Docker Install Web Servers

This chapter covers how to deploy Nginx, Caddy, and Apache web servers using Docker.

Nginx

Quick Start

docker run -d --name nginx -p 80:80 nginx:latest

Custom Content

docker run -d --name nginx -p 80:80 -v $(pwd)/html:/usr/share/nginx/html:ro nginx:latest

Custom Configuration

docker run --rm nginx cat /etc/nginx/nginx.conf > nginx.conf

docker run -d --name nginx -p 80:80 \
  -v $(pwd)/nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf:ro \
  -v $(pwd)/conf.d:/etc/nginx/conf.d:ro \
  -v $(pwd)/html:/usr/share/nginx/html:ro \
  nginx:latest

Reverse Proxy Example

server {
    listen 80;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://app:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

Reload Configuration

docker exec nginx nginx -t          # Test config
docker exec nginx nginx -s reload   # Reload without downtime

Caddy

Caddy is a modern web server with automatic HTTPS support.

Quick Start

docker run -d --name caddy -p 80:80 -p 443:443 \
  -v $(pwd)/html:/srv \
  -v caddy-data:/data \
  caddy:latest

Using Caddyfile

:80 {
    root * /srv
    file_server
}

docker run -d --name caddy -p 80:80 -p 443:443 \
  -v $(pwd)/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile \
  -v $(pwd)/html:/srv \
  -v caddy-data:/data \
  caddy:latest

Automatic HTTPS

Just use a domain name and Caddy automatically obtains SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt:

example.com {
    root * /srv
    file_server
}

Reload

docker exec caddy caddy reload --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile

Apache (httpd)

Quick Start

docker run -d --name apache -p 80:80 httpd:latest

Custom Content

docker run -d --name apache -p 80:80 -v $(pwd)/html:/usr/local/apache2/htdocs/ httpd:latest

Custom Configuration

docker run --rm httpd cat /usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf > httpd.conf

docker run -d --name apache -p 80:80 \
  -v $(pwd)/httpd.conf:/usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf \
  -v $(pwd)/html:/usr/local/apache2/htdocs/ \
  httpd:latest

Web Server Comparison

Feature	Nginx	Caddy	Apache
Performance	High	High	Medium
Config complexity	Medium	Low	High
Auto HTTPS	Requires setup	Built-in	Requires setup
Memory usage	Low	Low	Medium
Module ecosystem	Rich	Moderate	Very rich
Best for	Reverse proxy, static files	Quick deploy, auto HTTPS	Traditional web apps

Chapter Summary

Docker simplifies web server deployment. Nginx excels at reverse proxying, Caddy offers automatic HTTPS, and Apache provides the richest module ecosystem.

Further Reading

• Docker Hub - Nginx
• Docker Hub - Caddy
• Docker Hub - httpd