No compose file
The image, its ports and its restart policy are set. You never write a compose.yml.
Caddy 2.11.7 Content
Free credit available Limited time
Caddy static site Your files online with compression and HTTPS, without writing aย Caddyfile.
Selfhost.dev offers one-click Caddy static site hosting on a dedicated server we provision, secure and run, with gzip compression and HTTPS set before your first file arrives. You copy the files in over SSH; the Caddyfile is already written.
No apt repository, no Caddyfile and no login to guard.
Caddyone-click template ready
- web serverCaddy 2.11.7
- servesyour static files
- compressiongzip, on
- HTTPSgenerated address
- publishover SSH, your key
European 4 GB server$0.02/hr
In one line
What is a Caddy static site on Selfhost.dev?
What it is
Caddy is an open source web server written in Go, known for HTTPS by default and a short config file. Here it serves a static site, with that config written for you.
Where to start. Open the console with Caddy selected
Who it is for
Anyone with a finished site, from a landing page to a static site generator's output, who wants Caddy serving it from their own server.
When to use it
When you want the site live without installing Caddy or writing a Caddyfile. For an app or API, deploy from GitHub instead.
Server
A Caddy static site without the install
Caddy's static files quick-start begins with five install commands, a site folder, a Caddyfile and a reload. Here Caddy is already serving a welcome page on HTTPS when the deploy finishes.
The stack, end to end
Callers
Visitors
Edge
HTTPS, gzip
Your project server
Container
Caddy
Config
Managed Caddyfile
Your files
Content folder
To publish
Your SSH key
| A Caddy static site by hand | A Caddy static site on Selfhost.dev |
|---|---|
| Add Caddy's apt repository and install it | Caddy running, with a welcome page to replace |
| Make a site folder the caddy user can read | A content folder, shown in Overview |
| Write a Caddyfile with root, file_server and encode gzip | The Caddyfile written for you, gzip on |
| Point a domain at the server for a certificate | HTTPS on a generated address, your domain in Settings |
The Caddyfile is ours to keep; the content folder is yours to fill. Deploy the stack
Docker
Caddy Docker, with nothing for you to persist
Caddy Docker guides publish ports 80 and 443, mount a Caddyfile and warn you to keep the /data volume so a restart does not lose your certificates. Here the container runs for you and HTTPS comes with its address.
No certificate volume
The platform's proxy holds the certificate, not Caddy, so there is no /data volume for you to keep. HTTPS covers the generated address and the domain you attach.
No reload to run
The Caddyfile is managed, so you never run caddy reload. You only copy files.
What you need
Caddy static site requirements
A Caddy static site asks for little: the smallest server we offer (4 GB, x86 or ARM), your built files and a project SSH key. A domain is optional.
What it needs
- Server
- 4 GB, the smallest server we offer; x86 or ARM
- Your site
- Built files: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and images
- Access
- A project SSH key, added in the console
- Domain
- Optional; the generated HTTPS address works first
Server size: 4 GB, enough for Caddy. Deploy on a 4 GB server
Quickstart
Caddy deployment in 3 steps
Launch, copy, attach a domain.
-
Launch the template
Open the Caddy template from the console and choose a 4 GB server. The template deploys in about ten minutes, with a welcome page in place.
-
Copy your site in
Add a project SSH key, then copy your built files into the content folder shown in Overview. Caddy serves them compressed.
-
Attach a domain
Add your own domain in Settings whenever you like. Until then, share the generated HTTPS address.
Deploy CaddyStep 1 starts in the console.
Launch Caddy Billing
Caddy static site cost
A Caddy static site here costs one server, billed by the hour from prepaid credits: $0.02/hr for a European 4 GB server, about $15 to $16 a month. Traffic is included.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| The Caddy template | $0 |
| Gzip compression | $0, part of the template |
| Bandwidth to your visitors | $0, included in the server price |
| Optional daily backups | +20% of the server price |
| Server | RAM, cores, disk | Where | Rate | About a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
cx23 (recommended) | 4 GB, 2 cores, 40 GB | Europe | $0.02/hr | $15.18 |
cax11 (ARM) | 4 GB, 2 cores, 40 GB | Europe | $0.02/hr | $16.35 |
cpx21 | 4 GB, 3 cores, 80 GB | US | $0.12/hr | $87.75 |
cpx22 | 4 GB, 2 cores, 80 GB | Singapore | $0.10/hr | $72.56 |
cx33 (more room) | 8 GB, 4 cores, 80 GB | Europe | $0.03/hr | $23.36 |
Monthly figures assume 730 hours. The US and Singapore servers need a first top-up.
