Deployment Overview of Dokku on Server¶

Prerequisites and Basic Requirements¶

To ensure a successful deployment, the server must meet the following requirements:

• Operating System: Ubuntu

• Privileges: Root or sudo access is required for installation.

• Ports:

• 443 (HTTPS) for external traffic.

• 80 (HTTP) for SSL certificate challenges and redirection.

FQDN of the final panel on the hostkey.in domain¶

The application uses a dynamic subdomain based on the server ID. The template is defined as follows:

Application installation process¶

The installation of Dokku is performed using a dedicated bootstrap script and system package management:

1. Bootstrap Script: The official Dokku bootstrap script for version v0.34.8 is downloaded from the official repository to /tmp/bootstrap.sh.

2. Installation: The installer is executed with the specific version tag (DOKKU_TAG=v0.34.8) to ensure environment consistency.

3. Global Domain Configuration: The application is configured with a global domain using the pattern dokku{Server_ID}.hostkey.in.

4. Core Dependencies: Essential system dependencies required for Dokku's core functionality are installed via the internal plugin manager.

Docker Containers and Their Deployment¶

The deployment utilizes a Docker container to manage Nginx and SSL certificates via Certbot.

Nginx-Certbot Container¶

This container acts as a reverse proxy and handles automated SSL certificate management.

• Image: jonasal/nginx-certbot:latest

• Network Mode: host

• Restart Policy: unless-stopped

• Environment Variables:

• CERTBOT_EMAIL: [email protected]

• Configuration is further supplemented by an external environment file located at /data/nginx/nginx-certbot.env.

• Volumes:

• nginx_secrets:/etc/letsencrypt (External volume for SSL certificates)

• /data/nginx/user_conf.d:/etc/nginx/user_conf.d (Local directory for Nginx configuration files)

Application Update Instructions¶

To update the Dokku application, you must re-run the installation script with the desired version:

1. Download the latest bootstrap script from the official source.

2. Execute the script using the DOKKU_TAG variable to specify the target version.

For the Nginx proxy container, use the following command in the /root/nginx directory:

docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Location of configuration files and data¶

The following directories are used for storing critical application data and configurations:

• Nginx Configuration Directory: /root/nginx

• Nginx User Configurations: /data/nginx/user_conf.d

• SSL Certificates: Managed via the nginx_secrets Docker volume.

• Environment Files: /data/nginx/nginx-certbot.env

Available ports for connection¶