Ssl

Traefik vs Caddy vs Nginx Proxy Manager: Reverse Proxy Showdown 2026 Every self-hoster hits the same wall: you’ve got a dozen services running on different ports, and you want clean URLs with HTTPS. You need a reverse proxy. The question is which one. Traefik, Caddy, and Nginx Proxy Manager are the three most popular choices in the self-hosting world. They all solve the same core problem — route app.yourdomain.com to the right container with automatic SSL — but they do it very differently. ...

Running Caddy Server: The Zero-Config HTTPS Reverse Proxy You’re running a dozen Docker containers. Each one listens on a different port. You’re tired of remembering 192.168.1.50:8096 for Jellyfin and :3000 for Gitea. You want jellyfin.yourdomain.com with HTTPS — and you don’t want to wrestle with Nginx config files or manually renew Let’s Encrypt certificates. Caddy does all of this automatically. Point a domain at it, tell it where your service lives, and it handles HTTPS certificates, renewal, and reverse proxying with almost zero configuration. ...

If you’re running multiple Docker services and juggling Nginx configs every time you add a container, Traefik will change your life. It watches Docker for new containers and automatically configures routing — no config file edits, no reloads, no downtime. What is Traefik? Traefik is a modern reverse proxy and load balancer designed for microservices and containers. Version 3 brought HTTP/3 support, WASM plugins, and a cleaner configuration model. It sits in front of all your services, handles SSL termination, and routes traffic based on Docker labels. ...

Running multiple self-hosted services on one server creates a problem: they all need different ports. Nextcloud on 8080, Jellyfin on 8096, Grafana on 3000 — and you’re expected to remember all of them. Worse, none of them have SSL unless you set it up manually. Nginx Proxy Manager (NPM) fixes this by giving you a clean web UI to manage reverse proxy hosts, automatically provision SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt, and control access — all without touching a single Nginx config file. ...

Sometimes you don’t need a full monitoring stack. You don’t need Prometheus, Grafana, or even Uptime Kuma. You just want to SSH into your server and see if everything’s okay in two seconds. That’s exactly what this script does. One file, zero dependencies, instant health report. What It Checks Check What You See 🖥 System Uptime and CPU load average 🧠 Memory Usage percentage with warnings 💾 Disk All mounted filesystems 🐳 Docker Every container — running or dead 🔌 Ports What’s listening and which process owns it 🔒 SSL Certificate expiry for your domains Everything is color-coded: green means good, yellow means warning, red means fix it now. ...

Choosing a reverse proxy is one of the first big decisions when self-hosting. It sits in front of all your services, handles SSL certificates, and routes traffic to the right container. Pick the wrong one and you’ll waste hours fighting configuration files. This guide compares the three most popular options — Nginx Proxy Manager, Caddy, and Traefik — from a beginner’s perspective. By the end, you’ll know exactly which one to start with. ...

SSL Certificates for Self-Hosted Services: Complete Guide to HTTPS Running self-hosted services over plain HTTP is risky. Passwords, session cookies, and personal data travel in cleartext, vulnerable to interception. HTTPS encrypts everything. With free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt, there’s no excuse to skip it. This guide covers three ways to get SSL certificates for your home server: Nginx Proxy Manager - Easiest, GUI-based Caddy - Automatic HTTPS, zero config Certbot - Manual, maximum control Why SSL Certificates Matter Without HTTPS Passwords visible - Anyone on your network sees login credentials Session hijacking - Attackers steal cookies, impersonate you MITM attacks - Traffic can be intercepted and modified Browser warnings - “Not Secure” labels scare users Modern features broken - Service workers, webcam access, etc. require HTTPS With HTTPS End-to-end encryption - Data scrambled between browser and server Authentication - Certificate proves you’re talking to the right server Trust indicators - Green padlock in browser Full feature support - PWAs, geolocation, notifications work Compliance - Required for many services (OAuth, payment processing) Prerequisites 1. Domain Name You need a domain pointing to your server. Let’s Encrypt validates domain ownership. ...