Compare / Caddy vs Traefik
Caddy vs Traefik
Pick Caddy if you want a Go HTTP server whose default is automatic HTTPS (Caddyfile). Pick Traefik if you want an ingress that discovers Docker/K8s services from labels.
Facts checked 18 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Caddy in the catalog Traefik in the catalogStart on Railway
How they compare
| Caddy | Traefik | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 (caddyserver/caddy) source | MIT (traefik/traefik) source |
| Language | Go (catalog) | Go (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 78,123 stars in the catalog source | 65,273 stars in the catalog source |
| Self-host | Caddyfile. Automatic HTTPS is the point. | Providers/labels. Ingress more than a static file server. |
| Best for | A small HTTPS server you can read. | Container ingress with discovery. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Caddy is Apache-2.0 (caddyserver/caddy). Traefik is MIT (traefik/traefik). Both are Go. Nginx Proxy Manager is the click-ops sibling — /compare/nginx-proxy-manager-vs-traefik. Run on the host or in Docker. This is not a CDN.
FAQ
- Caddy or Nginx Proxy Manager?
- Caddy if you want a Go Caddyfile. NPM if you want a Docker UI in front of Nginx.
- Is Traefik Enterprise the same license?
- This page is traefik/traefik (MIT). Traefik's commercial products are separate — this page does not invent their terms.
- Are these free?
- Caddy is Apache-2.0. Traefik's public proxy repo is MIT. You pay hosting.
- Where is Coolify?
- /compare/coolify-vs-dokploy. That is git-push PaaS, not the proxy itself.
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