> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/caddyserver/caddy/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Quickstart
> Get started with Caddy in minutes
Get Caddy up and running in minutes with this quick start guide. You'll learn how to serve static files and set up a reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS.
## Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have Caddy installed. See the [installation guide](/install) if you haven't installed Caddy yet.
Verify your installation:
```bash theme={null}
caddy version
```
## Serve a Static Site
Create an `index.html` file in a new directory:
```bash theme={null}
mkdir mysite
cd mysite
echo 'Hello from Caddy!
' > index.html
```
Run Caddy with the file server:
```bash theme={null}
caddy file-server
```
Your site is now available at `http://localhost:2015`
## Use a Caddyfile
For more control, create a `Caddyfile` in your site directory:
```caddyfile theme={null}
localhost
file_server
```
Then start Caddy:
```bash theme={null}
caddy run
```
Caddy automatically looks for a `Caddyfile` in the current directory when you run `caddy run` without specifying a config.
## Enable Automatic HTTPS
To enable automatic HTTPS for a real domain:
```caddyfile theme={null}
example.com
file_server
```
For automatic HTTPS to work:
* You must own the domain
* DNS must point to your server
* Ports 80 and 443 must be open
* Caddy must be publicly accessible
## Reverse Proxy
Here's how to proxy requests to a backend application:
```caddyfile theme={null}
localhost
reverse_proxy localhost:8080
```
This forwards all requests to your application running on port 8080.
### With Path-Based Routing
```caddyfile theme={null}
localhost
handle /api/* {
reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}
handle {
file_server
}
```
## Common Caddyfile Patterns
### Static Site with Compression
```caddyfile theme={null}
example.com
encode gzip
file_server
```
### SPA (Single Page Application)
```caddyfile theme={null}
example.com
root * /var/www/myapp
try_files {path} /index.html
file_server
```
### Reverse Proxy with Custom Headers
```caddyfile theme={null}
example.com
reverse_proxy localhost:3000 {
header_up X-Real-IP {remote_host}
}
```
### Multiple Sites
```caddyfile theme={null}
site1.com {
root * /var/www/site1
file_server
}
site2.com {
reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}
```
## Production Operations
Use `caddy start` to run in the background:
```bash theme={null}
caddy start
```
```bash theme={null}
caddy list-modules
```
After changing your Caddyfile:
```bash theme={null}
caddy reload
```
This performs a zero-downtime reload.
```bash theme={null}
caddy stop
```
## Using the Admin API
Caddy's admin API runs on `localhost:2019` by default.
### Get current config
```bash theme={null}
curl localhost:2019/config/
```
### Load a new config
```bash theme={null}
curl localhost:2019/load \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d @config.json
```
## Next Steps
Learn about Caddy's architecture and module system
Master the Caddyfile configuration format
Deep dive into reverse proxy configuration
Explore all Caddy commands