# Windows with Caddy
## Setting Up HTTPS for OpenAlgo on Windows with Caddy
Run OpenAlgo locally on `https://openalgo.local` with a valid SSL certificate, no browser warnings, and zero changes to `app.py`.
### Why this setup?
OAuth flows for brokers like shoonya often require HTTPS redirect URLs. Running OpenAlgo on plain `http://127.0.0.1:5000` works for testing, but production-like local development needs:
* A proper hostname (`openalgo.local` instead of `127.0.0.1`)
* HTTPS with a trusted certificate (no `Not Secure` warnings)
* No code changes to OpenAlgo itself
Caddy handles all of this in front of your Flask app as a reverse proxy.
### Prerequisites
* Windows 10 or 11
* OpenAlgo already cloned and running locally
* Administrator access for two one-time setup steps (hosts file edit, certificate trust)
### Step 1: Download Caddy
Go to
Select:
* **Platform:** Windows
* **Architecture:** amd64
Click **Download**. You'll get a file named something like `caddy_windows_amd64_custom.exe`.
### Step 2: Place and rename the binary
Create a folder to hold Caddy:
```powershell
mkdir C:\caddy
```
Move the downloaded file into `C:\caddy\` and rename it to `caddy.exe`.
In PowerShell:
```powershell
cd C:\caddy
Rename-Item caddy_windows_amd64.exe caddy.exe
```
Verify it works:
```powershell
.\caddy.exe version
```
You should see something like:
```
v2.11.2 h1:iOlpsSiSKqEW+SIXrcZsZ/NO74SzB/ycqqvAIEfIm64=
```
#### Tip: Show file extensions in Windows
If you see `caddy.exe.exe` after renaming, Windows is hiding extensions. Open File Explorer, click **View > Show > File name extensions**, then rename again.
### Step 3: Edit the hosts file
This maps `openalgo.local` to your local machine.
1. Press the Windows key, type **Notepad**
2. Right-click Notepad and select **Run as administrator**
3. In Notepad: **File > Open**
4. Navigate to: `C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\`
5. Change the file type dropdown (bottom right) from `Text Documents (*.txt)` to `All Files`
6. Open `hosts`
Add this line:
```
127.0.0.1 openalgo.local
```
A typical hosts file will look like this after editing:
```
# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.
# 127.0.0.1 localhost
# ::1 localhost
# Added by Docker Desktop
192.168.1.6 host.docker.internal
192.168.1.6 gateway.docker.internal
# To allow the same kube context to work on the host and the container:
127.0.0.1 kubernetes.docker.internal
127.0.0.1 openalgo.local
# End of section
```
Save and close.
**Verify the entry works:**
```powershell
ping openalgo.local
```
You should see replies from `127.0.0.1`. If you see `could not find host`, the hosts file did not save correctly. Reopen Notepad as Administrator and try again.
### Step 4: Create the Caddyfile
OpenAlgo ships with a default `Caddyfile` in the project root. If yours is missing, create it.
Navigate to your OpenAlgo project folder:
```powershell
cd D:\openalgo-remote\openalgo
notepad Caddyfile
```
When Notepad asks if you want to create the file, click **Yes**. Paste this:
```
openalgo.local {
reverse_proxy localhost:5000
}
```
Save and close.
#### Note on the Caddyfile name
The file must be named exactly `Caddyfile` with no extension. If Notepad saves it as `Caddyfile.txt`, rename it:
```powershell
Rename-Item Caddyfile.txt Caddyfile
```
### Step 5: Run Caddy for the first time (Administrator)
The first run installs Caddy's local certificate authority into Windows so browsers trust the auto-generated SSL certificate.
1. Press Windows key, type **PowerShell**
2. Right-click **Windows PowerShell** and select **Run as administrator**
3. Run these commands:
```powershell
cd D:\openalgo-remote\openalgo
C:\caddy\caddy.exe run
```
Windows will show a security dialog asking permission to install a root certificate. Click **Yes**.
