Charon

Your server, your rules—without the headaches.

Simply manage multiple websites and self-hosted applications. Click, save, done. No code, no config files, no PhD required.

---

Why Charon?

You want your apps accessible online. You don't want to become a networking expert first.

The problem: Managing reverse proxies usually means editing config files, memorizing cryptic syntax, and hoping you didn't break everything.

Charon's answer: A web interface where you click boxes and type domain names. That's it.

• ✅ Your blog gets a green lock (HTTPS) automatically
• ✅ Your chat server works without weird port numbers
• ✅ Your admin panel blocks everyone except you
• ✅ Everything stays up even when you make changes

---

🐕 Cerberus Security Suite

🕵️‍♂️ CrowdSec Integration

• Protects your applications from attacks using behavior-based detection and automated remediation.

🔐 Access Control Lists (ACLs)

• Define fine-grained access rules for your applications, controlling who can access what and under which conditions.

🧱 Web Application Firewall (WAF)

• Protects your applications from common web vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, and more using Coraza.

⏱️ Rate Limiting

• Protect your applications from abuse by limiting the number of requests a user or IP can make within a certain timeframe.

---

✨ Top 10 Features

🎯 Point & Click Management

No config files. No terminal commands. Just click, type your domain name, and you're live. If you can use a website, you can run Charon.

🔐 Automatic HTTPS Certificates

Free SSL certificates that request, install, and renew themselves. Your sites get the green padlock without you lifting a finger.

🌐 DNS Challenge for Wildcard Certificates

Secure all your subdomains with a single *.example.com certificate. Supports 15+ DNS providers including Cloudflare, Route53, DigitalOcean, and Google Cloud DNS. Credentials are encrypted and automatically rotated.

🛡️ Enterprise-Grade Security Built In

Web Application Firewall, rate limiting, geographic blocking, access control lists, and intrusion detection via CrowdSec. Protection that "just works."

🔐 Supply Chain Security

Verifiable builds with cryptographic signatures, SLSA provenance attestation, and comprehensive SBOMs. Verify what you run with transparent, tamper-proof evidence.

🌐 Smart Proxy Headers

Automatically adds standard headers (X-Real-IP, X-Forwarded-Proto, etc.) so your backend applications see real client IPs, enforce HTTPS correctly, and log accurately—with full backward compatibility for existing hosts.

🐳 Instant Docker Discovery

Already running apps in Docker? Charon finds them automatically and offers one-click proxy setup. No manual configuration required.

📊 Real-Time Monitoring & Logs

See exactly what's happening with live request logs, uptime monitoring, and instant notifications when something goes wrong.

📥 Migration Made Easy

Import your existing Caddy configurations with one click. Already invested in another reverse proxy? Bring your work with you.

⚡ Live Configuration Changes

Update domains, add security rules, or modify settings instantly—no container restarts needed.* Your sites stay up while you make changes.

🌍 Multi-App Management

Run dozens of websites, APIs, or services from a single dashboard. Perfect for homelab enthusiasts and small teams managing multiple projects.

🚀 Zero-Dependency Deployment

One Docker container. No databases to install. No external services required. No complexity—just pure simplicity.

💯 100% Free & Open Source

No premium tiers. No feature paywalls. No usage limits. Everything you see is yours to use, forever, backed by the MIT license.

^{* Note: Initial security engine setup (CrowdSec) requires a one-time container restart to initialize the protection layer. All subsequent changes happen live.}

Explore All Features →

---

Quick Start

Docker Compose (Recommended)

Save this as docker-compose.yml:

services:
  charon:
    image: ghcr.io/wikid82/charon:latest
    container_name: charon
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
      - "443:443/udp"
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./charon-data:/app/data
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
    environment:
      - CHARON_ENV=production
      # Generate with: openssl rand -base64 32
      - CHARON_ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-32-byte-base64-key-here

Using Nightly Builds:

To test the latest nightly build (automated daily at 02:00 UTC):

services:
  charon:
    image: ghcr.io/wikid82/charon:nightly
    # ... rest of configuration

Note: Nightly builds are for testing and may contain experimental features. Use latest for production.

