Configure Zitadel with Caddy

With these examples, you create and run a minimal Caddy configuration for Zitadel with Docker Compose. Whereas the guide focuses on the configuration for Caddy, you can inspect the configurations for the Zitadel API, the Zitadel login and the database in the base Docker Compose file.

base docker-compose.yaml

services:

  zitadel-disabled-tls:
    extends:
      service: zitadel-init
    command: 'start-from-setup --masterkey "MasterkeyNeedsToHave32Characters"'
    environment:
      ZITADEL_EXTERNALPORT: 80
      ZITADEL_EXTERNALSECURE: false
      ZITADEL_TLS_ENABLED: false
    networks:
      - app
      - db
    depends_on:
      zitadel-init:
        condition: 'service_completed_successfully'
      db:
        condition: 'service_healthy'

  zitadel-external-tls:
    extends:
      service: zitadel-init
    command: 'start-from-setup --masterkey "MasterkeyNeedsToHave32Characters"'
    environment:
      ZITADEL_EXTERNALPORT: 443
      ZITADEL_EXTERNALSECURE: true
      ZITADEL_TLS_ENABLED: false
    networks:
      - app
      - db
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: 'service_healthy'
      zitadel-init:
        condition: 'service_completed_successfully'

  zitadel-enabled-tls:
    extends:
      service: zitadel-init
    command: 'start-from-setup --masterkey "MasterkeyNeedsToHave32Characters"'
    environment:
      ZITADEL_EXTERNALPORT: 443
      ZITADEL_EXTERNALSECURE: true
      ZITADEL_TLS_ENABLED: true
      ZITADEL_TLS_CERTPATH: /etc/certs/selfsigned.crt
      ZITADEL_TLS_KEYPATH: /etc/certs/selfsigned.key
    volumes:
      - ./selfsigned.crt:/etc/certs/selfsigned.crt
      - ./selfsigned.key:/etc/certs/selfsigned.key
    networks:
      - app
      - db
    depends_on:
      zitadel-init:
        condition: 'service_completed_successfully'
      db:
        condition: 'service_healthy'

  zitadel-init:
    image: '${ZITADEL_IMAGE:-ghcr.io/zitadel/zitadel:latest}'
    command: 'init'
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: 'service_healthy'
    environment:
      # Using an external domain other than localhost proofs, that the proxy configuration works.
      # If Zitadel can't resolve a requests original host to this domain,
      # it will return a 404 Instance not found error.
      ZITADEL_EXTERNALDOMAIN: 127.0.0.1.sslip.io
      # In case something doesn't work as expected,
      # it can be handy to be able to read the access logs.
      ZITADEL_LOGSTORE_ACCESS_STDOUT_ENABLED: true
      # For convenience, ZITADEL should not ask to change the initial admin users password.
      ZITADEL_FIRSTINSTANCE_ORG_HUMAN_PASSWORDCHANGEREQUIRED: false
      # database configuration
      ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_HOST: db
      ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_USER_PASSWORD: zitadel_pw
      # Set up a service account with IAM_LOGIN_CLIENT role and write the PAT to the file ./login-client.pat
      ZITADEL_FIRSTINSTANCE_LOGINCLIENTPATPATH: /current-dir/login-client.pat
      ZITADEL_FIRSTINSTANCE_ORG_LOGINCLIENT_MACHINE_USERNAME: login-client
      ZITADEL_FIRSTINSTANCE_ORG_LOGINCLIENT_MACHINE_NAME: Automatically Initialized IAM Login Client
      ZITADEL_FIRSTINSTANCE_ORG_LOGINCLIENT_PAT_EXPIRATIONDATE: '2029-01-01T00:00:00Z'
      # The master key is used to
    networks:
      - db
    healthcheck:
      test: [ "CMD", "/app/zitadel", "ready" ]
      interval: '10s'
      timeout: '5s'
      retries: 5
      start_period: '10s'
    volumes:
      - '.:/current-dir:rw'

  db:
    restart: 'always'
    image: postgres:17-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
    healthcheck:
      test: [ "CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready" ]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 60s
      retries: 10
      start_period: 5s
    networks:
      - db
    volumes:
      - 'data:/var/lib/postgresql/data:rw'