You should see logs like:
```
INFO using adjacent Caddyfile
INFO adapted config to JSON
INFO http.auto_https enabling automatic HTTP->HTTPS redirects
INFO serving initial configuration
```
Leave this terminal open. Caddy is now running.
### Step 6: Start OpenAlgo in a separate terminal
Open another PowerShell window (no admin needed). Navigate to the project folder and start OpenAlgo:
```powershell
cd D:\openalgo-remote\openalgo
uv run app.py
```
You should see:
```
╭─── OpenAlgo v2.0.1.0 ──────────────────────────────╮
│ │
│ Your Personal Algo Trading Platform │
│ │
│ Endpoints │
│ Web App http://127.0.0.1:5000 │
│ WebSocket ws://127.0.0.1:8765 │
│ Docs https://docs.openalgo.in │
│ │
│ Status Ready │
│ │
╰────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
```
### Step 7: Open OpenAlgo in your browser
Go to: ****
You should see the OpenAlgo login screen with a valid lock icon next to the URL. No certificate warnings.
### Step 8: Update broker callback URLs
Now that OpenAlgo runs on HTTPS, update the redirect URL in your `.env` file:
```dotenv
REDIRECT_URL = 'https://openalgo.local/shoonya/callback'
```
Match this exactly in your broker's developer console:
* **Shoonya API Portal:** Edit your app and set the Redirect URL to `https://openalgo.local/shoonya/callback`
Restart OpenAlgo after editing `.env`.
All the brokers the procedure remains the same.
### Daily workflow after setup
Once everything is set up, your daily workflow is just two terminals:\
\
Run this from the openalgo root folder
**Terminal 1 (Caddy):**
```powershell
C:\caddy\caddy.exe run
```
**Terminal 2 (OpenAlgo):**
```powershell
uv run app.py
```
Press `Ctrl+C` in either terminal to stop. Nothing runs in the background as a service.
### Optional: Single-command launcher
Create `start.bat` in your OpenAlgo folder:
```batch
@echo off
start "Caddy" cmd /k C:\caddy\caddy.exe run
start "OpenAlgo" cmd /k uv run app.py
```
Double-click to launch both. Close both terminal windows when done.
### Troubleshooting
#### Browser shows ERR\_CONNECTION\_REFUSED
Make sure both terminals are running. Caddy must be running for HTTPS to work, and OpenAlgo must be running for Caddy to have something to proxy to.
#### Certificate warning in browser
This means Caddy's root CA is not trusted. Stop Caddy, then run as Administrator:
```powershell
C:\caddy\caddy.exe trust
```
Accept the Windows prompt. Restart Caddy.
#### Port 443 already in use
Another service is using the HTTPS port. Common culprits:
```powershell
netstat -ano | findstr :443
```
If IIS or `World Wide Web Publishing Service` is using it, stop the service. Or change Caddy to use a different port:
```
openalgo.local:8443 {
reverse_proxy localhost:5000
}
```
Then access OpenAlgo at `https://openalgo.local:8443`.
#### Caddy says "Caddyfile input is not formatted"
Cosmetic warning only. To fix, run:
```powershell
C:\caddy\caddy.exe fmt --overwrite Caddyfile
```
#### Hosts file ping does not resolve
The most common cause is saving `hosts` as `hosts.txt`. Open `C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\` in File Explorer with extensions visible (View > Show > File name extensions). If you see `hosts.txt`, delete it and edit the original `hosts` file again.
### Removing the setup
If you want to undo everything:
1. Stop Caddy and OpenAlgo
2. Untrust the Caddy CA: `C:\caddy\caddy.exe untrust` (as Administrator)
3. Remove the `127.0.0.1 openalgo.local` line from `C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts`
4. Delete `C:\caddy\`
5. Delete the `Caddyfile` from your OpenAlgo folder
### Summary
You now have OpenAlgo running on `https://openalgo.local` with a fully trusted SSL certificate. No background services, no code changes to OpenAlgo, and OAuth callbacks work cleanly with broker APIs that require HTTPS redirect URLs.
---
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