Nginx Proxy Manager Setup

Automatic setup of a proxy server using Nginx Proxy Manager to protect your website servers.

Quick Start

Full Automatic Install (Recommended)

1. Connect to your server via SSH
2. Download all project files
3. Set executable permissions:

chmod +x *.sh

4. Start the full, secure installation:

sudo ./full-setup.sh

Manual Installation

1. Connect to your server via SSH
2. Download the install script:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/your-repo/nginx-proxy-setup/main/setup-proxy-server.sh
chmod +x setup-proxy-server.sh

3. Run the setup:

sudo ./setup-proxy-server.sh

What the Scripts Do

full-setup.sh (Full Install)

• Installs the proxy server with secure passwords
• Sets up the firewall
• Creates a backup
• Checks system status

setup-proxy-server.sh (Basic Install)

• Updates system packages
• Installs Docker and Docker Compose
• Generates secure passwords
• Starts and configures Docker service
• Creates the working directory ~/nginx-proxy-manager
• Deploys Nginx Proxy Manager with MariaDB
• Checks container status
• Saves passwords to a secure file
• Displays web interface access info

Accessing the Admin Panel

After installation, open your browser and go to:

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:81

Default credentials:

• Email: admin@example.com
• Password: changeme

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Change your password immediately after your first login!

Proxy Setup

1. Log in to the admin panel
2. Go to Hosts → Proxy Hosts → Add Proxy Host
3. Enter:
   • Domain names: your domain
   • Forward Hostname/IP: IP of your website server
   • Forward Port: 443 (for HTTPS)
   • Enable SSL: enabled
4. On the SSL tab choose Request a new SSL Certificate
5. Enable Force SSL
6. Save changes

DNS Setup in Cloudflare

1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard
2. Go to the DNS section of your domain
3. Update your A records:
   • @ → proxy server's IP
   • www → proxy server's IP
4. Wait for DNS updates to propagate (usually 1–5 minutes)

Checking Status

To check the status of the services, use:

sudo ./check-status.sh

Logs

• Unified log of all operations: /var/log/proxy-manager.log
• Container logs: docker logs nginx-proxy-manager_app_1

Managing Containers

# Stop
cd ~/nginx-proxy-manager
docker-compose down

# Start
docker-compose up -d

# Restart
docker-compose restart

# Update images
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

Security

1. Change default passwords in docker-compose.yml
2. Set up the firewall:

ufw allow 22
ufw allow 80
ufw allow 443
ufw allow 81
ufw enable

3. Regularly update Docker images
4. Monitor logs for suspicious activity

Project Structure

nginx-proxy-manager/
├── setup-proxy-server.sh    # Install script
├── check-status.sh          # Status check script
├── update-passwords.sh      # Update passwords
├── backup.sh               # Backup/restore
├── setup-firewall.sh        # Firewall setup
├── docker-compose.yml       # Docker config
├── Makefile                 # Convenience commands
├── common.sh                # Shared functions and config
├── seed/                    # Batch proxy host import
│   ├── seed-proxy.sh        # Domain import script
│   └── domains.txt          # Domain list (domain ip format)
├── data/                    # App data
│   └── mysql/               # MariaDB database
└── letsencrypt/             # SSL certificates

Additional Scripts

Update Passwords

sudo ./update-passwords.sh

Generates new secure passwords for all services.

Batch Import Proxy Hosts

# Create sample domains.txt file
sudo ./seed/seed-proxy.sh

# Edit domains.txt with your domains, then run:
make seed

Format (domains.txt):

# Format: domain ip
example1.com 192.168.1.100
example2.com 192.168.1.101
www.example1.com 192.168.1.100

Backup & Restore

# Create a backup
sudo ./backup.sh create

# List backups
sudo ./backup.sh list

# Restore from a backup
sudo ./backup.sh restore backup-name

Firewall Setup

# Set up firewall with basic rules
sudo ./setup-firewall.sh setup

# Show firewall status
sudo ./setup-firewall.sh status

# Add a rule
sudo ./setup-firewall.sh add 8080 tcp "Custom port"

# Remove a rule
sudo ./setup-firewall.sh remove 1

Using the Makefile

For easier management, use Make commands:

make install          # Install proxy server
make status           # Check status
make backup           # Create a backup
make restore BACKUP_NAME=name  # Restore
make update-passwords # Update passwords
make clean            # Remove all data
make logs             # View logs
make restart          # Restart containers
make update           # Update images
make test             # Test setup
make help             # Help

Troubleshooting

Containers Won't Start

docker-compose logs

SSL Issues

• Check your DNS records in Cloudflare
• Make sure your domain points to the proxy server
• Check logs: docker logs nginx-proxy-manager_app_1

Port 81 Is Unavailable

netstat -tuln | grep 81
ufw status

Support

If you have issues, check:

1. The unified log: /var/log/proxy-manager.log
2. Docker service status
3. Port availability
4. DNS settings in Cloudflare