Deployment Overview of CapRover on Server¶

Prerequisites and Basic Requirements¶

To successfully deploy CapRover, the following system requirements must be met:

• Operating System: Debian-based Linux distribution.
• Privileges: Root access or sudo privileges are required to install Docker and manage system services.
• Network: The server must have a public IP address accessible from the internet.
• Ports: Ports 80, 443, and 3000 must be open and available for binding.
• DNS: A domain zone must be configured to accept a wildcard A record pointing to the server's IP address.

File and Directory Structure¶

The deployment utilizes specific directories and mount points for data persistence and Docker communication:

• /var/run/docker.sock: The Docker socket is mounted into the container to allow CapRover to manage the host's Docker daemon.
• /captain: This directory serves as the persistent data volume for CapRover, storing application configurations, logs, and state.

Application Installation Process¶

CapRover is installed and run as a Docker container using the official caprover/caprover image. The installation process involves executing a single docker run command that initializes the service with the necessary environment variables and volume mounts.

The deployment command includes the following parameters: - Port mappings: 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS), and 3000 (CapRover UI). - Environment variable: ACCEPTED_TERMS=true to automatically accept the terms of service. - Volume mounts: The Docker socket and the /captain directory.

Docker Containers and Their Deployment¶

The application is deployed using a single container instance. The container is launched with the following configuration:

docker run -p 80:80 -p 443:443 -p 3000:3000 -e ACCEPTED_TERMS=true -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v /captain:/captain caprover/caprover

This command ensures that: - The container listens on the standard web ports and the CapRover management port. - The container has direct access to the host's Docker engine to orchestrate other containers. - Data is persisted in the /captain directory on the host.

Proxy Servers¶

CapRover includes an integrated reverse proxy and SSL certificate management system. Upon deployment:

• The container binds to ports 80 and 443 to handle incoming HTTP and HTTPS traffic.
• It automatically manages SSL certificates for deployed applications.
• A wildcard DNS record (*.prefixserverid.zone) is configured to point to the server's IP address, enabling dynamic domain routing for applications deployed via CapRover.