Alternatives to Apache HTTP Server

Automatic HTTPS:

• Automatic SSL certificate provisioning
• Let's Encrypt integration out of the box
• Automatic certificate renewal
• ACME protocol support for various CAs
• Custom certificate authority support
• Zero-configuration SSL for most use cases

Modern Protocol Support:

• Full HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 support
• HTTP/3 (QUIC) protocol implementation
• WebSocket proxying and handling
• gRPC service proxying
• Server-Sent Events (SSE) support
• Protocol upgrade handling

Powerful Reverse Proxy:

• Intelligent load balancing algorithms
• Active and passive health checks
• Circuit breaker pattern implementation
• Automatic retry with backoff
• Request routing and rewriting
• Upstream failover handling

Simple Configuration:

• Human-readable Caddyfile format
• JSON configuration support
• RESTful admin API
• Hot configuration reloading
• Zero-downtime configuration updates
• Environment variable integration

Performance Optimization:

• HTTP/2 server push capabilities
• Built-in compression (gzip, zstd, brotli)
• Efficient static file serving
• Automatic cache headers
• Connection pooling and reuse
• Memory-efficient request handling

Security Features:

• Security headers by default
• Rate limiting and throttling
• IP-based access control
• Basic and JWT authentication
• Authorization middleware
• Request sanitization

Plugin Ecosystem:

• Modular plugin architecture
• Community-contributed plugins
• Custom plugin development
• Runtime plugin loading
• Plugin marketplace
• Enterprise plugin support

High-Performance Architecture:

• Event-driven, asynchronous, non-blocking I/O model
• Excellent handling of concurrent connections
• Low memory footprint and CPU usage
• Efficient static file serving
• Optimized for high-traffic scenarios
• Superior performance under load

Comprehensive Web Server:

• Fast static content delivery
• Virtual hosting with flexible configuration
• SSL/TLS support with modern ciphers
• HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 support
• WebSocket proxying
• Directory indexing and autoindex

Advanced Reverse Proxy:

• Intelligent load balancing algorithms
• Active and passive health checks
• Session persistence and sticky sessions
• Upstream server management
• Automatic failover and recovery
• Request/response buffering

Caching & Performance:

• Built-in caching mechanisms
• Proxy caching and microcaching
• Content compression (gzip, brotli)
• Static file optimization
• Browser caching control
• CDN integration

Security Features:

• SSL/TLS termination and passthrough
• Rate limiting and request throttling
• IP-based access control
• Security header configuration
• DDoS protection capabilities
• Request filtering and validation

Modular Design:

• Lightweight core with optional modules
• Extensive module ecosystem
• Dynamic module loading
• Third-party module support
• Custom module development
• Flexible feature selection

Advanced Capabilities:

• URL rewriting and redirection
• Content-based routing
• Stream (TCP/UDP) proxying
• Mail proxy functionality
• Real-time streaming
• API gateway features

High Performance Architecture:

• Event-driven, single-threaded design
• Efficient memory usage and low overhead
• Optimized for high-concurrency scenarios
• Fast static file serving
• Minimal CPU and memory footprint
• Excellent scalability characteristics

Protocol Support:

• Full HTTP/1.1 compliance
• HTTP/2 support for modern performance
• SSL/TLS encryption with modern ciphers
• WebSocket proxying and handling
• IPv6 support for modern networks
• Keep-alive connection management

Content Management:

• Efficient static file serving
• Dynamic content via FastCGI, CGI, SCGI
• Virtual hosting with flexible configuration
• Directory indexing and browsing
• Content compression (gzip, brotli)
• MIME type detection and handling

Security Features:

• SSL/TLS certificate management
• Access control and authentication
• IP-based access restrictions
• Security header configuration
• Rate limiting and throttling
• Secure file permissions

Modular Design:

• Lightweight core with optional modules
• Dynamic module loading
• Extensive module library
• Custom module development support
• Plugin architecture
• Flexible feature selection

Advanced Features:

• URL rewriting and redirection
• Load balancing capabilities
• Reverse proxy functionality
• Cache control and optimization
• Server-side includes (SSI)
• Custom error pages

Administration & Monitoring:

• Flexible configuration system
• Comprehensive logging options
• Real-time status monitoring
• Graceful restart and reload
• Performance metrics
• Debug and troubleshooting tools