Deploy your first app

This page takes you from nothing to a web server answering on a public address. It uses the ready-made nginx image so there is nothing to build. It takes about three minutes.

You need a Doprax account with some credit.

1. Create an App Space

1. In the dashboard, open Container Platform, then Create App Space.

2. Choose a Location and a Size. The smallest size, Standard 1, is enough for this page.

3. Type a Name, or keep the suggested one. Do this last: choosing a location fills in a suggested name again.

4. Select Create App Space.

The App Space opens with the status Stopped. That is expected: there is nothing in it yet.

2. Add a container

1. Select Add container.

2. Keep Docker Image selected and pick Nginx from the popular images. The image name is filled in as nginx:latest. For any other image, type its name.

3. Keep the suggested Container Name or type your own, then select Add Container.

The container starts by itself. In under a minute the App Space shows Running · 1 of 1 container running.

3. Give it a public address

A new container is not reachable from the internet. To publish it:

1. Switch the container view to List and select the container.

2. Open its Ports tab and select Expose port.

3. In Container port, type the port the program inside listens on. For nginx that is 80.

4. Leave Exposure mode on HTTP / HTTPS, which is already selected. The Expose button becomes active once you leave the port field.

5. Optional: type a Subdomain to choose the first part of the address. Leave it empty for a generated one.

6. Select Expose.

The address appears on the Ports tab and at the top of the App Space within a few seconds. It looks like https://nginx-51f399f2.plypcu.dop4.com: the container’s name, a few random characters, and a Doprax domain. Open it: you see the nginx welcome page.

• The address uses HTTPS with a certificate that is already set up. You do nothing for it.
• A visitor who types http:// is sent to https://.

4. Look inside

Select the container, then:

• Logs shows what the program prints, live. Requests to your address appear here as nginx logs them.
• Terminal opens a shell inside the container.

Both open in a panel at the bottom of the window.

5. Stop or delete

• Stop stops every container but keeps the App Space, and it is still charged.
• Delete removes the App Space with all its containers, its volumes and their data. This cannot be undone, and it ends the charge.

Next

• Deploy from a GitHub repository: run your own code.
• Configure a container: environment variables, volumes, a database next to your app.