Linux - Caddy: Advanced Configuration
Introduction
Caddy is a modern, flexible, and easy-to-use web server that comes with powerful features out of the box. In this guide, we’ll explore advanced configurations for Caddy, focusing on rate limiting and other essential features.
Install Caddy
Before diving into configurations, let’s ensure you have Caddy installed. You can follow the official installation instructions on the Caddy website.
Rate Limiting Configuration
Basic Rate Limiting
Caddy makes rate limiting easy with its intuitive syntax. To add a basic rate limit to your site, edit your Caddyfile:
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your_domain.com {
route / {
limit_req {
rate 2r/s
}
respond "Rate Limited" 429
}
# ... other configurations
}
This configuration limits requests to 2 requests per second and returns a 429 status when the limit is exceeded.
Customizing Rate Limiting
You can customize rate limiting based on specific paths or conditions. For example, limiting API requests:
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your_domain.com {
route /api* {
limit_req {
rate 10r/s
burst 20
}
respond "Rate Limited" 429
}
# ... other configurations
}
This limits requests to paths starting with /api to 10 requests per second with a burst of 20.
HTTPS and Automatic SSL
Caddy excels in providing easy SSL/TLS configuration:
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your_domain.com {
tls [email protected]
# ... other configurations
}
This enables HTTPS with automatic SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt.
Reverse Proxy
Caddy can act as a reverse proxy for your backend services:
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your_domain.com {
reverse_proxy localhost:8080
# ... other configurations
}
Replace localhost:8080 with your backend server’s address.
Gzip Compression
Improve website performance by enabling gzip compression:
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your_domain.com {
encode gzip
# ... other configurations
}
Caddy will automatically compress content for browsers that support it.
Error Handling
Customize error pages for a better user experience:
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your_domain.com {
handle_errors {
404 /errors/not_found.html
500 /errors/internal_server_error.html
}
# ... other configurations
}
Create the specified HTML error pages in a directory called errors.
Conclusion
Caddy simplifies complex web server configurations with its user-friendly syntax and powerful features. Experiment with the provided examples to tailor Caddy to your specific needs, whether it’s rate limiting, SSL, reverse proxy, or error handling.