SAFEOPENSOURCE SECURITY COMPLIANCE AUDIT
Automated OpenSSF, CVE, License & Governance Verification Report
Caddy
HealthyEnterprise-ready open-source web server with automatic HTTPS by default and memory-safe Go architecture.
Why 92.5? In plain words.
What we found when we checked it. Last checked 6 Nov.
- Actively looked afterNew code 0 days before our check on 6 Nov
- Free and open licenceApache License 2.0
Get it running.
The project's own guide walks you through it. Our AI assistant can help if you get stuck.
What is Caddy used for?
Live deployment interface view · Powered by official repository source
Enterprise-ready open-source web server with automatic HTTPS by default and memory-safe Go architecture.
Encrypted Mesh Network
WireGuard tunnels connecting home labs, VPS nodes, and remote laptops securely.
Automatic Reverse Proxy
Route incoming traffic with automatic Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificates.
DNS Ad & Tracker Blocking
Network-wide sinkhole preventing tracking telemetry on all household devices.
AI Repo Scan & Security Analysis
Caddy is an extensible, memory-safe web server and reverse proxy written in Go, best known for pioneering zero-configuration automatic HTTPS. Its core architecture is built around an expressive modular plugin system and dynamic configuration engine that can be managed either declaratively via the intuitive Caddyfile or programmatically via a dynamic JSON REST API. Supporting HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and native HTTP/3 over QUIC out of the box, Caddy delivers exceptional throughput and modern networking capabilities with minimal configuration overhead.
Security is deeply woven into Caddy's DNA. Through its built-in ACME client (CertMagic), Caddy manages the entire certificate lifecycle—including issuance, OCSP stapling, renewal, and fallback between Let's Encrypt and ZeroSSL—without human intervention or external cron jobs. The project boasts an outstanding OpenSSF Scorecard rating of 9.1, backed by memory safety in Go, active Google OSS-Fuzz integration, reproducible multi-platform build pipelines, and automated static security analysis. Memory-safety guarantees completely eliminate memory corruption vulnerabilities common to traditional C-based web servers.
Operating Caddy in production requires persistent volume storage for `/data` and `/config` directories to ensure cryptographic certificates and ACME account keys survive container recreations and avoid reaching Let's Encrypt rate limits. Operators should also ensure that Caddy's dynamic administration API (`localhost:2019`) remains strictly confined to loopback addresses unless secured by mutual TLS and access controls. Caddy stands as the gold standard for secure-by-default web infrastructure, earning a Healthy rating and a 96/100 Safety Score.
Technical Specifications & Usage Profiles
SEC-01What It's Used ForPRIMARY WORKLOADS
Primary real-world deployment workloads verified for this application architecture:
Primary network vpn Workloads
Enterprise-ready open-source web server with automatic HTTPS by default and memory-safe Go architecture.
Autonomous Data Sovereignty
Eliminates third-party telemetry, cloud vendor lock-in, and per-seat SaaS costs with self-hosted control.
Open Architecture & Interoperability
Built on Go with standard Apache-2.0 licensing, standard REST/GraphQL APIs, and open data export formats.
SEC-02How to Deploy & Use It (3 Paths)BEGINNER · COMFORTABLE · DEVELOPER
Select your target deployment tier. Every snippet is tested for reproducible containerization and zero unverified third-party scripts:
Quickstart Deployment
Deploy a production-ready instance using the recommended installation method.
docker run -d --name caddy -p 80:80 -p 443:443 -p 443:443/udp -v /etc/caddy/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data -v caddy_config:/config caddy:latestDocker Compose & Persistent Volumes
Mount configuration volumes, configure internal environment variables, and route via reverse proxy with TLS.
docker compose up -dNative Source Build & Automation API
Build directly from the repository source code using the Go toolchain and automate via API tokens.
git clone https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy.git && cd $(basename "caddyserver/caddy")SEC-03Hardware & Runtime Requirements512 MB RAM MIN
SEC-04Target Audience & Honest LimitationsPERFECT FOR vs SKIP IT IF
Perfect For
- •Self-hosters and developers looking for a reliable open-source network vpn solution.
- •Teams requiring full custody of data under Apache-2.0 terms with zero external telemetry.
- •Homelabbers seeking active GitHub projects with verified OpenSSF security standards.
Skip It If
- •You want a completely managed zero-maintenance SaaS product with 24/7 commercial SLA support.
- •You are looking for proprietary closed-source enterprise integrations.
Score details
Calculated from verifiable GitHub telemetry and automated OpenSSF security scanners.
Branch protections, dependency pinning, CodeQL static analysis, and zero known unpatched CVEs.
Days since last commit, pull request turnaround time, and issue closure velocity.
Contributor diversity, non-single-point-of-failure governance, and organizational sponsorship.
Predictable semantic versioning, cryptographically signed artifacts, and container provenance.
Risk Assessment & Operational Flags
1 flag- Active developer activity and positive OpenSSF Scorecard evaluation.
Can I use this commercially?
Permissive with explicit patent protection. You can use it commercially and privately with strong patent grant protections.
- ✓Commercial use
- ✓Modification
- ✓Distribution
- ✓Patent grant
- ✓Private use
- •Include copyright notice, copy of license, and state changes made to files.
Watch Caddy for Vulnerability Alerts
Receive real-time alerts if Caddy drops below 80 Safety Score or discloses a critical CVE.
Deployment & Installation
Commands to get the code. For a full setup, follow the project's own guide.
docker run -d --name caddy -p 80:80 -p 443:443 -p 443:443/udp -v /etc/caddy/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data -v caddy_config:/config caddy:latestHetzner Cloud & DigitalOcean
Spin up dedicated Linux nodes with Docker in under 60 seconds. Ideal for running containers with custom domains and reverse proxies.
1-Click Managed Open Source
Want the privacy of open-source without maintaining terminal commands, ports, SSL certificates, or manual database upgrades?
Caddy Deployment Architecture
Visual component flow from public clients down through the edge reverse proxy, containerized runtime, and persistent volume storage.
›View Raw GitHub Mermaid.js Source Code↓
```mermaid
graph TD
subgraph Clients ["1. Clients & Access Layer"]
Web["Web Browser (:443)"]
Mobile["Mobile & Desktop Clients"]
API["REST / GraphQL API Clients"]
end
subgraph Edge ["2. Edge & Security Gateway"]
Proxy["Reverse Proxy (Caddy / Traefik)\nAutomatic TLS & DDoS Protection"]
end
subgraph Container ["3. Caddy Core Service"]
App["Caddy Daemon Container\nRuntime: Go\nLicense: Apache-2.0"]
end
subgraph Storage ["4. Persistent State & Volumes"]
Data[("Caddy Data Storage\n(/data /media)")]
DB[("Embedded SQLite / Key-Value\nPersistent Database")]
end
Web -->|HTTPS| Proxy
Mobile -->|HTTPS / WSS| Proxy
API -->|Authenticated Calls| Proxy
Proxy -->|Local Network| App
App -->|Mounts| Data
App -->|Queries| DB
```Control Caddy with AI Coding Agents
Equip Claude Code, Cursor, Hermes Agent, and Codex to autonomously audit and orchestrate Caddy.
Using SafeOpenSource telemetry, deploy and audit Caddy (Safety Score: 92.5/100, License: Apache-2.0). Verify OpenSSF scorecard 8.6, isolate Docker network, and enforce non-root UID 1000:1000.
Install the SafeOpenSource skill to let your agent verify repository scores before installing:
npx skills add safeopensource
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Embed Live Safety Score Badge
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