How to Deploy a Docker App to a VPS (From Image to HTTPS)

You are going to deploy a Docker container to a VPS with HTTPS and a reverse proxy:

• pull or build any Docker image
• route traffic through Traefik
• [automatic SSL certificates](https://servercompass.app/features/auto-ssl)
• a deploy workflow that works for any containerized app

This is the foundation. Once you understand this pattern, deploying any Docker image becomes the same three commands.

What you will have at the end

• https://your-domain.com serving your containerized app
• Traefik handling SSL termination and routing
• A pattern you can repeat for any Docker image

Step 1: Install Docker on your VPS

SSH into your server and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Verify the installation:

docker --version
docker compose version

Step 2: Create the app directory structure

mkdir -p ~/apps/myapp
cd ~/apps/myapp

Each app gets its own directory. This keeps configs isolated and makes debugging straightforward.

Step 3: Create a docker-compose.yml with Traefik

Create docker-compose.yml:

services:
  traefik:
    image: traefik:v2.11
    command:
      - --providers.docker=true
      - --providers.docker.exposedbydefault=false
      - --entrypoints.web.address=:80
      - --entrypoints.websecure.address=:443
      - --entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.to=websecure
      - --entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.scheme=https
      - --certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.tlschallenge=true
      - [email protected]
      - --certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json
    ports:
      - 80:80
      - 443:443
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
      - letsencrypt:/letsencrypt
    restart: unless-stopped

  app:
    image: nginx:alpine  # Replace with your image
    restart: unless-stopped
    labels:
      - traefik.enable=true
      - traefik.http.routers.app.rule=Host(`your-domain.com`)
      - traefik.http.routers.app.entrypoints=websecure
      - traefik.http.routers.app.tls=true
      - traefik.http.routers.app.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt
      - traefik.http.services.app.loadbalancer.server.port=80

volumes:
  letsencrypt:

Replace:

• your-domain.com with your actual domain
• [email protected] with your email for Let's Encrypt
• nginx:alpine with your Docker image
• Port 80 in loadbalancer with the port your app listens on

Step 4: Add environment variables and volumes

For apps that need configuration, create a .env file:

# .env
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@db:5432/myapp
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
NODE_ENV=production

Update your compose file to use it:

  app:
    image: your-image:latest
    env_file:
      - .env
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data  # Persist data outside container
    restart: unless-stopped
    labels:
      # ... traefik labels

Step 5: Deploy your application

docker compose up -d

Check that everything is running:

docker compose ps
docker compose logs -f app

Visit https://your-domain.com - you should see your app with a valid SSL certificate.

Step 6: Update workflow

Your update loop is simple:

docker compose pull        # Get latest image
docker compose up -d       # Recreate with new image
docker image prune -f      # Clean old images

For images you build locally:

docker compose up -d --build

Troubleshooting

SSL certificate not issued

The most common issues:

• DNS not propagated yet. Check with dig your-domain.com
• Ports 80/443 blocked by firewall. Open them: sudo ufw allow 80,443/tcp
• Rate limited by Let's Encrypt. Check Traefik logs for the exact error

docker logs $(docker ps --filter name=traefik -q) 2>&1 | grep -i acme

Container keeps restarting

Check the logs for the actual error:

docker compose logs app --tail 50

Common causes:

• Missing environment variables
• Port already in use
• Insufficient memory (check with free -h)

502 Bad Gateway

This means Traefik cannot reach your app:

• Verify your app is listening on the port specified in loadbalancer.server.port
• Check if the container is healthy: docker compose ps
• Ensure the app binds to 0.0.0.0, not 127.0.0.1

Permission denied on volumes

Docker runs as root by default. If your app runs as a non-root user:

sudo chown -R 1000:1000 ./data

Or specify the user in your compose file:

  app:
    image: your-image
    user: "1000:1000"

Internal links (recommended next reads)

• Tutorial: Deploy with Docker Compose - multi-container setups
• Tutorial: Deploy Next.js - framework-specific example
• Comparison: Vercel Alternatives
• ServerCompass: One-click Docker deploys

Related in the StoicSoft network

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