How to Run Caddy as a Web Server on Windows Server

To run Caddy on Windows Server, install its native Windows executable, point a Caddyfile at your website folder, and register Caddy as a Windows service. This setup serves static files and can obtain and renew HTTPS certificates automatically for a public domain. Docker is optional; the steps below do not require a container runtime.

The commands use C:\Caddy and a placeholder domain. Run PowerShell as an administrator when creating firewall rules or installing the service.

1. Download Caddy for Windows

Open the official Caddy download page and select the Windows build for your server’s architecture. If you use the GitHub release instead, choose the matching Windows asset. Extract or copy caddy.exe into C:\Caddy. The Caddy installation guide also describes static binaries and signature verification.

2. Create a website folder

In PowerShell, create a document root and a small test page. Replace this test file with your site’s files when you are ready:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force C:\Caddy\site | Out-Null
Set-Content -Path C:\Caddy\site\index.html -Value '<h1>Hello from Caddy</h1>' -Encoding utf8

3. Create a local Caddyfile

Open Notepad with notepad C:\Caddy\Caddyfile. If prompted to create a file, choose Yes. Enter this configuration, then save it as Caddyfile without a .txt extension:

:8080 {
    root * C:/Caddy/site
    file_server
}

The root directive sets the directory and file_server serves its files. The high local port makes it easy to test before switching to public HTTP and HTTPS ports. See the official root and file_server references.

4. Validate and test the site

In PowerShell, change to the Caddy folder, validate the configuration, and start Caddy in the foreground:

Set-Location C:\Caddy
.\caddy.exe validate --config .\Caddyfile
.\caddy.exe run --config .\Caddyfile

While that window stays open, browse to http://localhost:8080 on the server. You should see the test heading. This local check uses HTTP on purpose; stop the foreground process with Ctrl+C before changing the file for your public domain.

5. Configure your real domain

Edit C:\Caddy\Caddyfile and replace the test configuration with your own domain and document root:

www.example.com {
    root * C:/Caddy/site
    file_server
}

Replace www.example.com with a domain you control. With a hostname in the site address, Caddy can manage public TLS certificates and redirect HTTP to HTTPS. Automatic issuance requires the hostname to resolve to this server and the relevant challenge traffic to reach it. Review Caddy’s Automatic HTTPS requirements before going live.

6. Allow public web traffic

Create DNS A and, if your server supports IPv6, AAAA records that point your domain to the server’s public address. In an elevated PowerShell window, add an inbound Windows Firewall rule for TCP ports 80 and 443:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Caddy HTTP and HTTPS" -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80,443

Also allow those ports through any cloud firewall, router, or network security group in front of the server. Caddy uses port 80 for HTTP handling and common ACME validation, and port 443 for HTTPS. UDP 443 is optional for HTTP/3. Microsoft documents the New-NetFirewallRule cmdlet.

7. Run Caddy as a Windows service

Keep the domain configuration in place, then open an elevated PowerShell window. The official Caddy service guide supports sc.exe or WinSW. For a direct service, register the executable with the explicit configuration path and start it:

sc.exe create caddy start= auto binPath= '"C:\Caddy\caddy.exe" run --config C:\Caddy\Caddyfile'
sc.exe start caddy

Windows services run under a service account. Make sure that account can read the site and configuration files and can write to Caddy’s persistent data directory, which stores managed certificate material. Do not treat that directory as disposable; see Caddy’s directory conventions and Windows service instructions.

8. Verify HTTPS and troubleshoot

Check the service state with sc.exe query caddy, then open https://www.example.com using your actual hostname. If the site does not load, check the DNS records, the Windows and network firewalls, and whether another program already owns ports 80 or 443. You can inspect listeners with:

Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen -LocalPort 80,443

If Caddy reports a certificate or challenge error, confirm that public DNS points to this server and that inbound TCP 80 and 443 reach it. For configuration edits, validate the file again, then reload Caddy with C:\Caddy\caddy.exe reload --config C:\Caddy\Caddyfile. The Caddy getting-started guide and troubleshooting guide cover additional configurations and errors.