  login-disabled-tls:
    restart: 'unless-stopped'
    image: 'ghcr.io/zitadel/zitadel-login:latest'
    environment:
      - ZITADEL_API_URL=http://zitadel-disabled-tls:8080
      - NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_PATH=/ui/v2/login
      - ZITADEL_SERVICE_USER_TOKEN_FILE=/current-dir/login-client.pat
      - CUSTOM_REQUEST_HEADERS=Host:127.0.0.1.sslip.io
      - NODE_ENV=test
    volumes:
      - '.:/current-dir:ro'
    networks:
      - app      
    depends_on:
      zitadel-disabled-tls:
        condition: 'service_healthy'

  login-external-tls:
    restart: 'unless-stopped'
    image: 'ghcr.io/zitadel/zitadel-login:latest'
    environment:
      - ZITADEL_API_URL=http://zitadel-external-tls:8080
      - NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_PATH=/ui/v2/login
      - ZITADEL_SERVICE_USER_TOKEN_FILE=/current-dir/login-client.pat
      - CUSTOM_REQUEST_HEADERS=Host:127.0.0.1.sslip.io
    volumes:
      - '.:/current-dir:ro'
    networks:
      - app      
    depends_on:
      zitadel-external-tls:
        condition: 'service_healthy'

  login-enabled-tls:
    restart: 'unless-stopped'
    image: 'ghcr.io/zitadel/zitadel-login:latest'
    environment:
      - ZITADEL_API_URL=https://zitadel-enabled-tls:8080
      - NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_PATH=/ui/v2/login
      - ZITADEL_SERVICE_USER_TOKEN_FILE=/current-dir/login-client.pat
      - CUSTOM_REQUEST_HEADERS=Host:127.0.0.1.sslip.io
      - NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=0
    volumes:
      - '.:/current-dir:ro'
    networks:
      - app
    depends_on:
      zitadel-enabled-tls:
        condition: 'service_healthy'

networks:
  app:
  db:

volumes:
  data:

For running Caddy, you will extend the base Docker Compose file with the Caddy specific Docker Compose file.

specific docker-compose.yaml

services:

  proxy-disabled-tls:
    image: "caddy:latest"
    volumes:
      - "./disabled-tls.Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro"
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    networks:
      - app
    depends_on:
      zitadel-disabled-tls:
        condition: 'service_healthy'

  proxy-external-tls:
    image: "caddy:latest"
    volumes:
      - "./external-tls.Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro"
      - "./selfsigned.crt:/etc/certs/selfsigned.crt:ro"
      - "./selfsigned.key:/etc/certs/selfsigned.key:ro"
    ports:
      - "443:443"
    networks:
      - app
    depends_on:
      zitadel-external-tls:
        condition: 'service_healthy'

  proxy-enabled-tls:
    image: "caddy:latest"
    volumes:
      - "./enabled-tls.Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro"
      - "./selfsigned.crt:/etc/certs/selfsigned.crt:ro"
      - "./selfsigned.key:/etc/certs/selfsigned.key:ro"
    ports:
      - "443:443"
    networks:
      - app
    depends_on:
      zitadel-enabled-tls:
        condition: 'service_healthy'

You can either setup your environment for TLS mode external or TLS mode enabled.

TLS mode external

Caddy terminates TLS and forwards the requests to Zitadel via unencrypted h2c. This example uses an unsafe self-signed certificate for CaddyBy executing the commands below, you will download the files necessary to run Zitadel behind Caddy with the following config:

external-tls.Caddyfile

https://127.0.0.1.sslip.io {
	tls /etc/certs/selfsigned.crt /etc/certs/selfsigned.key
	reverse_proxy /ui/v2/login/* http://login-external-tls:3000
	reverse_proxy h2c://zitadel-external-tls:8080
}

# Download the configuration files.
export ZITADEL_CONFIG_FILES=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zitadel/zitadel/main/docs/docs/self-hosting/manage/reverseproxy
wget ${ZITADEL_CONFIG_FILES}/docker-compose.yaml -O docker-compose-base.yaml --quiet 
wget ${ZITADEL_CONFIG_FILES}/caddy/docker-compose.yaml -O docker-compose-caddy.yaml --quiet 
wget ${ZITADEL_CONFIG_FILES}/caddy/external-tls.Caddyfile -O external-tls.Caddyfile --quiet 

