Here are some alternative web servers:
| Feature | Apache2 | Caddy | NGINX | Lighttpd | HAProxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic HTTPS | ❌ No (requires manual setup) | ✅ Yes (built-in ACME) | ❌ No (requires manual setup) | ❌ No (requires manual setup) | ❌ No (requires manual setup) |
| Ease of Configuration | ⭐⭐ Moderate, complex XML-like | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Simple, human-readable | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate, block-based | ⭐⭐⭐ Relatively simple | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Moderately complex |
| Performance | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High |
| Resource Usage | ⭐⭐ High | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Low-Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Low | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Low | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Low |
| Static Content Delivery | ⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good |
| Reverse Proxy | ⭐⭐⭐ Good (with mod_proxy) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent |
| Load Balancing | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate (requires modules) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐ Limited | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent |
| HTTP/2 Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yes (with mod_http2) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Native | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Native | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yes | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yes |
| HTTP/3 Support | ❌ No native | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Native (QUIC) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Experimental (1.25.0+) | ⭐⭐⭐ Experimental | ⭐⭐⭐ Experimental |
| SSL/TLS Termination | ⭐⭐⭐ Manual setup | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Automated | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Manual setup | ⭐⭐⭐ Manual setup | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Manual setup |
| Modular Architecture | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High (modules) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High (plugins) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High (dynamic modules) | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High |
| Security Features | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Advanced (ECH, PQC) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong |
| Market Share (2025) | 26.4% (#2) | Growing | 33.8% (#1) | ~1% | N/A |
| .htaccess Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yes (per-directory) | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Use Case - Small Sites | ⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Perfect | ⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Perfect | ⭐⭐ Not ideal |
| Use Case - High Traffic | ⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent |
| Use Case - APIs | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent |
| Use Case - Reverse Proxy | ⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐⭐ Good | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent |
| Use Case - Legacy Apps | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐⭐ Not ideal |
| Development Language | C | Go | C | C | C |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause | BSD-2-Clause | GPL-2 |
| Community Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Extensive | ⭐⭐⭐ Growing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Extensive | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good |
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