---
publish: true
permalink: /sh/garden/caddy
title: Caddy
created: 2026-02-05T09:58:59.617-07:00
modified: 2026-02-05T12:21:13.914-07:00
tags:
  - self_hosting
  - web_server
cssclasses: ""
---

Caddy is a powerful web server with automatic HTTPS. I use it to serve my [[20-29 HOBBYS/22 SELF HOSTING/22.11 DIGITAL GARDEN/Quartz]] digital garden.

## Installation

**Arch Linux:**
```bash
sudo pacman -S caddy
```

**Docker:**
```bash
docker pull caddy:latest
```

**Binary:**
Download from https://caddyserver.com/download

## Basic Configuration

Caddyfile location: `/etc/caddy/Caddyfile`

### Serve Static Files

```caddyfile
garden.example.com {
    root * /var/www/garden/public
    file_server
    
    # Handle SPA routing (if using Quartz SPA mode)
    try_files {path} {path}/ /index.html
    
    # Compression
    encode gzip zstd
}
```

### With Reverse Proxy

If running Quartz dev server:
```caddyfile
garden.example.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}
```

## Automatic HTTPS

Caddy automatically provisions TLS certificates via Let's Encrypt. Just use a domain name and Caddy handles the rest.

Requirements:
- Domain DNS points to your server
- Ports 80 and 443 accessible
- Caddy can bind to those ports

## Running Caddy

### systemd

```bash
sudo systemctl enable --now caddy
```

### Manual

```bash
caddy run --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile
```

### Reload config

```bash
sudo systemctl reload caddy
# or
caddy reload --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile
```

## Digital Garden Setup

My Caddyfile for serving Quartz:

```caddyfile
garden.example.com {
    root * /var/www/garden/public
    file_server
    
    # Quartz SPA routing
    try_files {path} {path}.html {path}/ /index.html
    
    # Compression for faster loads
    encode gzip zstd
    
    # Cache static assets
    @static {
        path *.css *.js *.woff2 *.png *.jpg *.svg
    }
    header @static Cache-Control "public, max-age=31536000"
    
    # Security headers
    header {
        X-Content-Type-Options nosniff
        X-Frame-Options DENY
        Referrer-Policy strict-origin-when-cross-origin
    }
}
```

## Deployment Workflow

1. Build Quartz: `npx quartz build`
2. Copy to server: `rsync -avz public/ server:/var/www/garden/public/`
3. Caddy automatically serves the new files

Or use a CI/CD pipeline to automate.

## Multiple Sites

```caddyfile
garden.example.com {
    root * /var/www/garden/public
    file_server
}

blog.example.com {
    root * /var/www/blog
    file_server
}

api.example.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}
```

## Resources

- Docs: https://caddyserver.com/docs/
- Caddyfile: https://caddyserver.com/docs/caddyfile