How to Install Caddy Webserver on FreeBSD 14.0

Introduction

Caddy is an open-source modern web server application that enables the delivery of static sites, services or web applications with automatic SSL termination. Caddy can function as a web server, load balancer, or reverse proxy to deliver web applications or services using site blocks. A Caddyfile configuration contains directives with specific site blocks that use ports, IP addresses, or domains.

This article explains how to install the Caddy web server on FreeBSD 14.0 and create virtual hosts using site blocks to securely deliver web applications.

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

• Deploy a FreeBSD 14.0 instance on Vultr.
• Create a domain A record pointing to the instance's IP address. For example, app.example.com.
• Access the server using SSH.
• Create a non-root user with sudo privileges and switch to the user.

Install Caddy

Caddy is available in the default FreeBSD 14.0 package repositories with the latest version information. You can also install a specific version using the FreeBSD ports collection or build and compile the application's source code. Follow the steps below to install Caddy using the default pkg package manager on your server.

1. Update the server's package index.

   console Copy

   $ sudo pkg update
   

   Explain Code

2. Install Caddy.

   console Copy

   $ sudo pkg install -y caddy
   

   Explain Code

3. View the installed Caddy version on your server.

   console Copy

   $ caddy -v
   

   Explain Code

   Your output should be similar to the one below:

   v2.7.6

Manage the Caddy System Service

The Caddy system service does not automatically start on your FreeBSD server after installation. Follow the steps below to enable Caddy to start at system boot and manage the web server processes.

1. Enable the Caddy service to automatically start at system boot.

   console Copy

   $ sudo service caddy enable
   

   Explain Code

2. Start the Caddy service.

   console Copy

   $ sudo service caddy start
   

   Explain Code

3. View the Caddy service status to verify that the application is running.

   console Copy

   $ sudo service caddy status
   

   Explain Code

   Output:

   caddy is running as pid 1476.

4. Stop the Caddy service.

   console Copy

   $ sudo service caddy stop
   

   Explain Code

5. Restart the Caddy service.

   console Copy

   $ sudo service caddy restart
   

   Explain Code

Create a new Caddy Virtual Host

Caddy uses a Caddyfile configuration to store virtual hosts as site blocks on your server. The default /usr/local/etc/caddy/Caddyfile configuration contains virtual host directives that serve web applications using the default web root directory /usr/local/www/Caddy. Follow the steps below to create a new Caddy virtual host to deliver web application files on your server.

1. Back up the default Caddyfile configuration on your server.

   console Copy

   $ sudo mv /usr/local/etc/caddy/Caddyfile /usr/local/etc/caddy/Caddyfile.ORIG
   

   Explain Code

2. Create a new Caddyfile configuration using a text editor such as vi.

   console Copy

   $ sudo vi /usr/local/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
   

   Explain Code

3. Add the following configurations to the file. Replace app.example.com with your actual domain.

   ini Copy

   app.example.com {
       root * /usr/local/www/app.example.com
       file_server 
   }
   

   Explain Code

   Save and close the file.

   The above Caddy site block configuration creates a new virtual host that listens for connection requests using your domain app.example.com to deliver web application files from the /usr/local/www/app.example.com directory. Within the configuration:

   • app.example.com: Creates a new site block using your virtual host domain app.example.com.
   • root: Sets the web root directory to deliver web application files.
   • file_server: Enables the built-in file server to deliver static files from the web root directory.

4. Validate the Caddy configuration to test for syntax errors.

   console Copy

   $ sudo caddy validate --config /usr/local/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
   

   Explain Code

   Your output should be similar to the one below when successful:

   .....
   2024/06/30 13:25:01.292 INFO    tls.cache.maintenance   started background certificate maintenance      {"cache": "0x1dc0003b0000"}
   2024/06/30 13:25:01.293 INFO    tls.cache.maintenance   stopped background certificate maintenance      {"cache": "0x1dc0003b0000"}
   Valid configuration

5. Create the virtual host's web root directory /usr/local/www/app.example.com to store your web application files.

   console Copy

   $ sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/www/app.example.com
   

   Explain Code

6. Create a new sample HTML application file index.html.

   console Copy

   $ sudo vi /usr/local/www/app.example.com/index.html
   

   Explain Code

7. Add the following contents to the file.

   html Copy

   <html>
       <head><title>Greetings from Vultr</title></head>
   <body>    
   <h1 style="margin: 100px auto; text-align: center">
       Hello World! Greetings from Vultr
   </h1>
   </body>
   </html>
   

   Explain Code

   Save and close the file.

   The above HTML application displays a Greetings from Vultr message when accessed in a web browser.

8. Reload the Caddy service to apply your configuration changes.

   console Copy

   $ sudo service caddy reload
   

   Explain Code

9. Access your domain using a web browser such as Chrome and verify that your HTML application displays.

   https://app.example.com

   

Secure the Caddy Web Server

Caddy automatically enables HTTPS using trusted Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for all valid domain site blocks in your Caddyfile configuration. Follow the steps below to use the FreeBSD ipfw firewall utility to enable connections to the Caddy HTTP port 80, and HTTPS port 443 on your server.

1. Enable the ipfw firewall service to automatically start at system boot.

   console Copy

   $ sudo sysrc firewall_enable="YES"
   

   Explain Code

   Output:

   firewall_enable: NO -> YES

2. Set the ipfw firewall debug messages mode to quiet.

   console Copy

   $ sudo sysrc firewall_quiet="YES"
   

   Explain Code

   Output:

   firewall_quiet: NO -> YES

3. Set the firewall mode to workstation to use stateful rules.

   console Copy

   $ sudo sysrc firewall_type="workstation"
   

   Explain Code

   Output:

   firewall_type: UNKNOWN -> workstation

4. Allow connections to the SSH, HTTP, and HTTPS ports through the firewall configuration.

   console Copy

   $ sudo sysrc firewall_myservices="ssh/tcp http/tcp https/tcp"
   

   Explain Code

   Output:

   firewall_myservices:  -> ssh/tcp http/tcp https/tcp

5. Allow connection requests from any IP address.

   console Copy

   $ sudo sysrc firewall_allowservices="any"
   

   Explain Code

   Output

   firewall_allowservices:  -> any

6. Start the ipfw firewall service.

   console Copy

   $ sudo service ipfw start
   

   Explain Code

   Output:

   SSH, HTTP, and HTTPS ports.

Conclusion

You have installed the Caddy web server on FreeBSD 14.0 and created a virtual host to deliver web applications on your server. Caddy automatically enables automatic HTTPS connections using valid SSL certificates that auto-renew every 90 days. You can host multiple web applications, set up a reverse proxy, or load balance between multiple applications using Caddy on your server. For more information and configuration options, visit the Caddy documentation.