How does nginx-proxy find my containers?
It runs nginx together with docker-gen, which generates the reverse proxy configuration and reloads nginx whenever containers start or stop.
nginx-proxy: Automatic Docker Reverse Proxy
nginx-proxy is a Docker container that builds an nginx reverse proxy configuration for your other containers automatically.
Compare with similar apps
How nginx-proxy stacks up against other reverse proxy apps. Add or remove apps to change the comparison.
| Requirement | nginx-proxy | Caddy | Nginx Proxy Manager | Traefik |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM |
| Price | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Containers | 1 (app only) | 1 (app only) | 1 (app only) | 1 (app only) |
| Database | None | none | SQLite | none |
| Runtime | nginx | Go | Node | Go |
| Install options | Docker only | Docker + Linux, Windows, macOS | Docker only | Docker + Linux, Windows, macOS |
Common questions
How do I proxy a container?
Start the container with a VIRTUAL_HOST environment variable set to the hostname you want, for example subdomain.yourdomain.com. nginx-proxy then…
Why does it mount the Docker socket?
docker-gen needs to watch Docker for container changes, so the container mounts /var/run/docker.sock, read-only in the project's example. Treat…
Which port does it use?
The example publishes port 80. See the project documentation for HTTPS and other options.
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