Setting Up Nginx Proxy Manager

Nginx Proxy Manager (NPM) is a Docker-based GUI for managing reverse proxies and SSL certificates — perfect for running multiple services on one server without touching config files.

Requirements

• Docker and Docker Compose installed (see the Docker section)
• Ports 80, 443, and 81 available

Create docker-compose.yml

mkdir ~/npm && cd ~/npm
nano docker-compose.yml

services:
  app:
    image: jc21/nginx-proxy-manager:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
      - "81:81"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
      - ./letsencrypt:/etc/letsencrypt

docker compose up -d

Access the Admin UI

Visit http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:81

Default credentials: admin@example.com / changeme — change these immediately after first login.

Add a Proxy Host

1. Click Proxy Hosts → Add Proxy Host
2. Enter your domain name (e.g., app.yourdomain.com)
3. Forward hostname: localhost (or another IP), Port: your app's port (e.g., 3000)
4. On the SSL tab, select Request a new SSL certificate and enable Force SSL
5. Click Save

NPM will automatically request and renew a Let's Encrypt certificate for your domain.