Caddy Reverse Proxy on Windows: A Comprehensive Guide

Caddy is a powerful, easy-to-use web server with automatic HTTPS, making it an excellent choice for a reverse proxy. This guide will walk you through setting up Caddy as a reverse proxy on Windows, including configuration examples and how to run it as a Windows service.

Table of Contents

1. Running Caddy Manually
2. Configuration Examples
   • Cloudflare Examples
   • DuckDNS Examples
   • WordPress Example
   • Multiple Subdomains
3. Running Caddy as a Windows Service
4. Conclusion

Running Caddy Manually

To run Caddy manually:

First Download Caddy

To run Caddy you need to create a file in the folder that you kept Caddy. Then you need to create a file named Caddyfile.

Run Caddy using the following command:

./caddy run --config Caddyfile

Open a command prompt and navigate to your Caddy directory:

cd C:\Tools\Caddy

Important: When running Caddy for the first time, you may see Windows security prompts. Make sure to accept both permissions.

Configuration Examples

Cloudflare Examples

Jellyfin

sub.domain.com {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8096
    tls {
        dns cloudflare cloudflare-api
    }
}

NextCloud

files.domain.com {
    header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=15552000; includeSubDomains; preload"
    redir /.well-known/carddav /remote.php/dav 301
    redir /.well-known/caldav /remote.php/dav 301
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:9111
        header_up X-Real-IP 127.0.0.1
        header_up X-Forward-For 127.0.0.1
    tls {
        dns cloudflare cloudflare-api
    }
}

JFA-Go

jellyfin.domain.com {
    reverse_proxy /Users/ForgotPassword 192.168.0.111:8096 {
        header_up X-Forwarded-For 192.168.0.111
    }
    reverse_proxy /Users/ForgotPassword/Pin 192.168.0.111:8096 {
        header_up X-Forwarded-For 192.168.0.111
    }
    reverse_proxy 192.168.0.111:8096
    tls {
        dns cloudflare test-api-key
    }
}
jfa-go.domain.com {
    reverse_proxy 192.168.0.111:8056
    tls {
        dns cloudflare test-api-key
    }
}

DuckDNS Examples

Jellyfin

subdomain.duckdns.org {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8096
    tls {
		dns duckdns duckdnstoken
	}
}

NextCloud

subdomain.duckdns.org {
    header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=15552000; includeSubDomains; preload"
    redir /.well-known/carddav /remote.php/dav 301
    redir /.well-known/caldav /remote.php/dav 301
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:9111
        header_up X-Real-IP 127.0.0.1
        header_up X-Forward-For 127.0.0.1
    tls {
		dns duckdns duckdnstoken
	}
}

JFA-Go

jellyfin.ducksdns.org {
    reverse_proxy /Users/ForgotPassword 192.168.0.111:8096 {
        header_up X-Forwarded-For 192.168.0.111
    }
    reverse_proxy /Users/ForgotPassword/Pin 192.168.0.111:8096 {
        header_up X-Forwarded-For 192.168.0.111
    }
    reverse_proxy 192.168.0.111:8096
    tls {
		dns duckdns duckdnstoken
	}
}
jfa-go.duckdns.org {
    reverse_proxy 192.168.0.111:8056
    tls {
		dns duckdns duckdnstoken
	}
}

WordPress Example

sub.yourdomain.com {
    root C:\directory\wheres-your-wordpress-root-is\yourdomain
    php_fastcgi 127.0.0.1:9000
    file_server
    encode gzip
}

Multiple Subdomains

Cloudflare

sub.domain.com {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8096
    tls {
        dns cloudflare cloudflare-api
    }
}
sub2.domain.com {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:5055
    tls {
        dns cloudflare cloudflare-api
    }
}

DuckDNS

subdomain.duckdns.org {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8096
}
subdomain2.duckdns.org {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:5055
}

Note: Save all these configurations as Caddyfile without any file extension.

Running Caddy as a Windows Service

We'll use NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager) to run Caddy as a Windows service.

1. Download NSSM
2. Add both Caddy and NSSM to your Windows environment variables.
3. Open an administrative PowerShell window.

1. In the NSSM GUI that appears, configure the following:

• Path: Your Caddy.exe location (e.g., C:\Tools\Caddy\caddy.exe)
• Startup Directory: Your root Caddy folder (e.g., C:\Tools\Caddy)
• Arguments: run --config Caddyfile

4. Click "Install Service"

Start the Caddy service:

nssm start Caddy

Register the Caddy service using NSSM:

nssm install Caddy

Additional NSSM commands:

• Check service status: nssm status Caddy
• Restart service: nssm restart Caddy
• Stop service: nssm stop Caddy

Conclusion

By following this guide, you should now have Caddy set up as a reverse proxy on your Windows system, either running manually or as a Windows service. Remember to adjust the configurations according to your specific needs and always keep your API keys and tokens secure.