# 🏠 Getting Started with Caddy Proxy Manager Plus **Welcome!** This guide will walk you through setting up your first proxy. Don't worry if you're new to this - we'll explain everything step by step! --- ## 🤔 What Is This App? Think of this app as a **traffic controller** for your websites and apps. **Here's a simple analogy:** Imagine you have several houses (websites/apps) on different streets (servers). Instead of giving people complicated directions to each house, you have one main address (your domain) where a helpful guide (the proxy) sends visitors to the right house automatically. **What you can do:** - ✅ Make multiple websites accessible through one domain - ✅ Route traffic from example.com to different servers - ✅ Manage SSL certificates (the lock icon in browsers) - ✅ Control who can access what --- ## 📋 Before You Start You'll need: 1. **A computer** (Windows, Mac, or Linux) 2. **Docker installed** (it's like a magic box that runs apps) - Don't have it? [Get Docker here](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) 3. **5 minutes** of your time That's it! No programming needed. --- ### Step 1: Get the App Running ### The Easy Way (Recommended) Open your **terminal** (or Command Prompt on Windows) and paste this: ```bash docker run -d \ -p 8080:8080 \ -v caddy_data:/app/data \ --name caddy-proxy-manager \ ghcr.io/wikid82/caddyproxymanagerplus:latest ``` **What does this do?** It downloads and starts the app. You don't need to understand the details - just copy and paste! ### Check If It's Working 1. Open your web browser 2. Go to: `http://localhost:8080` 3. You should see the app! 🎉 > **Didn't work?** Check if Docker is running. On Windows/Mac, look for the Docker icon in your taskbar. --- ## 🎯 Step 2: Create Your First Proxy Host Let's set up your first proxy! We'll create a simple example. ### What's a Proxy Host? A **Proxy Host** is like a forwarding address. When someone visits `mysite.com`, it secretly sends them to `192.168.1.100:3000` without them knowing. ### Let's Create One! 1. **Click "Proxy Hosts"** in the left sidebar 2. **Click "+ Add Proxy Host"** button (top right) 3. **Fill in the form:** 📝 **Domain Name:** (What people type in their browser) ``` myapp.local ``` > This is like your house's street address 📍 **Forward To:** (Where the traffic goes) ``` 192.168.1.100 ``` > This is where your actual app is running 🔢 **Port:** (Which door to use) ``` 3000 ``` > Apps listen on specific "doors" (ports) - 3000 is common for web apps 🌐 **Scheme:** (How to talk to it) ``` http ``` > Choose `http` for most apps, `https` if your app already has SSL 4. **Click "Save"** **Congratulations!** 🎉 You just created your first proxy! Now when you visit `http://myapp.local`, it will show your app from `192.168.1.100:3000`. --- ## 🌍 Step 3: Set Up a Remote Server (Optional) Sometimes your apps are on different computers (servers). Let's add one! ### What's a Remote Server? Think of it as **telling the app about other computers** you have. Once added, you can easily send traffic to them. ### Adding a Remote Server 1. **Click "Remote Servers"** in the left sidebar 2. **Click "+ Add Server"** button 3. **Fill in the details:** 🏷️ **Name:** (A friendly name) ``` My Home Server ``` 🌐 **Hostname:** (The address of your server) ``` 192.168.1.50 ``` 📝 **Description:** (Optional - helps you remember) ``` The server in my office running Docker ``` 4. **Click "Test Connection"** - this checks if the app can reach your server 5. **Click "Save"** Now when creating proxy hosts, you can pick this server from a dropdown instead of typing the address every time! --- ## 📥 Step 4: Import Existing Caddy Files (If You Have Them) Already using Caddy and have configuration files? You can bring them in! ### What's a Caddyfile? It's a **text file that tells Caddy how to route traffic**. If you're not sure if you have one, you probably don't need this step. ### How to Import 1. **Click "Import Caddy Config"** in the left sidebar 2. **Choose your method:** - **Drag & Drop:** Just drag your `Caddyfile` into the box - **Paste:** Copy the contents and paste them in the text area 3. **Click "Parse Config"** - the app reads your file 4. **Review the results:** - ✅ Green items = imported successfully - ⚠️ Yellow items = need your attention (conflicts) - ❌ Red items = couldn't import (will show why) 5. **Resolve any conflicts** (the app will guide you) 6. **Click "Import Selected"** Done! Your existing setup is now in the app. > **Need more help?** Check the detailed [Import Guide](import-guide.md) --- ## 💡 Tips for New Users ### 1. Start Small Don't try to import everything at once. Start with one proxy host, make sure it works, then add more. ### 2. Use Test Connection When adding remote servers, always click "Test Connection" to make sure the app can reach them. ### 3. Check Your Ports Make sure the ports you use aren't already taken by other apps. Common ports: - `80` - Web traffic (HTTP) - `443` - Secure web traffic (HTTPS) - `3000-3999` - Apps often use these - `8080-8090` - Alternative web ports ### 4. Local Testing First Test everything with local addresses (like `localhost` or `192.168.x.x`) before using real domain names. ### 5. Save Backups The app stores everything in a database. The Docker command above saves it in `caddy_data` - don't delete this! --- ## 🐛 Something Not Working? ### App Won't Start - **Check if Docker is running** - look for the Docker icon - **Check if port 8080 is free** - another app might be using it - **Try:** `docker ps` to see if it's running ### Can't Access the Website - **Check your spelling** - domain names are picky - **Check the port** - make sure the app is actually running on that port - **Check the firewall** - might be blocking connections ### Import Failed - **Check your Caddyfile syntax** - paste it at [Caddy Validate](https://caddyserver.com/docs/caddyfile) - **Look at the error message** - it usually tells you what's wrong - **Start with a simple file** - test with just one site first --- ## 📚 What's Next? You now know the basics! Here's what to explore: - 🔐 **Add SSL Certificates** - get the green lock icon - 🚦 **Set Up Access Lists** - control who can visit your sites - ⚙️ **Configure Settings** - customize the app - 🔌 **Try the API** - control everything with code --- ## 🆘 Still Need Help? We're here for you! - 💬 [Ask on GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/Wikid82/CaddyProxyManagerPlus/discussions) - 🐛 [Report a Bug](https://github.com/Wikid82/CaddyProxyManagerPlus/issues) - 📖 [Read the Full Documentation](index.md) ---

You're doing great! 🌟
Remember: Everyone was a beginner once. Take your time and have fun!