Project: deploy a real web app with Docker, Nginx, HTTPS and automatic deploys

Time to put it all together. In this project you deploy a small web app to a cloud server the way professionals do: containers, a reverse proxy, HTTPS, a CI/CD pipeline and backups. It's an excellent portfolio piece.

What you'll build

GitHub repo ──push──► GitHub Actions (test, build image) ──► registry
                                                            │
                                         server pulls new image and restarts
                                                            ▼
Users ──HTTPS──► Nginx (reverse proxy, Let's Encrypt) ──► app container ──► database container (volume)
                                                                            │
                                                                nightly backup → object storage

What you need

• A small cloud server (VPS) with Ubuntu: from a big cloud's free tier or a VPS provider. Some Kenyan hosting companies also offer VPS plans billed in shillings.
• A domain name (see domains).
• A GitHub account.
• An app: any small Node, Python or PHP app (or one from the projects subject).

Step 1: prepare the server

Follow the checklist from Linux servers for DevOps: SSH keys, a deploy user, updates, firewall (22, 80, 443). Then install Docker:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker deploy    # log out and in again

Step 2: containerise the app

Write a Dockerfile and compose.yaml like in the Docker lesson. Test locally: docker compose up -d, open the app in your browser.

Step 3: point the domain

Create an A record for app.yourdomain.co.ke pointing to the server's public IP. DNS changes can take minutes to hours.

Step 4: Nginx as a reverse proxy with HTTPS

Install Nginx and Certbot on the server:

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

# /etc/nginx/sites-available/app
server {
    server_name app.yourdomain.co.ke;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/app /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d app.yourdomain.co.ke     # free HTTPS certificate, auto-renews

In compose.yaml, publish the app only on localhost ("127.0.0.1:3000:3000") so it's reachable through Nginx, not directly from the internet.

Step 5: automatic deploys

In GitHub Actions (see CI/CD):

1. On every push to main: run tests.
2. Build the image and push it to GitHub Container Registry, tagged with the commit ID.
3. SSH into the server and run:

cd /home/deploy/app
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d
docker image prune -f

Store the SSH key and server address as repository secrets.

Step 6: backups

# /home/deploy/backup.sh (run nightly with cron)
docker compose exec -T db mysqldump -u root -p"$DB_ROOT_PASSWORD" shop | gzip > /home/deploy/backups/shop-$(date +%F).sql.gz
find /home/deploy/backups -name "*.sql.gz" -mtime +14 -delete

Copy backups off the server too (object storage or another location). Test restoring a backup at least once; a backup you can't restore isn't a backup.

Step 7: monitoring

• An uptime monitor that alerts you when the site is down (many have free plans).
• Check docker compose logs, disk space and memory regularly (next lesson covers proper monitoring).

Document it for your portfolio

Write a README with: the architecture diagram, what each part does, how to deploy, how backups work, and what you'd improve. Link it on your CV and LinkedIn.

Summary

• Prepare a hardened server, install Docker and containerise your app.
• Point a domain, put Nginx in front as a reverse proxy and add free HTTPS with Certbot.
• Automate deploys with GitHub Actions and a container registry.
• Back up nightly, store copies off the server, test restores and add uptime monitoring.