---
name: "caddy-respond"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "caddy"
version: "2.6.2-12+deb13u1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/caddy-respond"
---

# caddy-respond(8)

Simple, hard-coded HTTP responses for development and testing

## NAME

caddy-respond - Simple, hard-coded HTTP responses for development and testing

## SYNOPSIS

**caddy respond \[flags\]**

## DESCRIPTION

Spins up a quick-and-clean HTTP server for development and testing purposes.

With no options specified, this command listens on a random available port and answers HTTP requests with an empty 200 response. The listen address can be customized with the --listen flag and will always be printed to stdout. If the listen address includes a port range, multiple servers will be started.

If a final, unnamed argument is given, it will be treated as a status code (same as the --status flag) if it is a 3-digit number. Otherwise, it is used as the response body (same as the --body flag). The --status and --body flags will always override this argument (for example, to write a body that literally says "404" but with a status code of 200, do '--status 200 404').

A body may be given in 3 ways: a flag, a final (and unnamed) argument to the command, or piped to stdin (if flag and argument are unset). Limited template evaluation is supported on the body, with the following variables:

```
{{.N}}        The server number (useful if using a port range)
{{.Port}}     The listener port
{{.Address}}  The listener address
```

(See the docs for the text/template package in the Go standard library for information about using templates: https://pkg.go.dev/text/template)

Access/request logging and more verbose debug logging can also be enabled.

Response headers may be added using the --header flag for each header field.

## OPTIONS

**--access-log**\[=false\]\
 	Enable the access log

**--body**=""\
 	The body of the HTTP response

**--debug**\[=false\]\
 	Enable more verbose debug-level logging

**--header**=\[\]\
 	Set a header on the response (format: "Field: value"

**-h**, **--help**\[=false\]\
 	help for respond

**--listen**=":0"\
 	The address to which to bind the listener

**--status**=200\
 	The response status code

## SEE ALSO

**[caddy(8)](/caddy/8.md)**

## HISTORY

10-Aug-2026 Auto generated by spf13/cobra