🐳 Docker – My App Container Factory

Docker is at the heart of how I manage and deploy applications across my HomeLab and development environments. I use a dedicated Proxmox VM as my Docker host, which serves as a centralized container management system.

🏗️ My Setup

Inside my Proxmox cluster, I’ve provisioned a lightweight VM (Debian-based) that runs the Docker engine. This VM is always online, and it's where I deploy:

• 🧾 Self-hosted services (e.g., Pi-hole, Jellyfin, Nginx)
• 🧪 Dev containers for testing new apps
• 📦 Shared tools like Redis, PostgreSQL, MongoDB

🖥️ Portainer for Visual Management

I manage most of my containers usingPortainer, which runs as a Docker container itself. It provides a clean web UI to:

• ✅ Start/Stop/Restart containers easily
• 🔍 View logs, stats, and terminal access
• 📊 Monitor container health and resource usage
• 🚀 Deploy new stacks using docker-compose in the browser

I access Portainer using my internal network via http://192.168.1.8:9000. It's fast, lightweight, and makes container management smooth even from my phone.

📁 Project-Based Containers

For each project, I spin up services in isolated Docker containers using a `docker-compose.yml` file. This ensures every app has a clean, reproducible environment. I also bind custom ports and volumes to manage persistent data and networking.

Example: My OCR service runs in a dedicated container and exposes an API on port 5000, used by other services in my home network.

🔐 Secure & Efficient

The Docker VM is only accessible via SSH, and I expose only necessary ports to the local network. I also back up important container volumes weekly using cron jobs.

🔗 Useful Links

• Docker Documentation
• Portainer.io
• Docker Hub