Step 1: Install Docker

First, ensure Docker is installed on your server. If you don't have Docker installed, you can follow the steps below to install it. On Ubuntu, run the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io
            

Once Docker is installed, ensure the service is running:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
            

Docker is now installed and running. This setup works for both local environments and cloud deployments such as Windows VPS hosting UK.

Step 2: Install Docker Compose

Docker Compose is required to manage multi-container applications like FileRun. Install Docker Compose using the following commands:

sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/1.29.2/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
            

Verify the installation:

docker-compose --version

Docker Compose is now installed and ready to use for managing your FileRun setup, whether you're hosting locally or using a VPS Windows Servers environment.

Step 3: Set Up the FileRun Docker Environment

Create a new directory for your FileRun installation and navigate into it:

mkdir ~/filerun && cd ~/filerun
            

Create a docker-compose.yml file with the following content:

version: '3'

services:
  db:
    image: mariadb:latest
    container_name: filerun-db
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your_root_password
      MYSQL_USER: filerun
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: filerun_password
      MYSQL_DATABASE: filerun
    volumes:
      - ./db:/var/lib/mysql

  web:
    image: filerun/filerun
    container_name: filerun-app
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    depends_on:
      - db
    environment:
      FR_DB_HOST: db
      FR_DB_PORT: 3306
      FR_DB_NAME: filerun
      FR_DB_USER: filerun
      FR_DB_PASS: filerun_password
    volumes:
      - ./filerun:/var/www/html
      - ./user-files:/user-files
    restart: always
            

This Docker Compose file defines two containers: one for the MariaDB database and one for the FileRun application. Adjust the environment variables (such as passwords) to your preferences.

Step 4: Start FileRun with Docker Compose

Once the docker-compose.yml file is ready, you can start the FileRun containers by running:

sudo docker-compose up -d

Docker Compose will pull the necessary images, create the containers, and start the FileRun service. This process should work seamlessly, whether you're deploying on a local server or a Windows VPS Italy server.

Step 5: Access FileRun

After starting the containers, open your browser and navigate to your server's IP address or domain name:

http://your-server-ip

You will be directed to the FileRun setup page, where you can complete the installation. Use the database credentials defined in the docker-compose.yml file to connect to the database.

This setup is ideal for both local deployments and cloud-based environments, such as a Windows Virtual Private Server hosting platform.

Step 6: Secure FileRun with SSL

It’s recommended to secure your FileRun installation with SSL. You can use Let's Encrypt to obtain a free SSL certificate. If you're using Nginx as a reverse proxy, install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Run Certbot to obtain and configure the SSL certificate for your domain:

sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

This will automatically configure SSL, ensuring that all connections to your FileRun instance are secure, whether hosted locally or on a Windows VPS hosting UK.