Have you ever seen this screen when working on a new project in your home lab?
Today I solved this issue with an incredibly powerful but easy to use piece of software called Nginx Reverse Prox Manager. Nginx Reverse Proxy Manager is a user-friendly, open-source application that simplifies the configuration and management of reverse proxies using Nginx. It provides a web-based interface for managing multiple domains, SSL certificates, and advanced proxy settings. With features like automatic SSL provisioning via Let’s Encrypt, customizable access control, and straightforward proxy rule creation, it is an ideal tool for web administrators looking to streamline the process of managing and securing web traffic. For more info on Nginx you can visit their website. https://nginxproxymanager.com/
I opted to run Nginx on Docker. It is a super easy install and worked flawlesly. Below I have included the Nginx official compose for use with Docker.
I am using Nginx for all my internal service, and not exposing anything to internet. I decided to use http://www.duckdns.org for a free domain, so that i can assign subdomains to my services and not have to remember all those pesky IP address and port numbers. Also assigning an SSL to each of your proxy hosts will avoid dealing with the “Your Connections is not Private” screen of doom.
- Install Nginx Reverse Proxy Manager.
- Sign up for a Domain at duckdns.org.
- Change the domains IP to you Nginx installs IP address, click update
- Create a new SSL certificate for your new domain, including a wildcard certificate.
- Add your proxy hosts.
Here are links to a couple youtube tutorials that I found helpful.
I ran into a few issues with each video and had to trouble shoot my way through it. I also customized some of the setup to fit my individual homelab. Overall it was a fairly simple set up and it took my a couple hours to get it working. Remeber if Ryan can homelab, so can you!!
Until next time.
-Ryan
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