Developers who want the same containers on the server as on their laptop.
GLWS · Use cases
Docker VPS.
Containers on your own server.
Run Docker and Compose on a VPS you control. Put each application in a container, keep data in volumes and publish only what you mean to.
Who it is for.
Typical reasons people choose it.
People self-hosting several small applications that each want their own dependencies.
Anyone learning containers on a real server.
Choose a size.
What fits where. These are guides, so measure your own workload.
1 GB
Enough for one or two tiny containers. Add swap, and expect to be careful.
2 GB
A sensible start for a handful of small containers plus a reverse proxy.
4 GB and up
Comfortable for several services, a database and a build now and then.
GLWS plans that fit.
The lowest-priced GLWS VPS plans with enough memory.
Get started with GLWS.
Three steps.
- Install Docker and Compose from Docker's repository, as in the install guide.
- Publish services on 127.0.0.1 and put a reverse proxy in front for HTTPS. Docker bypasses the host firewall for published ports.
- Keep data in volumes, pin image versions and back volumes up before every update.
Guides for this setup.
Step-by-step instructions from the knowledge base.
Install Docker and Docker Compose on your VPS
Add Docker's official repository, install the engine and Compose plugin, run a test container and avoid the published-port firewall trap.
Read guide →Update Docker Compose applications safely
Pin image versions, back up persistent data, pull and check an update, and roll back to the previous version if it fails.
Read guide →Put an app behind Nginx with a free HTTPS certificate
Proxy a domain to an app on a local port, issue a Let's Encrypt certificate with Certbot and confirm automatic renewal.
Read guide →Host several applications with Caddy and automatic HTTPS
Install Caddy, give each application its own domain and local port, let Caddy obtain certificates and check the result.
Read guide →Monitor your server with Uptime Kuma, htop and disk alerts
Watch resource use with htop, run Uptime Kuma to check your sites and get disk-space alerts from a small scheduled script.
Read guide →Fix "No space left on device" on Linux
Tell a full disk from exhausted inodes, find what is using the space, clean up logs, packages and Docker data safely and stop it returning.
Read guide →FAQ
Questions.
Quick answers.
How much memory does Docker need?
The engine itself is light. Plan for the containers you run: 2 GB is a sensible start for a few small services.
Is Docker safe to expose?
Publish container ports on 127.0.0.1 and put a reverse proxy in front, because published ports bypass the host firewall.
Should I use Kubernetes instead?
For one or a few applications, Docker Compose is simpler and lighter. Kubernetes is worth it when you want its tooling or want to learn it.