Caddy

01

14 min read

Local HTTPS in 2026: one Let's Encrypt cert for all my dev projects

Twenty-two Next.js and TanStack Start projects fighting for port 3000. Google OAuth refusing `.localhost`. `Secure` cookies broken over HTTP. In May 2026, the right answer is neither a 30xxx port plan nor `lvh.me`. It's a real Let's Encrypt wildcard cert on your own domain, served on 127.0.0.1, via Caddy and a DNS-01 challenge. Story of a full migration and what I wish I'd known before starting.