$25 a month
- Indie Pro$50 a month
- Startup$99 a month
- Startup Pro$249 a month
- Business$999 a month
- Business+$2,999 a month
- Enterprise$5,900 a month
- Enterprise+$11,900 a month
In their own words
Caddy
Caddy is an extensible server platform used as a web server or proxy, and it is self-hosted. By default, it obtains and renews TLS certificates for sites and redirects HTTP to HTTPS. Its reverse proxy supports HTTP, HTTPS, WebSockets, gRPC, and FastCGI, along with load balancing and health checks. Configuration options include JSON through a RESTful API, the Caddyfile, and other adapters. Compile-time plugins extend its static binary. DNS challenge integrations include Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Route 53, and other providers through libdns. Caddy can run as a command-line process, system service, container, Kubernetes workload, or embedded component. The software is free, with no paywalled features; sponsorship plans add services and support while leaving the license unchanged. Free community help is available through a forum. Caddy says its TLS defaults meet PCI DSS, NIST, and HIPAA compliance requirements, and that dependencies are verified with Go modules and release artifacts are cryptographically signed.