Matt Holt, renowned figure in backend engineering and creator of Caddy, discusses the origins of Caddy, its advantages as a web server, configuration language, sponsorships, certification course creation, server-side telemetry and finding Caddy
Caddy simplifies infrastructure and reduces costs for companies by offering features like SSL termination and load balancing.
Caddy's sponsorship-based business model ensures its development and maintenance, with support from companies like Stripe and Mercedes-Benz.
Challenges in building Caddy include funding and community management, but the project is constantly improving and plans to enhance documentation and engage the community further.
Deep dives
Caddy simplifies infrastructure and reduces costs for companies
Caddy is a popular server and reverse proxy that offers a range of features, including SSL termination, load balancing, serving static files, and more. Many companies are switching to Caddy because it simplifies their infrastructure and reduces costs. With free TLS and the ability to handle custom domains, Caddy is a valuable tool for companies that need secure connections. The switch to Caddy is usually seamless and provides relief for companies looking to consolidate and simplify their infrastructure.
Caddy's business model relies on sponsorships
Caddy's business model centers around sponsorships from companies that use and support the project. Sponsorships allow the project to be maintained and developed full-time. Caddy has a strong community and is sponsored by companies such as Stripe, Mercedes-Benz, and Sourcegraph. The funds from sponsorships are used to cover development and support for the project, ensuring its continued success.
Challenges and plans for the future of Caddy
Building Caddy has come with its challenges, such as funding and community management. However, the project continues to evolve and improve. Plans for the future include revamping the documentation to be more detailed and useful, improving testing procedures, and addressing bugs and refactoring where needed. The Caddy team is committed to enhancing what they already have and ensuring that the project remains a reliable and valuable tool for companies and developers.
The unexpected challenges of building Caddy
Some unexpected challenges in building Caddy were not technical in nature, such as funding and community management. Finding the right balance and responding to community feedback can be a challenge for any open-source project.
The future of Caddy and the importance of community involvement
The future of Caddy looks promising, with plans for improvement and further community involvement. The Caddy community plays a significant role in the success of the project, and developers are encouraged to contribute through forums, pull requests, and helping answer questions. The Caddy team recognizes the value of community involvement and aims to spread out the workload while improving the project and documentation.
Lane chats with Matt Holt-- a renowned figure in backend engineering and the creator of Caddy, a leading platform for serving sites and apps written in Go. In this episode, they discuss the origins of Caddy, its unique features, and Matt's journey in Go programming and web development.
