Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Caddy Webserver on Linux

Step 1: Prepare Your System for Installation

Ensure you have the necessary tools to import repository keys and information.

Step 2: Fetch the Repository Signing Key

Run the command to fetch Caddy’s repository signing key from the developer’s website.

Step 3: Save Caddy Repository File

Download the Caddy project’s repository file into your system’s “sources.list.d” directory.

Step 4: Reload APT Repositories

Reload your system’s apt repositories by executing the appropriate command.

Step 5: Install Caddy

Install Caddy on your system using apt install.

Step 6: Create Site Root Directory

Establish your website’s root folder in your home directory.

Step 7: Set Up Your HTML File

Use your preferred text editor to create an index.html file with a simple structure.

Step 8: Validate Server Functionality

Run the server command and verify functionality by accessing it through your web browser.

Step 9: Create a Caddyfile

Under “/etc/caddy”, create a new Caddyfile using a text editor to manage your website’s configuration.

Step 10: Copy Your Web Files

Transfer the index.html file you created into the “/var/www” directory.

Step 11: Update DNS Records

Ensure your DNS registrar has the root and www subdomains with proper A or AAAA records pointing to your server’s IP addresses.

Pro Tip: Regularly double-check your DNS configuration to avoid downtimes.

Step 12: Enable Caddy Service

Activate the built-in Caddy service to start serving your website.

Step 13: Verify Your Website Access

Check if your website is accessible by navigating to its domain in your browser.

Step 14: Modify Caddyfile for Reverse Proxy

Open your Caddyfile and insert the reverse proxy configuration to forward requests to an internal service.

Step 15: Replace Server Port

Adjust the “LOCAL-PORT” setting in your configuration to match the port of your web application.

Step 16: Reload Caddy Service

Save your Caddyfile modifications and reload the Caddy service to apply the changes.

Step 17: Test Your Reverse Proxy

Open a web browser and validate the reverse proxy functionality by accessing your domain.

Step 18: Utilize a Single Caddyfile

Create a unified Caddyfile to serve multiple websites and services under the same host.

Step 19: Access Caddy Downloads

Visit Caddy’s Download page to find your custom binary.

Step 20: Download the Appropriate Module

Select your DNS provider and download the Caddy binary with the necessary modules.

Step 21: Stop Caddy Service

Take down the Caddy service using systemctl.

Step 22: Update Caddy Binary

Backup and replace the original Caddy binary with your custom version in the directory “/usr/bin/”.

Step 23: Verify the Custom Caddy Installation

Check the version of your custom Caddy binary to ensure it works correctly.

Step 24: Update Caddyfile for Wildcard Configuration

Open and modify your Caddyfile to enable SSL for wildcard domains.

Step 25: Generate an API Key

Acquire an API key from your DNS provider, such as DigitalOcean, for SSL automation.

Step 26: Paste the API Key in the Caddyfile

Integrate your API secret into the “API-KEY” variable of your Caddyfile configuration.

Step 27: Save and Restart Caddy

Finalize changes, confirm domain records are set, and restart Caddy to apply your configuration.

Step 28: Check Multi-Service Functionality

Open your web browser and verify that both domains operate under SSL properly.

What makes Caddy different from Nginx and Apache?

Can I use Caddy to host multiple websites?

Is Caddy suitable for production use?