Godoxy — High-Performance Reverse Proxy for Self-Hosters

Introduction

Godoxy is a reverse proxy and service orchestrator designed specifically for self-hosters and homelab enthusiasts. It automatically discovers services running in Docker containers, configures routing rules, provisions TLS certificates via Let's Encrypt, and provides a dashboard for monitoring — all with minimal manual configuration.

What Godoxy Does

• Auto-discovers Docker containers and configures reverse proxy routes via labels
• Provisions and renews TLS certificates automatically through ACME providers
• Provides a real-time dashboard showing service health and traffic metrics
• Supports WebSocket proxying and HTTP/2 for modern application requirements
• Handles load balancing across multiple container replicas

Architecture Overview

Godoxy is written in Go and runs as a single container with access to the Docker socket. It watches for container lifecycle events and dynamically updates its routing table based on Docker labels. TLS certificate management uses the ACME protocol with DNS or HTTP challenges. The built-in dashboard is a lightweight web interface that displays service status and basic traffic information.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy as a Docker container with read-only access to the Docker socket
• Configure services by adding Docker labels to your application containers
• Set environment variables for DNS provider credentials (for wildcard certificates)
• Supports custom domain mapping with automatic subdomain routing
• Data persists in a single volume containing certificates and configuration

Key Features

• Zero-config service discovery from Docker container labels
• Automatic HTTPS with Let's Encrypt or other ACME-compatible CAs
• Built-in homepage/startpage showing all proxied services
• Health checking with automatic removal of unhealthy backends
• Lightweight resource footprint compared to full-featured alternatives

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Traefik — feature-rich but complex configuration; Godoxy prioritizes simplicity for homelabs
• Caddy — general-purpose server; Godoxy adds Docker-native service discovery
• Nginx Proxy Manager — GUI-based but manual setup; Godoxy auto-discovers containers
• Pangolin — identity-aware proxy; Godoxy focuses on ease of use for self-hosters

FAQ

Q: Does Godoxy support non-Docker services? A: Godoxy primarily targets Docker environments. External services can be proxied through manual configuration entries.

Q: Can I use it with Docker Compose? A: Yes. Add Godoxy labels to your services in docker-compose.yml and Godoxy will automatically create routes for them.

Q: Does it support wildcard certificates? A: Yes. Configure your DNS provider credentials and Godoxy will obtain wildcard certificates via DNS-01 challenges.

Q: How does it compare to Nginx Proxy Manager for beginners? A: Godoxy requires less manual work since it auto-discovers containers, but Nginx Proxy Manager provides a more visual point-and-click setup experience.

Sources

• https://github.com/yusing/godoxy
• https://godoxy.dev