How to Install Cachet on Docker with Vultr's Marketplace App

Using a Different System?

Are we missing a guide for your target system? Request one, or submit your own!

Introduction

Cachet is the free and open source status page for your API, service or company. Built with all of the features that you'd expect from a status page, Cachet comes with a powerful API, a metric system, multiple user support, two factor authentication for added security and is easy to get setup. A powerful, self-hosted alternative to StatusPage.io and Status.io. This article explains how to set up Cachet on a Ubuntu 20.04 x64 server using Vultr's one-click Docker Application and setting up your status page as a subdomain with CaddyServer so that you instantly have SSL enabled.

Install & Configure Prerequisites

Deploy the Docker Application from Vultr Marketplace.
Once your Cloud Server is installed, create an A record at your host that points status.example.com to your Vultr IP address where status.example.com is the domain you want to use for your CachetHQ installation URL.

$ apt-get update -y
$ apt-get install git
$ docker network create caddy

Install CachetHQ

Change into the /home directory.
```
$ cd /home
```

Clone the the CachetHQ repository.

$ git clone https://github.com/cachethq/Docker.git cachet-docker

Change into the /home/cachet-docker directory
```
$ cd cachet-docker
```
Open the docker-compose.yml file.
```
$ nano docker-compose.yml
```
Look for the following line:
```
cachet:
```
Add container_name: cachet below that line, so it looks like this:
```
cachet:
  container_name: cachet
```

In the environment: section, add - APP_URL=<https://subdomain.example.com> to the end, after - DEBUG=false. When finished, it will look like this:

environment:
  - DB_DRIVER=pgsql
  - DB_HOST=postgres
  - DB_PORT=5432
  - DB_DATABASE=postgres
  - DB_USERNAME=postgres
  - DB_PASSWORD=postgres
  - DB_PREFIX=chq_
  - APP_KEY=${APP_KEY:-null}
  - APP_LOG=errorlog
  - APP_ENV=${APP_ENV:-production}
  - APP_DEBUG=false
  - DEBUG=false
  - APP_URL=<https://subdomain.example.com>

Add the following section to the end of the file.

networks:
  default:
    external:
      name: caddy

Save and exit the file. The completed file should look like this:

version: "3"

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:12-alpine
    volumes:
      - /var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=postgres
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres
    restart: always
  cachet:
    container_name: cachet
    build:
      context: .
    args:
      - cachet_ver=2.4
    ports:
      - 80:8000
    links:
      - postgres:postgres
    environment:
      - DB_DRIVER=pgsql
      - DB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_PORT=5432
      - DB_DATABASE=postgres
      - DB_USERNAME=postgres
      - DB_PASSWORD=postgres
      - DB_PREFIX=chq_
      - APP_KEY=${APP_KEY:-null}
      - APP_LOG=errorlog
      - APP_ENV=${APP_ENV:-production}
      - APP_DEBUG=false
      - DEBUG=false
      - APP_URL=<https://subdomain.example.com>
    depends_on:
      - postgres
    restart: on-failure
    networks:
      default:
        external:
          name: caddy

Open the conf/nginx-site.conf file:
```
$ nano conf/nginx-site.conf
```
Add fastcgi_param HTTPS on; after the fastcgi_keep_conn on; line, so it looks like this:
```
fastcgi_keep_conn on;
fastcgi_param HTTPS on;
```
Save the file.
Run docker-compose build to build the images.
```
$ docker-compose build
```
Run docker-compose up to start the containers.
```
$ docker-compose up
```

Locate the ERROR line that displays the following error and take note of the APP_KEY given to you.

cachet_1    | ERROR: Please set the 'APP_KEY=base64:1b3Ni9TaOHdbliYWKPM+bqv7kSJ/BZx7PzAde1yPm+k=' environment variable at runtime or in docker-compose.yml and re-launch

Open the docker-compose.yml file.
```
$ nano docker-compose.yml
```
Locate the APP_KEY variable, which should look like this:
```
- APP_KEY=${APP_KEY:-null}
```
Replace the APP_KEY variable with what was given to you in the ERROR: line after running docker-compose up so it looks like below and save the file:
```
- APP_KEY=base64:1b3Ni9TaOHdbliYWKPM+bqv7kSJ/BZx7PzAde1yPm+k=
```
Run docker-compose build and docker-compose up -d again.

Configure CaddyServer for Auto SSL

Change into the /home directory.
```
$ cd /home
```
Create a new directory called caddy.
```
$ mkdir caddy
```
Change into the /home/caddy directory.
```
$ cd caddy
```
Create a new Caddyfile.
```
$ nano Caddyfile
```
Paste the following contents, replacing the domain with your domain you configured with DNS and save that file:
```
status.example.com {
        reverse_proxy cachet:8000
}
```
Create a docker-compose.yml file.
```
$ nano docker-compose.yml
```

Paste the following content:

version: '3.1'

services:
  caddy:
    ports:
      - 443:443
    image: caddy/caddy
    volumes:
      - ./caddy/data:/data
      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
networks:
  default:
    external:
      name: caddy

Run the following command to initalize Caddy to get the certificates:
```
$ docker-compose up -d
```

Configure CachetHQ

In your web browser, navigate to https://status.example.com to start configuring your new Cachet status page.

Lock Down Your Server

Run the following command to open the ssh configuration and change your SSH port to a non-standard port number:
```
$ nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
```
Locate the following line that reads:
```
#Port 22
```
Uncomment out the line by removing the # symbol and change the port so it looks like this:
```
Port 2222
```
Save the file, update your firewall to accept the new port, and restart the firewall:
```
$ ufw allow 2222/tcp
$ service ssh restart
```

More Information

CachetHQ Documentation

Want to contribute?

You could earn up to $600 by adding new articles.

Submit your article Suggest an update Request an article

Article