# Generate a self signed certificate and key.
openssl req -x509 -batch -subj "/CN=127.0.0.1.sslip.io/O=Zitadel Demo" -nodes -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout ./selfsigned.key -out ./selfsigned.crt 2>/dev/null

# Run the database,  and Caddy.
docker compose --file docker-compose-base.yaml --file docker-compose-caddy.yaml up --detach --wait db zitadel-init zitadel-external-tls login-external-tls proxy-external-tls

# Test that gRPC and HTTP APIs work. Empty brackets like {} means success.
# Make sure you have the grpcurl cli installed on your machine https://github.com/fullstorydev/grpcurl?tab=readme-ov-file#installation
grpcurl --insecure 127.0.0.1.sslip.io:443 zitadel.admin.v1.AdminService/Healthz
curl --insecure https://127.0.0.1.sslip.io:443/admin/v1/healthz

When the docker compose command exits successfully, go to https://127.0.0.1.sslip.io/ui/console/?login_hint=zitadel-admin@zitadel.127.0.0.1.sslip.io and log in:

• username: zitadel-admin@zitadel.127.0.0.1.sslip.io
• password: Password1!

If the console loads normally, you know that the HTTP and gRPC-Web and gRPC APIs are working correctly.

# You can now stop the database, the Zitadel API, the Zitadel login and Caddy.
docker compose --file docker-compose-base.yaml --file docker-compose-caddy.yaml down

TLS mode enabled

Caddy terminates TLS and forwards the requests to Zitadel via encrypted HTTP/2. This example uses an unsafe self-signed certificate for Caddy and the same for Zitadel.By executing the commands below, you will download the files necessary to run Zitadel behind Caddy with the following config:

enabled-tls.Caddyfile

https://127.0.0.1.sslip.io {
	tls /etc/certs/selfsigned.crt /etc/certs/selfsigned.key
	reverse_proxy /ui/v2/login/* http://login-enabled-tls:3000
	reverse_proxy https://zitadel-enabled-tls:8080 {
		transport http {
			tls_insecure_skip_verify
		}
	}
}

# Download the configuration files.
export ZITADEL_CONFIG_FILES=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zitadel/zitadel/main/docs/docs/self-hosting/manage/reverseproxy
wget ${ZITADEL_CONFIG_FILES}/docker-compose.yaml -O docker-compose-base.yaml --quiet 
wget ${ZITADEL_CONFIG_FILES}/caddy/docker-compose.yaml -O docker-compose-caddy.yaml --quiet 
wget ${ZITADEL_CONFIG_FILES}/caddy/enabled-tls.Caddyfile -O enabled-tls.Caddyfile --quiet 

# Generate a self signed certificate and key.
openssl req -x509 -batch -subj "/CN=127.0.0.1.sslip.io/O=Zitadel Demo" -nodes -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout ./selfsigned.key -out ./selfsigned.crt 2>/dev/null

# Run the database,  and Caddy.
docker compose --file docker-compose-base.yaml --file docker-compose-caddy.yaml up --detach --wait db zitadel-init zitadel-enabled-tls login-enabled-tls proxy-enabled-tls

# Test that gRPC and HTTP APIs work. Empty brackets like {} means success.
# Make sure you have the grpcurl cli installed on your machine https://github.com/fullstorydev/grpcurl?tab=readme-ov-file#installation
grpcurl --insecure 127.0.0.1.sslip.io:443 zitadel.admin.v1.AdminService/Healthz
curl --insecure https://127.0.0.1.sslip.io:443/admin/v1/healthz

When the docker compose command exits successfully, go to https://127.0.0.1.sslip.io/ui/console/?login_hint=zitadel-admin@zitadel.127.0.0.1.sslip.io and log in:

• username: zitadel-admin@zitadel.127.0.0.1.sslip.io
• password: Password1!

If the console loads normally, you know that the HTTP and gRPC-Web and gRPC APIs are working correctly.

# You can now stop the database, the Zitadel API, the Zitadel login and Caddy.
docker compose --file docker-compose-base.yaml --file docker-compose-caddy.yaml down

More Information

• Read more about Zitadel's TLS Modes
• Read more about how Zitadel uses HTTP/2