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Athreya aka Maneshwar
Athreya aka Maneshwar

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Serve Static Files with Caddy: Minimal Setup Guide

#webdev #programming #devops #beginners

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Caddy is a lightweight, modern webserver wi
th automatic HTTPS, easy config, and a powerful plugin ecosystem. Here's how to quickly serve static files with it.

1. Install Caddy

On Debian/Ubuntu: 

sudo apt install -y debian-keyring debian-archive-keyring apt-transport-https
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/gpg.key' | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/caddy-stable-archive-keyring.gpg
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/debian.deb.txt' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/caddy-stable.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install caddy
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2. Create Your Static Site Directory 

mkdir -p /var/www/mysite
cd /var/www/mysite
echo "Hello from Caddy!" > index.html
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You can place any static files here (HTML, CSS, JS, images, etc.).

3. Write the Caddyfile

Create a file named Caddyfile (default location: /etc/caddy/Caddyfile)

:80 {
    root * /var/www/mysite
    file_server
}
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Explanation:

  • :80 → Serve on HTTP port 80 (use yourdomain.com for HTTPS).
  • root * /var/www/mysite → Set the root directory.
  • file_server → Enable static file serving.

4. Reload Caddy

After saving the Caddyfile:

sudo systemctl reload caddy
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Or if running manually:

caddy run --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile
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5. Test It

Visit:

http://localhost/
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You should see: Hello from Caddy!

Bonus: Enable HTTPS with a Domain

Update your Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    root * /var/www/mysite
    file_server
}
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Caddy will automatically fetch and renew the SSL cert via Let's Encrypt.

Make sure port 80 and 443 are open, and DNS is correctly set.

Optional: Directory Browsing 

:80 {
    root * /var/www/mysite
    file_server browse
}
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Permissions

Make sure the Caddy user can read the static files:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/mysite
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Run Caddy Without Systemd (Manual Dev Mode) 

caddy file-server --root /var/www/mysite --listen :8080
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That's it. Static hosting done right with minimal config.
Use it to serve SPAI’ve been building FreeDevTools. A collection of UI/UX-focused tools crafted to simplify workflows, save time, and reduce friction in searching tools/materials.

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