If your balance reaches zero
With a card on file or a past top-up, your Caddy site runs for 5 more days after your balance reaches zero, then stops. Top up within 24 hours to restart it; after that it is deleted, with a 14-day copy you can restore. Welcome-credit-only servers are deleted at zero.
Price an 8 GB server for a site with an app beside it in the calculator, no signup.
Caddyfile
Caddyfile for a static site, already written
On this template the platform writes and keeps the Caddyfile, set up for one job: serving your content folder, compressed, on HTTPS.
Files, served compressed
Gzip is part of the managed Caddyfile, so your pages leave the server compressed without an encode line from you.
Not a reverse proxy
The Caddyfile serves files only. To run an app or API, deploy it from GitHub into the same project, on the same server.
Nothing to keep in sync
No config file of yours to version or reload. Your site changes when the files you copy in do.
Status
Five checks on every Caddy site
- Every service is health-checked every 60 seconds.
- A failed deploy leaves your files alone. Automatic retry is off for Caddy, so you review the service first.
- Gzip is set before your files arrive. It is part of the Caddyfile we manage, not a setting you add.
- No login to break into. The site has no admin panel, so visitors only ever reach your files.
- Publishing needs your key. Only project SSH keys you add can copy files in.
~10 min to deploy
The console estimates about ten minutes for the Caddy template after the server is ready; first-time server provisioning adds time.
Notes
Caddy static site limitations
- Files only, no proxy. No server code runs and custom Caddy rules are not part of this template. Deploy an app from GitHub into the same project instead.
- No browser uploader. Files go in over SSH. Keep a copy in Git or on your machine, because a recreated service starts from a new content folder with only the welcome page.
- No custom ports. Caddy answers on its HTTPS address and the domain you attach. The template takes no port of your choosing.
Nothing here in your way? The template deploys in about ten minutes.
Launch Caddy Planning
A site and an app on one server?
Tell us what the site is and what runs beside it. We answer with the server we would choose and its monthly cost.
Help
Frequently asked questions
Can this Caddy work as a reverse proxy?
No. The platform manages this template's Caddyfile for serving static files, so reverse_proxy and other custom rules are not part of it. To run an app or API, deploy it from GitHub into the same project, where it shares the server with your site.
How do I upload files to Caddy?
Add a project SSH key in the console, then copy your built files into the content folder shown in Overview with scp, rsync or an SFTP client. There is no browser uploader, so copy changed files the same way whenever the site changes.
Does Caddy compress my files?
Yes. The Caddyfile we manage turns gzip on, so every compressible response (HTML, CSS and JavaScript included) reaches visitors compressed without a line of config from you. Guides add it with an encode gzip line after installing Caddy. Here it is in place before your first file arrives.
Should I pick Caddy or Nginx?
Both serve a static site here from a content folder you fill over SSH, on HTTPS, with no website login. The difference is compression: the Caddy template sends your files gzip compressed. If your team already runs Nginx elsewhere, the Nginx template works the same way.
Is Caddy free?
Yes. Caddy is open source under the Apache 2.0 license, so the web server costs nothing and the template adds no fee of its own. The only bill is the server it runs on, charged by the hour from prepaid credits; the cost table has the rates.
Can I use my own domain for Caddy?
Yes. The site first answers on a generated HTTPS address. Once it is running, open the service's Settings, enter a domain you own and create the DNS record the console gives you. When that record resolves, your site answers on your domain over HTTPS, with the certificate handled by the platform.
Your site, compressed and on HTTPS. Without a Caddyfile to write.
- Caddy serving your static site, gzip on
- HTTPS at once, your own domain when you want it
- A European 4 GB server, about $15 to $16 a month
About Selfhost.dev
Selfhost.dev is a managed self hosting platform for developers and small teams. Open source apps and databases on dedicated servers you control, billed by the hour, in six locations across three continents.
Best for: Static sites beside the apps behind them, the Nginx and WordPress templates and managed PostgreSQL, MySQL and Redis.