Best strategy for Reverse Proxy for apps like docker, podman, with Apache2 Virtualmin Vhosts

Virtualmin
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Debian 12 REQUIRED
LastOne 2024 REQUIRED
LastOne 2024 REQUIRED
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Hi everyone, I have a standard Virtualmin /Apache2 installation and I would like to be able to deploy some applications in docker or podman containers…

Everyone advises using NginX for reverse proxy, but I’m beginning to understand that you can do the same thing with Apache2 directives for this need to redirect access to an application on a specific port.

This seems to be the case for the Webmin panel responding on port 10000.

My question is to use the best and simplest configuration possible to keep my server in order.

I’ve installed docker on the server with the terminal.

Now, for each application deployed in docker and to reach it on its specific listening port (:3000), is the right method to create a classic Virtual Server and manually modify the Apache directives? Or using an Virtualmin serveur alias ?

Or do you recommend another method?

Thanks for your advice.

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Apache can do everything nginx can do and more. It’s slightly more memory-hungry and slightly slower, but most users will never notice the difference in performance or memory.

Virtualmin GPL got Proxy Paths support in the most recent release. There’s a UI for at least some use cases.

I generally recommend file sockets rather than ports, if your app supports it, since it can be owned by the user and can’t be squatted on by other users (though Virtualmin also has port protection, which will kill processes that squat on protected ports, I dunno if that’s manageable directly).

But, yes, you should create a Virtual Server, and then proxy to your app(s). Whether you proxy by editing the Apache config directly or using Proxy Paths, doesn’t matter much.

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Thank you, friends <3 This was a complicated process to teach to regular users for them to expose their node.js apps.