docker-watch-desk/SETUP.md

Docker WebUI Setup Guide

First-Time Setup

Step 1: Configure Environment

1. Copy the example environment file:

cp .env.example .env

2. Edit .env with your admin credentials:

ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com
ADMIN_PASSWORD=YourSecurePassword123
TZ=Europe/Copenhagen

Step 2: Build and Start

docker-compose up -d --build

This will:

• Build the React frontend
• Create the Docker container
• Mount /var/run/docker.sock (read-only)
• Mount /proc for host metrics
• Start the web server on port 8080

Step 3: Create Admin Account

⚠️ Important: You must create the admin account before you can login.

1. Open your browser to http://your-server-ip:8080
2. You'll see the login page
3. Click on the Settings page link (or navigate to /settings)
4. Look for the "Sign Up" option
5. Enter the EXACT credentials from your .env file:
   • Email: The value from ADMIN_EMAIL
   • Password: The value from ADMIN_PASSWORD
6. Submit the signup form

Step 4: Login

After creating the account:

1. Return to the login page (/login)
2. Login with your admin credentials
3. You'll be redirected to the dashboard

System Requirements

• Docker: 20.10+
• Docker Compose: 1.29+
• OS: Linux (tested on Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+)
• RAM: Minimum 512MB available
• Network: Port 8080 available (or customize in nginx.conf)

Port Configuration

The default port is 8080. To change it:

1. Edit nginx.conf:

server {
    listen 8082;  # Change this
    server_name _;
    # ... rest of config
}

2. Rebuild the container:

docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d --build

Reverse Proxy Setup (Recommended)

For production, always use HTTPS via a reverse proxy.

Nginx Reverse Proxy

Create /etc/nginx/sites-available/docker-webui:

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name docker.yourdomain.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/docker.yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/docker.yourdomain.com/privkey.pem;

    # Security headers
    add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains" always;
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
    add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        
        # WebSocket support
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        
        # Headers
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        
        # Timeouts
        proxy_connect_timeout 60s;
        proxy_send_timeout 60s;
        proxy_read_timeout 60s;
    }
}

# Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name docker.yourdomain.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

Enable and restart:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/docker-webui /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Traefik (Docker)

Add labels to docker-compose.yml:

services:
  docker-webui:
    # ... existing config
    labels:
      - "traefik.enable=true"
      - "traefik.http.routers.docker-webui.rule=Host(`docker.yourdomain.com`)"
      - "traefik.http.routers.docker-webui.entrypoints=websecure"
      - "traefik.http.routers.docker-webui.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt"
      - "traefik.http.services.docker-webui.loadbalancer.server.port=8080"

Firewall Configuration

If using UFW:

# Allow from specific IP
sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 8080

# Or allow from anywhere (not recommended)
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp

Discord Webhook Setup

1. In Discord, go to Server Settings → Integrations → Webhooks
2. Click "New Webhook"
3. Name it "Docker WebUI"
4. Copy the webhook URL
5. In Docker WebUI, go to Settings
6. Paste webhook URL
7. Configure per-container alerts

Troubleshooting

"Cannot connect to Docker daemon"

Check socket permissions:

ls -la /var/run/docker.sock
# Should show: srw-rw---- 1 root docker

# Add your user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

WebUI not accessible from other machines

Check host networking:

# Verify the container is using host network
docker inspect docker-webui | grep NetworkMode
# Should show: "NetworkMode": "host"

# Check if port is listening
sudo netstat -tulpn | grep 8080

Metrics not updating

1. Check WebSocket connection (WiFi icon in header)
2. View edge function logs in Lovable Cloud
3. Verify container can access Docker socket:

docker exec docker-webui ls -la /var/run/docker.sock

High CPU usage

Reduce metrics refresh interval in Settings:

• Default: 2000ms (2 seconds)
• Recommended for many containers: 5000ms (5 seconds)

Security Best Practices

1. Change default credentials in .env before first run
2. Use strong passwords (minimum 12 characters)
3. Enable HTTPS via reverse proxy
4. Restrict network access to trusted IPs only
5. Keep Docker updated for security patches
6. Review audit logs regularly for suspicious activity
7. Backup configuration and database regularly

Updating

# Pull latest changes
git pull

# Rebuild and restart
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d --build

Uninstalling

# Stop and remove container
docker-compose down

# Remove images
docker rmi docker-webui:latest

# Remove volumes (if any)
docker volume prune

Getting Help

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs
• GitHub Discussions: Ask questions
• Documentation: Check README.md