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How to Install and Secure Nginx UI with Docker

Set up Nginx UI with persistent Docker storage, the correct published port, and the right security model for bundled, containerized, or host Nginx.

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To install Nginx UI with Docker, run the official uozi/nginx-ui:latest image, persist /etc/nginx-ui, and publish a host port to the container’s port 80. Complete first-run setup in a browser with the temporary .install_secret. Before deploying, decide whether the UI will control its bundled Nginx, a separate Nginx container, or host-installed Nginx: each option has different mounts and privileges.

Choose what Nginx UI will manage

The standard Docker image includes Nginx. The official [Getting Started guide] presents it as an option for replacing the host-facing Nginx service by publishing ports 80 and 443. If you instead want the UI to control Nginx in another container or installed on the host, configure that mode deliberately; the standard image is not the documented route for managing host-installed Nginx.

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Control mode Where Nginx runs Access and file requirements Key operational consideration
Bundled Nginx Inside the Nginx UI image Publish the desired host ports to container ports 80 and 443; persist Nginx UI data at /etc/nginx-ui. Ensure the /etc/nginx volume is empty on the container’s first run, as the guide directs.
Another Nginx container In a separate container The documented setup requires the Docker socket and the same Nginx config and log paths mounted into both containers. UI-side config access must be writable; the Nginx container’s mount can be read-only. Configure the target container name. The socket and name route status and control commands; the UI reads and writes configuration files through its own filesystem. See the [Nginx configuration guide].
Host-installed Nginx Directly on the host The documented Docker-based host-control approach uses SSH and is same-host only. Linux requires systemd and a narrowly permitted passwordless sudo -n command set; macOS requires a Homebrew user service and its owning login user. Set up a dedicated SSH account, trusted host-key allow-list, persistent UI data, and narrowly scoped permissions. See the [host SSH guide].

Install the Docker image and complete first-run setup

1. Prepare persistent data and ports

The official image is uozi/nginx-ui:latest. According to the [official Getting Started guide], it listens on container ports 80 and 443. Port 80 is reverse-proxied internally to the UI backend at 127.0.0.1:9000, so publish container port 80 for browser access to the setup page. The guide’s example maps host port 8080 to container port 80, and host port 8443 to container port 443; in that example, open the host address on port 8080.

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Mount persistent storage at /etc/nginx-ui before starting the container. The same directory holds application data and, when using host SSH control, the host-key allow-list. A bind mount or Docker volume helps retain this state across container replacement. Mount /var/www only if your deployment needs it. Treat the guide’s example mounts—including its Docker socket mount—as examples, not a least-privilege default for every installation.

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2. Start the container

Use the official guide’s Docker run or Compose example as a starting point, adapting host paths and port mappings to your chosen control mode. For a basic bundled-Nginx deployment, do not add the Docker socket unless you have chosen a documented feature that requires it. Make sure the /etc/nginx volume is empty on first run, as specified by the guide; do not place existing Nginx configuration there before initial startup.

3. Retrieve the temporary setup secret

On first startup, Nginx UI creates .install_secret alongside app.ini in /etc/nginx-ui. With a host directory mounted there, read the secret from that directory. If no mount exists, the guide gives this fallback:

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docker exec <container_name> cat /etc/nginx-ui/.install_secret

Open the host address on the port mapped to container port 80 and enter the secret in the initial setup flow. It is valid only during the first-run setup window and is removed after setup completes or the window expires. If it is missing, check that the container has started and look in the mounted data directory; an expired secret requires resolving the setup state rather than treating an old secret as reusable.

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Secure host-installed Nginx access over SSH

Use the documented SSH mode when Nginx UI runs in Docker but must control Nginx installed on the same host. Its setup wizard performs connectivity and configuration checks, but host access still depends on careful account, key, and privilege configuration. The [host SSH guide] recommends enabling administrator two-factor authentication before opening the host SSH setup wizard.

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Use a dedicated account and a scoped key

  • On Linux, use a dedicated unprivileged nginxui account. The guide’s sample adds the account to adm for log access; grant only the access this deployment needs.
  • Generate a key in the wizard or provide one. A generated Ed25519 key is stored at /etc/nginx-ui/host_key; a pasted or uploaded key is stored with mode 0600. This setup does not support encrypted private keys.
  • Verify the SSH host fingerprint through a trusted channel before accepting it. Host SSH mode requires a known_hosts allow-list. Treat a changed host key for the same algorithm as security-sensitive, not as a routine prompt to accept.
  • On Linux, install the generated sudoers entry using visudo. Keep custom TestConfigCmd, ReloadCmd, and RestartCmd values empty unless the sudoers entry explicitly covers those commands.

Choose how the UI accesses host files

The guide offers SFTP or mounted-file access. SFTP avoids host-directory bind mounts, but rescans changes on a 30-second interval and has a documented limitation: it cannot discover certificates that exist only on the host. Mounted-file access requires bind mounts and container recreation when those mounts change.

Persist /etc/nginx-ui in a volume or bind mount so /etc/nginx-ui/known_hosts and related UI data survive upgrades and container rebuilds. Before saving the SSH setup, run the wizard’s applicable checks for SSH connectivity, Nginx configuration, platform and service status, file permissions, and sudo coverage.

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Limit Docker-socket access when managing another container

For the documented separate-container mode, Nginx UI needs the host Docker socket and the target container name to route status and control commands. It also needs matching Nginx configuration and log paths mounted into its own filesystem; its configuration mount must be writable. The Nginx container’s corresponding mount may be read-only.

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Access to the Docker socket is a powerful host-control capability. Because the documented mode requires it, protect the management interface and the Docker host accordingly, and avoid granting socket access to deployments that do not need this control path. Do not confuse the socket’s role in issuing container commands with file access: Nginx UI reads and writes the configuration through its own mounted paths.

Put Nginx UI behind a reverse proxy carefully

Nginx UI documents ticket-based WebSocket authentication: a short-lived explicit token is obtained through a CSRF-protected API endpoint. If a reverse proxy exposes the UI under a different public origin, serves multiple management domains, or supports local development, WebSocketTrustedOrigins is an optional additional defense. Same-origin connections do not need to be added. Keep the trusted-origin list as small as the deployment requires; see the [HTTP configuration guide].

Check the deployment before relying on it

  • Confirm the browser reaches the host port mapped to container port 80; do not browse to the internal backend port 9000.
  • Confirm /etc/nginx-ui is persistent and contains the expected application data.
  • For separate-container control, verify the target container name, Docker-socket access, and matching config/log mounts; keep only the UI-side configuration mount writable.
  • For SSH host control, verify the trusted host fingerprint, known_hosts persistence, account permissions, and the applicable wizard checks before saving.
  • Recheck the official documentation and the release-specific image you deploy when upgrading: the repository README follows a development branch, and image tags and workflows may change.

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