How to configure a website on Digital Ocean using Docker and Let's Encrypt

In this repository I setup a server with a website and an access to Grafana which is connected to a database generated by another project I have:

https://github.com/FBorowiec/scrapers/tree/main/cisei

The server setup is entirely done using Docker with letsencrypt, nginx, grafana for visualizing the postgresql database.

Server creation

• Create a linux-based server (droplet) and add a domain with your domain name: domainexample.com.
• [Optional]: Rename the server.
• Generate an ssh key pair for accessing the server.
• Go to your domain name provider (like google domains):
  • In the external hosts settings (A, AAAA):
    • Add an A record with the IPv4 address of your server: Type: A | TTL: 3600 | Data: 123.456.78.90
    • [Optional] add an AAAA record with IPv6 address of your server: Type: AAAA | TTL:3600 | Data: 1234:a880:1:1d1:2000
  • In the subdomains (CNAME) add a redirect from www.domainexample.com to domainexample.com.
    • Host name: www | Type: CNAME | TTL: 3600 | domainexample.com
• Log into the server uring ssh: ssh root@domainexample.com
• Copy ssh id from host to server: ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub root@domainexample.com - this should prompt for your password.
• Log in back again and edit the etc/ssh/ssh_config:
  • Uncomment PasswordAuthentication and set it to no.
  • Add UsePAM and set it to no.
  • Add ChallengeResponseAuthentication and set it to no.
• systemctl reload sshd && systemctl restart sshd
• apt update -y && apt upgrade -y

Docker solution

• git clone https://github.com/FBorowiec/server_setup_for_websites_using_docker.git
• cd server_setup_for_websites_using_docker
• Install docker on your server with ./install_docker.sh
• Perform server setup: ./server_setup.sh
• [Optional]: git config credentials.helper 'store'
• [Optional]: git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
• [Optional]: git config --global user.name "Your Name"

Once you have launched all containers using docker-compose up -d you need to enter the nginx container and setup SSL inside of it:

Note: this will only work if you pointed your domain name to this IP address.

Once this is done you can check the proper configuration using a DNS lookup site.

docker exec -it nginx bash  # bash into the container
certbot --nginx -d domainexample.com -d www.domainexample.com  # setup ssl

Installing certificates

docker exec -it nginx /bin/bash certbot --nginx

With a file called nginx.conf under the directory config: │ │

docker run --rm -t -a stdout --name my-nginx -v $PWD/config/:/etc/nginx/:ro nginx:latest nginx -c /etc/nginx/nginx.conf -t                                              │

Docker-less solution

• apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx
• cp /etc/nginx/sites-available/default /etc/nginx/sites-available/domainexample
• vim /etc/nginx/sites-available/domainexample

Add settings:

server {
    listen 80 ;
    listen [::]:80 ;

    root /var/www/domainexample;

    index index.html index.htm index.nginx-debian.html;

    server_name domainexample.com www.domainexample.com;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

• ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/domainexample /etc/nginx/sites-enables/default
• mkdir /var/www/domainexample

Add your website inside /var/www/domainexample:

• echo "<h1>DOMAINEXAMPLE Hello World!</h1>" >> /var/www/domainexample/index.html
• systemctl reload nginx

Install certbot

• certbot --nginx:
• Add email, do not share it
• Activate https for both www.domainexample.com and domainexample.com.
• Redirect automatically https to http.

Auto-update certbot

• certbot renew
• Add 1 1 1 * * certbot renew to crontab: crontab -e.

Docker installation

Install docker