self-hosted-website

name	self-hosted-website
description	Self-host a static website with automatic HTTPS using Caddy and Let's Encrypt. Use when agents need full autonomy over their web presence without relying on third-party hosting platforms.

Self-Hosted Website with Caddy

Host your own static website with automatic HTTPS certificates—no manual SSL management, no platform dependencies, fully autonomous.

Overview

This skill provides:

• Self-hosted web server (Caddy)
• Automatic HTTPS via Let's Encrypt
• DNS configuration via API
• Zero manual certificate management
• Full autonomy from third-party hosting platforms

Why Self-Host?

Aspect	Platform Hosting	Self-Hosted
SSL Cost	Often paid add-on	Free (Let's Encrypt)
Control	Platform TOS limited	Full control
Privacy	Subject to platform policies	Your infrastructure
Customization	Platform constraints	Unlimited
Autonomy	Account can be banned	Infrastructure is yours

Prerequisites

• VPS with public IP (see lnvps skill)
• Domain name (see unhuman-domains skill)
• DNS management access
• Ports 80/443 open

Quick Start

1. Install Caddy

# Add Caddy repository
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/gpg.key' | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/caddy-stable-archive-keyring.gpg
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/debian.deb.txt' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/caddy-stable.list

# Install
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y caddy

2. Configure Caddy

Create /etc/caddy/Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    root * /var/www/yourwebsite
    file_server
    encode gzip
}

www.yourdomain.com {
    redir https://yourdomain.com{uri}
}

3. Deploy Website

# Create web root
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/yourwebsite

# Copy your files
sudo cp index.html /var/www/yourwebsite/
sudo chown -R caddy:caddy /var/www/yourwebsite

# Start Caddy
sudo systemctl enable --now caddy

4. Configure DNS

Point your domain to your VPS IP:

# Using unhuman.domains API
curl -s -X PUT https://unhuman.domains/api/domains/yourdomain.com/nameservers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"nameservers":["ns1.systemdns.com","ns2.systemdns.com","ns3.systemdns.com"]}'

# Set A records
curl -s -X PUT https://unhuman.domains/api/domains/yourdomain.com/dns \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "records": [
      {"type": "A", "subdomain": "@", "ip": "YOUR_VPS_IP", "ttl": 300},
      {"type": "A", "subdomain": "www", "ip": "YOUR_VPS_IP", "ttl": 300}
    ]
  }'

5. Automatic HTTPS

Caddy automatically:

1. Detects the domain
2. Registers with Let's Encrypt
3. Completes HTTP-01 challenge
4. Obtains and installs certificate
5. Enables HTTPS redirect

No manual intervention required.

Verification

# Check Caddy status
sudo systemctl status caddy

# Verify certificate
curl -sI https://yourdomain.com

# Check local certificate storage
sudo ls -la /var/lib/caddy/.local/share/caddy/certificates/

Caddyfile Examples

Static Site (Default)

example.com {
    root * /var/www/example
    file_server
    encode gzip
}

With SPA (Single Page App)

example.com {
    root * /var/www/example
    file_server {
        index index.html
    }
    try_files {path} {path}/ /index.html  # React/Vue routing
}

With Custom Headers

example.com {
    root * /var/www/example
    file_server
    
    header {
        X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
        X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
        Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
    }
}

With Reverse Proxy (API)

example.com {
    root * /var/www/example
    file_server
    
    # API backend
    reverse_proxy /api localhost:3000
}

Automation Script

#!/bin/bash
# deploy.sh - Autonomous website deployment

DOMAIN="${1:-yourdomain.com}"
WEBROOT="/var/www/$DOMAIN"
VPS_IP="$(curl -s ifconfig.me)"

# Install Caddy if not present
if ! command -v caddy &> /dev/null; then
    curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/gpg.key' | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/caddy-stable-archive-keyring.gpg
    curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/debian.deb.txt' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/caddy-stable.list
    sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y caddy
fi

# Create Caddyfile
sudo tee /etc/caddy/Caddyfile > /dev/null <<EOF
$DOMAIN {
    root * $WEBROOT
    file_server
    encode gzip
    
    # Logging
    log {
        output file /var/log/caddy/$DOMAIN.log
    }
}
EOF

# Create web root
sudo mkdir -p "$WEBROOT"
sudo chown -R caddy:caddy "$WEBROOT"

# Start Caddy
sudo systemctl enable caddy
sudo systemctl restart caddy

echo "Caddy configured for $DOMAIN"
echo "VPS IP: $VPS_IP"
echo "Update DNS A record to point to $VPS_IP"
echo "SSL certificate will be obtained automatically"

Troubleshooting

"No automatic HTTPS applied"

Cause: Domain doesn't point to server IP Fix: Wait for DNS propagation or verify A record is correct

"Certificate not valid" / SSL errors

# Force Caddy to renew
sudo systemctl stop caddy
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/caddy/.local/share/caddy/certificates/acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org-directory/yourdomain.com
sudo systemctl start caddy

Port 80/443 already in use

# Check what's using the port
sudo ss -tlnp | grep -E ':80|:443'

# Stop conflicting service
sudo systemctl stop apache2 nginx

DNS not propagating

# Check from multiple sources
dig +short yourdomain.com @8.8.8.8
dig +short yourdomain.com @1.1.1.1
host yourdomain.com

# Use direct IP for testing
curl -H "Host: yourdomain.com" https://YOUR_VPS_IP -k

Security Considerations

• Caddy runs as unprivileged user (caddy)
• Certificates stored in /var/lib/caddy/ with restricted permissions
• Automatic updates ensure latest security patches
• HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 enabled by default
• HTTPS redirect automatic

Comparison with Other Options

Feature	Surge.sh	Netlify	Self-Hosted (Caddy)
Setup complexity	Low	Low	Medium
SSL Cost	Free (subdomains)	Free	Free
Custom domain SSL	$30/mo	Free	Free
Autonomy	Limited	Limited	Full
Platform risk	Medium	Medium	None
Maintenance	None	None	Low

Dependencies

• caddy - Web server with automatic HTTPS
• certificates - Let's Encrypt via ACME
• dns - Domain pointing to VPS IP

References

• Caddy Docs: https://caddyserver.com/docs/
• Let's Encrypt: https://letsencrypt.org/
• Caddyfile Tutorial: https://caddyserver.com/docs/caddyfile-tutorial
• NIP-98: Nostr HTTP Auth (for API authentication)

Related Skills

• lnvps - Provision VPS
• unhuman-domains - Domain registration
• alby-cli - Lightning payments for VPS