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Install Homebox Using Docker Compose

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This article is for those looking for a detailed and straightforward guide on installing Homebox using Docker Compose.

Homebox is an inventory and organization system designed specifically for home users. Emphasizing simplicity and ease of use, it offers the perfect solution for managing your home inventory, organizing belongings, and streamlining household management.

💾 You can find the repository used in this guide on GitHub.

heyvaldemar
/
homebox-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose
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NOTE

We’ll use Traefik as our reverse proxy. It’ll handle obtaining cryptographic certificates from Let’s Encrypt for your domain names and route requests to the corresponding services based on those domains.

CAUTION

To obtain cryptographic certificates, you will need A-type records in the external DNS zone, which point to the IP address of your server where Traefik is installed. If you have created these records recently, you should wait before starting the installation of the services. Full replication of these records between DNS servers can take from a few minutes to 48 hours or even longer in rare cases.

IMPORTANT

Docker Engine and Docker Compose must be installed on the server.

For a step-by-step guide on installing Docker Engine on Ubuntu Server, see Install Docker Engine and Docker Compose on Ubuntu Server

IMPORTANT

OpenSSH must be installed on the server, and port 22 must be open in order to be able to connect to the server using the SSH protocol.

To install OpenSSH on the server you can use the command:

Terminal window
sudo apt install openssh-server
NOTE

To connect to the server from a Windows system, you can use tools like PuTTY or MobaXterm.

NOTE

This guide walks you through connecting to a server with the iTerm2 terminal emulator on macOS.

CAUTION

You will need to open the following TCP ports for access to the services:

  • TCP port 80 - to obtain a free cryptographic certificate through the Let’s Encrypt certification center.
  • TCP port 443 - to access the Homebox web interface.

We connect to the server on which Homebox is planned to be installed.

Now it is necessary to create networks for your services.

We create a network for Traefik using the command:

Terminal window
docker network create traefik-network

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 1

We create a network for Homebox using the command:

Terminal window
docker network create homebox-network

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 2

Next, you need to clone the repository that contains the configuration files, which include all the necessary conditions for Homebox to work.

You can clone the repository using the command:

Terminal window
git clone https://github.com/heyvaldemar/homebox-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose.git

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 3

Navigate to the directory with the repository using the command:

Terminal window
cd homebox-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 4

Next, you need to change the variables in the .env file according to your requirements.

IMPORTANT

The .env file should be in the same directory as homebox-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose.yml.

Now let’s start Homebox with the command:

Terminal window
docker compose -f homebox-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose.yml -p homebox up -d

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 5

To access the Homebox management panel, go to https://homebox.heyvaldemar.net from your workstation, where homebox.heyvaldemar.net is the domain name of my service. Accordingly, you need to specify your domain name that points to the IP address of your server with the installed Traefik service, which will redirect the request to Homebox.

NOTE

You need to specify the domain name of the service, previously defined in the .env file.

Click on the “Register” button.

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 6

The next step is to provide: your full name, an email address and a password to create a Homebox administrator account.

Click on the “Register” button.

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 7

Enter the email and password previously set, and click the “Login” button.

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 8

Welcome to the Homebox control panel.

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 9

To access the Traefik control panel, go to https://traefik.homebox.heyvaldemar.net from your workstation, where traefik.homebox.heyvaldemar.net is the domain name of my service. Accordingly, you need to specify your domain name that points to the IP address of your server with the installed Traefik.

NOTE

You need to specify the domain name of the service, previously defined in the .env file.

Enter the username and password previously set in the .env file, and click the “OK” button.

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 10

Welcome to the Traefik control panel.

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose - Step 11


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Is this content AI-generated?

No. Every article on this blog is written by me personally, drawing on decades of hands-on IT experience and a genuine passion for technology.

I use AI tools exclusively to help polish grammar and ensure my technical guidance is as clear as possible. However, the core ideas, strategic insights, and step-by-step solutions are entirely my own, born from real-world work.

Because of this human-and-AI partnership, some detection tools might flag this content. You can be confident, though, that the expertise is authentic. My goal is to share road-tested knowledge you can trust.

Install Homebox Using Docker Compose
https://www.heyvaldemar.com/install-homebox-using-docker-compose/
Author
Vladimir Mikhalev
Published at
2024-09-28
License
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0