head to head · open source
caddy vs dns-proxy-server
caddy has 76,688 GitHub stars, 5,050 forks, 286 open issues and last shipped today. dns-proxy-server has 854 stars, 81 forks, 8 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. caddy leads on adoption by 8,880% (76,688 vs 854 stars). caddy is written in Go under Apache-2.0; dns-proxy-server is written in Java under Apache-2.0. caddy has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, dns-proxy-server 9%. caddy was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| caddy | dns-proxy-server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 77K | ★ 854 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Java |
| Last push | 2026-10-05 | 2026-04-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.0K | ⑂ 81 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick caddy if
- You weight community size — 77K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick dns-proxy-server if
- You want the dns-proxy-server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and dns-proxy-server fits your workflow better
About caddy
Caddy is a Go based, Apache 2.0 licensed HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 web server and reverse proxy that obtains and renews TLS certificates automatically by default, built for operators and teams who want every site on HTTPS without maintaining a separate certificate workflow.
read the full caddy overview →
About dns-proxy-server
dns proxy server (DPS) is a lightweight DNS server for developers and server administrators who need hostnames to resolve differently depending on Docker containers, local configuration, or the internet.
read the full dns-proxy-server overview →
More in Infrastructure & Operations
Related comparisons
More Networking & Connectivity projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Networking & Connectivity field.
Frequently asked questions
Is caddy or dns-proxy-server more popular?
caddy has 76,688 GitHub stars and dns-proxy-server has 854. caddy has the larger community by that measure.
Are caddy and dns-proxy-server free?
Both are open source. caddy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and dns-proxy-server under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between caddy and dns-proxy-server?
caddy is written in Go and dns-proxy-server in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, caddy or dns-proxy-server?
Choose caddy if you want the larger community (76,688 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose dns-proxy-server if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.