Then run:

docker-compose up -d

Docker Run (One-Liner)

Stable Release:

docker run -d \
  --name charon \
  -p 80:80 \
  -p 443:443 \
  -p 443:443/udp \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v ./charon-data:/app/data \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro \
  -e CHARON_ENV=production \
  -e CHARON_ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-32-byte-base64-key-here \
  ghcr.io/wikid82/charon:latest

Nightly Build (Testing):

docker run -d \
  --name charon \
  -p 80:80 \
  -p 443:443 \
  -p 443:443/udp \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v ./charon-data:/app/data \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro \
  -e CHARON_ENV=production \
  -e CHARON_ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-32-byte-base64-key-here \
  ghcr.io/wikid82/charon:nightly

Note: Nightly builds include the latest development features and are rebuilt daily at 02:00 UTC. Use for testing only.

What Just Happened?

1. Charon downloaded and started
2. The web interface opened on port 8080
3. Your websites will use ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS)

Open http://localhost:8080 and start adding your websites!

Requirements

Server:

• Docker 20.10+ or Docker Compose V2
• Linux, macOS, or Windows with WSL2

Browser:

• Tested with React 19.2.3
• Compatible with modern browsers:
  • Chrome/Edge 90+
  • Firefox 88+
  • Safari 14+
  • Opera 76+

Note: If you encounter errors after upgrading, try a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R) or clearing your browser cache. See Troubleshooting Guide for details.

Development Setup

Install golangci-lint (for contributors): go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/cmd/golangci-lint@latest See CONTRIBUTING.md for complete development environment setup.

Upgrading? Run Migrations

If you're upgrading from a previous version with persistent data:

docker exec charon /app/charon migrate
docker restart charon

This ensures security features (especially CrowdSec) work correctly.

Important: If you had CrowdSec enabled before the upgrade, it will automatically restart after migration. You don't need to manually re-enable it via the GUI. See Migration Guide for details.

---

🔔 Smart Notifications

Stay informed about your infrastructure with flexible notification support.

Supported Services

Charon integrates with popular notification platforms using JSON templates for rich formatting:

• Discord — Rich embeds with colors, fields, and custom formatting
• Slack — Block Kit messages with interactive elements
• Gotify — Self-hosted push notifications with priority levels
• Telegram — Instant messaging with Markdown support
• Generic Webhooks — Connect to any service with custom JSON payloads

JSON Template Examples

Discord Rich Embed:

{
  "embeds": [{
    "title": "🚨 {{.Title}}",
    "description": "{{.Message}}",
    "color": 15158332,
    "timestamp": "{{.Timestamp}}",
    "fields": [
      {"name": "Host", "value": "{{.HostName}}", "inline": true},
      {"name": "Event", "value": "{{.EventType}}", "inline": true}
    ]
  }]
}

Slack Block Kit:

{
  "blocks": [
    {
      "type": "header",
      "text": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "🔔 {{.Title}}"}
    },
    {
      "type": "section",
      "text": {"type": "mrkdwn", "text": "*Event:* {{.EventType}}\n*Message:* {{.Message}}"}
    }
  ]
}

Available Template Variables

All JSON templates support these variables:

Variable	Description	Example
{{.Title}}	Event title	"SSL Certificate Renewed"
{{.Message}}	Event details	"Certificate for example.com renewed"
{{.EventType}}	Type of event	"ssl_renewal", "uptime_down"
{{.Severity}}	Severity level	"info", "warning", "error"
{{.HostName}}	Affected host	"example.com"
{{.Timestamp}}	ISO 8601 timestamp	"2025-12-24T10:30:00Z"

📖 Complete Notification Guide →

---

Getting Help

📖 Full Documentation — Everything explained simply 🚀 5-Minute Guide — Your first website up and running 🔐 Supply Chain Security — Verify signatures and build provenance 🛠️ Troubleshooting — Common issues and solutions 💬 Ask Questions — Friendly community help 🐛 Report Problems — Something broken? Let us know

---