⚠️ H2O Version Policy
H2O no longer uses version tagging since January 2020. The master branch is considered stable. Debian packages have unpatched CVEs.
| Web Server | HTTP/3 | Version Policy | Active | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H2O | ✅ Yes | Master branch (no tags) | ✅ Yes | HTTP/3, low CPU |
| Nginx | ⚠️ Module | Versioned releases | ✅ Yes | Reverse proxy, performance |
| Caddy | ✅ Yes | Versioned releases | ✅ Yes | Easy setup, auto HTTPS |
| Apache | ❌ No | Versioned releases | ✅ Yes | .htaccess, modules |
| HAProxy | ✅ Yes | Versioned releases | ✅ Yes | Load balancing |
| OpenLiteSpeed | ✅ Yes | Versioned releases | ✅ Yes | PHP performance |
| Lighttpd | ❌ No | Versioned releases | ✅ Yes | Low memory |
| uWSGI | ❌ No | Versioned releases | ✅ Yes | Python apps |
Best for: High-performance web serving, reverse proxy, load balancing
| Feature | Nginx | H2O |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP/3 | Module (nginx-quic) | Native |
| Version Policy | Stable releases | Master branch |
| Performance | Excellent | Excellent |
| Configuration | nginx.conf (custom) | YAML |
| Community | Very large | Moderate |
| Documentation | Extensive | Limited |
👉 See Nginx documentation
Best for: Easy setup, automatic HTTPS, modern deployments
| Feature | Caddy | H2O |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP/3 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Version Policy | Versioned releases | Master branch |
| Auto HTTPS | ✅ Yes | ❌ Manual |
| Configuration | Caddyfile (simple) | YAML |
| Language | Go | C |
| Community | Growing | Moderate |
👉 See Caddy documentation
Best for: .htaccess support, module ecosystem, shared hosting
| Feature | Apache | H2O |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP/3 | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Version Policy | Versioned releases | Master branch |
| .htaccess | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Modules | Extensive | Limited |
| Architecture | Process-based | Event-driven |
👉 See Apache documentation
Best for: Load balancing, TCP/HTTP proxy
👉 See HAProxy documentation
Best for: PHP applications, WordPress
👉 See OpenLiteSpeed documentation
Best for: Low-memory environments, simple deployments
👉 See Lighttpd documentation
Best for: Python application serving
👉 See uWSGI documentation
✅ HTTP/3 (QUIC) Required - H2O has mature QUIC implementation
✅ Low CPU Budget - Optimized for minimal CPU usage
✅ Embedded Scenarios - libh2o for embedding in applications
✅ Research/Education - Clean C codebase, protocol research
✅ Early Adopter - Want cutting-edge HTTP features
❌ Need Stable Versioning - Use Nginx, Caddy, Apache (versioned releases)
❌ Need Package Support - Use Nginx, Caddy (available in all repos)
❌ Need .htaccess - Use Apache
❌ Need Extensive Documentation - Use Nginx, Apache
❌ Need Official Docker Image - Use Nginx, Caddy, Apache
❌ PHP Hosting - Use OpenLiteSpeed, Nginx + PHP-FPM
If you’re migrating from H2O to another server:
| H2O Feature | Nginx Equivalent | Caddy Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| YAML config | nginx.conf | Caddyfile |
file.dir |
root |
root |
proxy.reverse.url |
proxy_pass |
reverse_proxy |
header.add |
add_header |
header |
| HTTP/3 | Module required | Built-in |
| Mruby | Lua (OpenResty) | Caddy modules |
Document current H2O configuration
Choose alternative
Test in staging
Migrate DNS
Monitor and validate
| Factor | H2O | Modern Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Version Tagging | ❌ No (since 2020) | ✅ Yes (all listed) |
| Package Availability | ⚠️ Removed from Debian | ✅ In all major repos |
| Official Docker | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (Nginx, Caddy, Apache) |
| Documentation | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Extensive |
| Community Support | ⚠️ Moderate | ✅ Large communities |
| HTTP/3 | ✅ Native | ✅ Caddy, HAProxy, OLS |
| Security Patches | ✅ Fast (source) | ✅ Fast (all listed) |
Any questions?
Feel free to contact us. Find all contact information on our contact page.