head to head · open source
caddy vs proxy.py
caddy has 79,049 GitHub stars, 5,266 forks, 286 open issues and last shipped yesterday. proxy.py has 3,559 stars, 625 forks, 103 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. caddy leads on adoption by 2,121% (79,049 vs 3,559 stars). caddy is written in Go under Apache-2.0; proxy.py is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. caddy has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, proxy.py 18%. caddy was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (http-server), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | proxy.py | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 79K | ★ 3.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | Go | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-14 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.3K | ⑂ 625 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick caddy if
- You weight community size — 79K 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 proxy.py if
- You want the proxy.py feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and proxy.py fits your workflow better
About caddy
a project Every site on HTTPS Caddy is an extensible server platform that uses TLS by default. Releases · Documentation · Get Help Powered by Special thanks to: Warp, built for coding with multiple AI agents Available for MacOS, Linux, & Windows Menu Features Install Build from source For development With version information and/or plugins Quick start Overview Full documentation Getting help About Features Easy configuration with the Caddyfile Powerful configuration with its native JSON config Dynamic configuration with the JSON API Config adapters if you don't like JSON Automatic HTTPS by default ZeroSSL and…
read the full caddy overview →
About proxy.py
[//]: (DO NOT REMOVE docs badges START) Table of Contents Features Install Using PIP Stable version Development version Using Docker Stable version from Docker Hub Development Version from GHCR Build container locally Using HomeBrew Stable version Development version Start proxy.py From command line when installed using PIP Run it Understanding logs Enable DEBUG logging From command line using repo source Docker Image Customize Startup Flags Plugin Examples HTTP Proxy Plugins ShortLink Plugin Modify Post Data Plugin Mock Api Plugin Redirect To Custom Server Plugin Filter By Upstream Host Plugin Cache Responses…
read the full proxy.py 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 proxy.py more popular?
caddy has 79,049 GitHub stars and proxy.py has 3,559. caddy has the larger community by that measure.
Are caddy and proxy.py free?
Both are open source. caddy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and proxy.py under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between caddy and proxy.py?
caddy is written in Go and proxy.py in Python. 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 proxy.py?
Choose caddy if you want the larger community (79,049 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose proxy.py if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.