Doktainer is an open-source, self-hosted platform for managing servers, applications, containers, domains, SSL, backups, and deployment operations from a single web panel.

Doktainer is intended for teams or individuals who want to own their own deployment panel without depending on a specific cloud vendor, while still retaining full control over their servers and data.

Key Features

Multi-server management, Multi-Project and Multi-Container in one panel.
Docker-based application and container management.
Support for domains, SSL, networks, security, logs, metrics, and terminal access.
Organizations, role-based access, API keys, and user settings configuration.
Git provider, storage destination, and notification/backup integrations.
Modern panel UI with Next.js and a backend API that runs separately at runtime.
Support for local development and Docker deployment to a VPS or online server.

System Requirements

Minimum for development

Node.js 22 or a version compatible with this project's dependencies.
npm 10 or the version bundled with modern Node.js releases.
PostgreSQL 16 or a compatible PostgreSQL service.
Docker Desktop or Docker Engine + Docker Compose v2 if you want to deploy with containers.

Default ports

3000 for the Next.js frontend
4000 for the Fastify backend
5432 for PostgreSQL

Local Quick Start

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/DoktainerApp/doktainer.git
cd doktainer

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Prepare the environment

Copy the example environment file and adjust the values.

cp .env.example .env

For Windows PowerShell:

Copy-Item .env.example .env

Minimum values that need attention:

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=4000
HOST=0.0.0.0
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://doktainer:doktainerdb@postgres:5432/doktainer?schema=public
JWT_SECRET=change-this-to-a-secure-secret-with-32-chars-min
ENCRYPTION_KEY=change-this-to-a-secure-32-char-key
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:4000/api/v1
NEXT_PUBLIC_WS_URL=ws://localhost:4000

Important notes:

JWT_SECRET must be at least 32 characters long, otherwise the backend will fail to start.
DATABASE_URL must be valid. If it is incorrect, authentication and backend startup will fail early.
ENCRYPTION_KEY should be changed before being used in a real environment.

4. Prepare the database

Make sure PostgreSQL is running, then generate the Prisma client and synchronize the schema:

npm run db:generate
npm run db:push

If you use the development migration workflow, you can also run:

npm run db:migrate

5. Run the development server

npm run dev

Once it succeeds:

the frontend is available at http://localhost:3000
the backend is available at http://localhost:4000
the backend health check is available at http://localhost:4000/health

Running Locally in Production Mode Without Docker

If you want to run production mode on a local machine:

npm run build
npm run start

This command will:

build the Next.js frontend
compile the TypeScript backend into the dist folder
run the production frontend and production backend together

Online / VPS Installation With Docker

This approach is best suited for online servers, VPS instances, or self-hosted environments. This project already provides:

Dockerfile
docker-compose.yml
docker-compose.build.yml
docker-entrypoint.sh
.env.docker

Recommended deployment

Use this flow if you build the image directly from the project source on the server.

Copy the project to the server.
Edit .env.docker as needed.
Run:

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.build.yml up -d --build

If you want to use an image from a registry, adjust DOKTAINER_IMAGE in .env.docker and make sure your deployment strategy remains consistent with the active Compose definitions.

Services that are started

The default Docker Compose setup will run:

postgres for the PostgreSQL database
app for the Next.js frontend and Fastify backend in a single application container

Default port mappings:

3000:3000 for the frontend
4000:4000 for the backend
5432:5432 for PostgreSQL

Recommended Docker deployment steps

Copy the project to a Linux server/VPS.
Make sure Docker and Docker Compose v2 are installed.
Edit .env.docker and replace the default secrets.
Run the Compose build/deploy command.
Check the container logs.
Verify http://SERVER-IP:3000 and http://SERVER-IP:4000/health.
Set up a reverse proxy and HTTPS for public production use.

