Arcane Docker Management Deployment Guide

Key Features

• Container lifecycle management (start, stop, restart, logs, exec)
• Docker Compose project deployment
• Image, volume, and network administration
• Real-time resource monitoring
• Multi-environment support via remote agents
• Dark/light mode with mobile-responsive design

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

Server Requirements

• Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 LTS
• 2GB RAM minimum (4GB recommended)
• 20GB+ SSD storage
• Ports 80, 443, 3552 available

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Optional Requirements

• Domain for SSL/HTTPS access
• DNS records configured
• Basic command line knowledge
• SSH client installed

Initial Server Setup

Connect to your RamNode VPS and prepare the system:

Connect via SSH

ssh root@your-server-ip

Update System Packages

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Create Non-Root User (Recommended)

adduser deployer
usermod -aG sudo deployer
su - deployer

💡 Security: Using a non-root user for deployment is a security best practice.

Installing Docker

Install Docker Engine and Docker Compose plugin:

Install Prerequisites

sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

Add Docker GPG Key

sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | \
  sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

Add Docker Repository

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) \
  signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] \
  https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

Install Docker Engine

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io \
  docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Add User to Docker Group

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Verify Installation

docker --version
docker compose version

Deploying Arcane

Create the project directory and generate security keys:

Create Project Directory

mkdir -p ~/arcane && cd ~/arcane

Generate Security Keys

# Generate 32-byte encryption key (base64)
openssl rand -base64 32

# Generate JWT secret
openssl rand -base64 32

⚠️ Important: Save these keys securely—you'll need them for the configuration.

docker-compose.yml

services:
  arcane:
    image: ghcr.io/getarcaneapp/arcane:latest
    container_name: arcane
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - '3552:3552'
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - arcane-data:/app/data
      - /opt/docker:/opt/docker
    environment:
      - APP_URL=http://localhost:3552
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - ENCRYPTION_KEY=your_generated_encryption_key
      - JWT_SECRET=your_generated_jwt_secret

volumes:
  arcane-data:

Variable	Description
APP_URL	Base URL for Arcane (update when using reverse proxy)
ENCRYPTION_KEY	32-byte key for encrypting sensitive settings (required)
JWT_SECRET	Secret for JWT token signing (required)
PUID/PGID	User/group IDs for file permissions (use id -u and id -g)

Start Arcane

docker compose up -d

Verify Container

docker compose logs -f arcane

Initial Setup

Access Arcane and complete the onboarding:

Access URL:

http://your-server-ip:3552

Complete the Setup Wizard:

Create your admin account with a strong password
Configure your default settings
Set up your projects directory
Start managing your Docker containers!

✅ Arcane is now running and ready to manage your Docker containers.

Reverse Proxy with SSL

For production deployments, configure Nginx as a reverse proxy with SSL:

Install Nginx and Certbot

sudo apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Create Nginx Configuration

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/arcane

/etc/nginx/sites-available/arcane

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name arcane.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3552;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Enable Site and Get SSL

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/arcane /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d arcane.yourdomain.com

Update Arcane APP_URL

# In docker-compose.yml, update:
- APP_URL=https://arcane.yourdomain.com

Recreate Container

docker compose up -d

Security Hardening

Secure your Arcane installation:

Configure Firewall:

UFW Configuration

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw enable

# Block direct access to port 3552 (use reverse proxy instead)
sudo ufw deny 3552

Docker Socket Security (Optional):

For enhanced security, consider using a Docker socket proxy to limit what Arcane can do:

Docker Socket Proxy

services:
  socket-proxy:
    image: tecnativa/docker-socket-proxy
    container_name: socket-proxy
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
    environment:
      - CONTAINERS=1
      - IMAGES=1
      - NETWORKS=1
      - VOLUMES=1

Maintenance & Backups

Keep your installation up to date and backed up:

Update Arcane:

Pull Latest Version

cd ~/arcane
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Backup Script:

backup-arcane.sh

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR=/opt/backups/arcane
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR
docker run --rm -v arcane_arcane-data:/data \
  -v $BACKUP_DIR:/backup alpine \
  tar czf /backup/arcane-$DATE.tar.gz -C /data .

View Logs:

Container Logs

# Real-time logs
docker compose logs -f arcane

# Last 100 lines
docker compose logs --tail 100 arcane

Troubleshooting

Container Won't Start

Check logs: docker compose logs arcane
Verify Docker socket permissions: ls -la /var/run/docker.sock
Ensure ENCRYPTION_KEY is exactly 32 bytes

Permission Denied Errors

Verify PUID/PGID match your user: id -u && id -g
Check Docker group membership: groups $USER
Re-login or run: newgrp docker

WebSocket Connection Issues

Ensure Nginx configuration includes WebSocket headers
Check that proxy_read_timeout is set sufficiently high
Verify APP_URL matches your actual domain

🎉 Deployment Complete!

You now have a fully functional Arcane installation on your RamNode VPS. Arcane provides a clean, modern interface for managing your Docker containers, images, volumes, and networks.

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