Local LEMP Launcher

Create local PHP or ASP.NET projects behind one shared Nginx reverse proxy.

The script builds a Docker-based development environment with:

• Nginx reverse proxy for http://project-name.localhost
• PHP 8.5 with php-fpm, MariaDB, Redis, and phpMyAdmin
• ASP.NET 8 with dotnet watch, MariaDB, Redis, and phpMyAdmin
• A shared external Docker network named global_network
• A graphical starter page that checks Redis and MariaDB from the app

First Run

Run the setup script from this directory:

./setup_nginx_project.sh

On Windows, run it from Git Bash. If the file is not executable on Linux or macOS, run:

chmod +x setup_nginx_project.sh
./setup_nginx_project.sh

The script now creates the missing global Docker network automatically:

docker network create global_network

You do not need to create it manually. This fixes the common Docker Compose error:

network global_network declared as external, but could not be found

How It Works

The first part of the script starts shared services from the root docker-compose.yml:

• nginx_proxy listens on port 80
• mariadb stores databases in a Docker volume
• redis stores data in a Docker volume
• phpmyadmin is available through the proxy and on port 8081

After the shared services are running, the script can create a project in:

www/<project-name>/

The project name becomes the local subdomain. A project named billing-api is available at:

http://billing-api.localhost

phpMyAdmin is available at:

http://billing-api.localhost/phpmyadmin/

Login:

• Server: mariadb
• Username: root
• Password: root

Project Types

PHP

Generated structure:

www/<project-name>/
  public/
    index.php
  nginx/
    site.conf
  logs/
  Dockerfile
  docker-compose.yml

The starter page includes a responsive visual dashboard and live checks for MariaDB and Redis. Edit PHP files in public/ and refresh the browser.

Useful shell:

docker exec -it php-<project-name> bash

ASP.NET

Generated structure:

www/<project-name>/
  source/
    Program.cs
    <project-name>.csproj
  nginx/
    site.conf
  Dockerfile
  docker-compose.yml
  docker-compose.override.yml

The override file runs dotnet watch, so edits in source/ restart the app automatically.

Useful shell:

docker exec -it app-<project-name> bash

Common Commands

From the root directory:

docker compose ps
docker compose logs -f
docker compose up -d
docker compose down

From a project directory:

cd www/<project-name>
docker compose ps
docker compose logs -f
docker compose up -d --build
docker compose down

Ports

The default ports are:

• 80: global Nginx reverse proxy
• 8081: direct phpMyAdmin access
• 6379: Redis

If port 80 is already used by IIS, Apache, another Nginx instance, or another Docker stack, stop that service before running the launcher.

Notes

• Project names are normalized to lowercase letters, numbers, and dashes.
• Every project joins the same external Docker network so Nginx can route by container name.
• MariaDB and Redis data persist in Docker volumes.
• The generated starter pages are meant to be replaced by your application code.