Example for viewing logs:

docker compose logs -f app
docker compose logs -f postgres

Stopping the services:

docker compose down

Stopping the services and removing the database volume:

docker compose down -v

Docker Runtime Configuration

The .env.docker file is the main environment source for container deployment. The most important variables are:

POSTGRES_DB=doktainer
POSTGRES_USER=doktainer
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=replace-this-password
POSTGRES_PORT=5432

NODE_ENV=production
HOST=0.0.0.0
PORT=4000
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://doktainer:replace-this-password@postgres:5432/doktainer?schema=public

JWT_SECRET=replace-this-with-a-secure-32-char-secret
ENCRYPTION_KEY=replace-this-with-a-secure-32-char-key

NEXT_PUBLIC_PANEL_NAME=DOKTAINER
NEXT_PUBLIC_VERSION=v0.1.2
NEXT_PUBLIC_BATCH=Batch-20260616
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_PORT=4000

Important deployment notes:

For purpose deployment, NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL should be left empty so the browser uses the same-origin /api/v1.
If Doktainer runs behind Nginx, Traefik, Caddy, or Cloudflare Tunnel, enable TRUST_PROXY=true.
Set FRONTEND_URL or NEXT_PUBLIC_PANEL_URL only if you truly want to force a single canonical public URL.
Do not use localhost, 0.0.0.0, or an internal Docker host as the public production URL.

Reverse Proxy and HTTPS

For online use, it is highly recommended to place Doktainer behind a reverse proxy such as:

Nginx
Traefik
Caddy
Cloudflare Tunnel

The goals are to:

provide HTTPS
forward host and protocol headers correctly
simplify public access with your own domain
reduce direct backend exposure to the internet

If you use a reverse proxy, check the following two things:

set TRUST_PROXY=true
set FRONTEND_URL=https://your-domain.com if you need consistent absolute URLs

Available Development Workflow

Main project scripts:

npm run dev
npm run build
npm run start
npm run lint
npm run test
npm run db:generate
npm run db:push
npm run db:migrate
npm run db:studio

Function summary:

npm run dev runs the frontend and backend in development mode.
npm run build builds the frontend and compiles the backend.
npm run start runs the production build output.
npm run lint runs ESLint.
npm run test runs the TypeScript test suite.
npm run db:generate generates the Prisma client.
npm run db:push synchronizes the schema to the database.
npm run db:migrate creates and applies development migrations.
npm run db:studio opens Prisma Studio.

Troubleshooting

If login or registration returns Internal Server Error, almost always start with the following checks:

make sure DATABASE_URL is correct
make sure PostgreSQL is actually running
make sure JWT_SECRET is valid and at least 32 characters long
rerun npm run db:generate, then npm run db:push

Backend fails to start

Common possible causes:

port 4000 is already used by another process
PostgreSQL connection fails
JWT_SECRET is empty or too short

App container exits immediately

Check:

DATABASE_URL in .env.docker
the Postgres password in POSTGRES_PASSWORD
container logs with docker compose logs -f app

This project's Docker entrypoint will:

wait until the database can be accessed
run prisma migrate deploy if migrations are available
fall back to prisma db push if no migrations exist yet
start the backend and frontend in a single container

Architecture Notes

Doktainer in this folder uses a modular monolith repository model with two main runtimes:

Next.js for the web interface on port 3000
Fastify API on port 4000

Both are combined in a single project to simplify development and deployment, while keeping the frontend and backend separation clear at the runtime level.

License

Doktainer uses the MIT license. See the LICENSE file in the repository root for license details.

🚫 Non-Commercial Use Only

The software is free to use, modify, and distribute for non-commercial purposes only. Any use for revenue-generating activities or within for-profit organizations is strictly prohibited under these terms.

💼 Commercial Licensing

If you wish to use Doktainer for commercial purposes, business operations, or as part of a paid service, you must obtain a separate commercial license. Please contact the author for further information.

❤️ Sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors for supporting Doktainer.

Sponsor	Website	Sponsor Type
IDCloudhost	https://idcloudhost.com	Cloud Hosting
SumoPod	https://sumopod.com	Cloud Hosting
PAAS ID	https://paas.id	Cloud Hosting
Ktikme	https://ktik.me	Profile BIO-Link
Dahono Labs	https://labs.dahono.com	AI Agent Services

Interested in sponsoring Doktainer? Contact us at Discord Server Community

Built with ❤️ by the KodekaTeam

README.md

Doktainer - Manage Docker, Simplify Everything