How to set up an easy and secure reverse proxy with Docker, Nginx & Letsencrypt

Kasper Siig
We’ve moved to freeCodeCamp.org/news
12 min readApr 11, 2019

--

Perfect score on SSL Labs

Introduction

Ever tried setting up some sort of server at home? Where you have to open a new port for every service? And have to remember what port goes to which service, and what your home ip is? This is definitely something that works, and people have been doing it for the longest time.

However, wouldn’t it be nice to type plex.example.com, and have instant access to your media server? This is exactly what a reverse proxy will do for you, and combining it with Docker, it’s easier than ever.

Prerequisites

Docker & Docker-Compose

You should have Docker version 17.12.0+, and Compose version 1.21.0+.

Domain

You should have a domain set up, and have an SSL Certificate associated with it. If you don’t have one, then follow my guide here on how to get a free one with LetsEncrypt.

What This Article Will Cover

I’m a firm believer in understanding what you are doing. There was a time where I would follow guides, and have no clue on how to troubleshoot failures. If that’s how you want to do it, here’s a great tutorial, which covers how to set it up. While my…

--

--

Kasper Siig
We’ve moved to freeCodeCamp.org/news

I write about what interests me. My one true goal: helping people educate themselves