How to Install Caddy on OpenBSD

Caddy is a powerful and easy-to-use web server that provides HTTPS and other useful features. In this tutorial, you will learn how to install Caddy on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure that you have the following:

• A server running OpenBSD
• SSH access to the server with administrative privileges
• A domain name and DNS records pointing to the server's IP address (optional, but recommended)

Step 1: Update OpenBSD

The first step is to update your OpenBSD system to ensure that you have the latest security patches and updates. Open a terminal session and run the following commands:

$ sudo su
# pkg_add -u
# syspatch
# reboot

The first command switches to the root user, and the second command updates the package manager. The third command installs any available system patches, and the last command restarts the system.

Step 2: Install Caddy

Next, you need to download and install Caddy. Open a terminal session and run the following commands:

$ sudo su
# pkg_add caddy

The first command switches to the root user, and the second command installs Caddy using the OpenBSD package manager.

Step 3: Configure Caddy

By default, Caddy listens on port 80, which is the standard HTTP port. You can configure Caddy to listen on other ports or enable HTTPS by creating a Caddyfile.

Create a Caddyfile by running the following command:

$ sudo su
# touch /etc/caddy/Caddyfile
# chmod 644 /etc/caddy/Caddyfile
# vi /etc/caddy/Caddyfile

This creates an empty Caddyfile and opens it in the vi editor. Add the following content to the Caddyfile:

example.com {
    root * /var/www/example.com
    file_server
}

Replace example.com with your own domain name. This configuration tells Caddy to serve files from the /var/www/example.com directory and enable the file server plugin. You can add more directives to customize your Caddy server as needed.

Save the Caddyfile by pressing the Esc key followed by :wq.

Step 4: Start Caddy

Once you have configured the Caddyfile, you can start Caddy by running the following command:

$ sudo su
# caddy start

This starts Caddy as a daemon process. You can check the status of Caddy by running the following command:

# caddy status

This should display the current status of Caddy and any errors or warnings.

Step 5: Verify Caddy

To verify that Caddy is working correctly, open a web browser and visit http://example.com. Replace example.com with your own domain name. You should see the contents of the /var/www/example.com directory.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and configured Caddy on OpenBSD. You can now use Caddy to serve your websites and enjoy its many useful features.

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