Install Nextcloud with OnlyOffice Using Docker Compose

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

Nextcloud is an analogue of Dropbox, which you can install on your own server and make a cloud for storing files - photos, videos and any others. The application can be used for collaboration and confidential file sharing, setting access levels for each user. You can also make voice and video calls using the separate NextCloud Talk mobile app.

OnlyOffice offers a secure online office suite highly compatible with MS Office formats. Connect it to your web platform for document editing and collaboration or use as a part of OnlyOffice Workspace.

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

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

Remember that without a secure connection, the services will not work.

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:

1
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 Nextcloud web interface.

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

Now it is necessary to create networks for your services.

We create a network for Traefik using the command:

1
docker network create traefik-network

We create a network for Nextcloud using the command:

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docker network create nextcloud-network

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docker network create onlyoffice-network

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

You can clone the repository using the command:

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git clone https://github.com/heyvaldemar/nextcloud-onlyoffice-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose.git

Navigate to the directory with the repository using the command:

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cd nextcloud-onlyoffice-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose

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 nextcloud-onlyoffice-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose.yml.

Now let’s start Nextcloud with the command:

1
docker compose -f nextcloud-onlyoffice-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose.yml -p nextcloud up -d

To access the Nextcloud management panel, go to https://nextcloud.heyvaldemar.net from your workstation, where nextcloud.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 Nextcloud.

NOTE

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

Enter the username and password that you previously set in the .env file, and click the “Log In” button.

Welcome to the Nextcloud control panel.

Click the profile picture in the top-right corner, then select the “Apps” button.

Select “Integration” on the left sidebar and search for ONLYOFFICE integration.

Click on “Download and Enable” to install the ONLYOFFICE integration.

Click the profile picture in the top-right corner, then select the “Administration Settings” button.

Select “ONLYOFFICE” on the left sidebar.

In the “ONLYOFFICE Docs address” field, enter the domain name of the ONLYOFFICE service.

In the “Secret Key” field, enter the Secret Key for the ONLYOFFICE service.

CAUTION

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

CAUTION

CAUTION

You will need cryptographic certificates for your domain names. In my configuration, certificates are requested automatically using Traefik and Let’s Encrypt. Remember that without a secure connection, the services will not work.

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.

Click on the “Save” button.

Settings have been successfully updated.

Let’s try to create a document using OnlyOffice.

Click the folder icon in the left corner, then click the plus button and choose “New document” in OnlyOffice.

Enter the name for the new document and click the arrow button.

The document was successfully created.