How to Install Padloc on Ubuntu 20.04

Updated on November 21, 2023
How to Install Padloc on Ubuntu 20.04 header image

Introduction

Padloc is a self-hosted password manager with support for both individuals and teams. This tutorial explains how to install Padloc on Ubuntu 20.04. This tutorial will use Docker, docker-compose, and Nginx to secure the configuration.

Prerequisites

Before you begin these steps, you should:

You should also create a DNS A record that points a host name to the IP address of your server. The DNS name is required for Certbot to install a TLS/SSL certificate.

Installation

Certbot and Git

  1. Install Git using apt.

     $ sudo apt install git
  2. Remove any apt-installed versions of Certbot. It is okay if apt reports that none are installed.

     $ sudo apt remove certbot
  3. Ensure that your version of snapd is up to date.

     $ sudo snap install core; sudo snap refresh core
  4. Install Certbot using snap.

     $ sudo snap install --classic certbot
  5. Run Certbot and follow the prompts to enter your domain name and redirect all traffic to HTTPS.

     $ sudo certbot certonly --standalone
  6. Take note of your certificate and private key paths when provided. It may be different depending on the domain used.

     Certificate Path: /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem
     Private Key Path: /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem

If you used a different SSL provider, please ensure they are on your server and know their full path. You may put them in the /etc/nginx/ directory if you wish.

Docker

  1. Remove any older versions of Docker and the Docker engine.

     $ sudo apt remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc
  2. Install Docker using snap.

     $ sudo snap install docker

Configuration

Docker Container

  1. Create a directory called padloc in your home directory and enter it.

     $ mkdir ~/padloc
     $ cd ~/padloc
  2. Create and open a new docker-compose.yml file.

     $ nano docker-compose.yml
  3. Add the following lines to the file. Change example.com to your domain name.

     version: "3"
     services:
         server:
             image: padloc/server
             container_name: padloc_server
             expose:
                 - 3000
             volumes:
                 - ${PL_DB_DIR:-./db}:/data
                 - ${PL_ATTACHMENTS_DIR:-./attachments}:/docs
             environment:
                 - PL_PWA_URL
                 - PL_EMAIL_SERVER
                 - PL_EMAIL_PORT
                 - PL_EMAIL_USER
                 - PL_EMAIL_PASSWORD
                 - PL_EMAIL_FROM
         pwa:
             image: padloc/pwa
             container_name: padloc_pwa
             expose:
                 - 8080
             volumes:
                 - ${PL_PWA_DIR:-./pwa}:/pwa
             environment:
                 - PL_SERVER_URL
         nginx:
             image: nginx
             container_name: nginx
             volumes:
                 - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf
                 - ${PL_SSL_CERT:-./ssl/cert.pem}:/ssl/cert
                 - ${PL_SSL_KEY:-./ssl/key.pem}:/ssl/key
             ports:
                 - 80:80
                 - 443:443
  4. Exit the file using Control + X, then press Y, followed by Enter.

Nginx Configuration File

  1. Create and open a new nginx.conf file.

     $ nano nginx.conf
  2. Add the following lines to the file.

     http {
         client_max_body_size 10m;
         server {
             listen 80 default_server;
             listen [::]:80 default_server;
             server_name _;
             return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
         }
    
         server {
             server_name example.com;
             listen 443 ssl http2;
    
             location /server/ {
                 proxy_pass http://padloc_server:3000;
                 rewrite ^/padloc_server(.*)$ $1 break;
             }
    
             location / {
                 proxy_pass http://padloc_pwa:8080;
                 rewrite ^/padloc_pwa(.*)$ $1 break;
             }
    
             ssl_certificate /ssl/cert;
             ssl_certificate_key /ssl/key;
         }
     }
    
     events {}
  3. Exit the file using Control + X, then press Y, followed by Enter.

Create the .env File

  1. Create a new file called .env in your text editor.

     $ nano .env
  2. Copy and paste the values below into your text editor and change them accordingly for your configuration.

     # URL that points to the web application
     PL_PWA_URL=https://example.com/
     # URL that points to the server instance
     PL_SERVER_URL=https://example.com/server/
    
     # The port the server instance will listen on
     PL_SERVER_PORT=3000
     # The directory where database files will be stored
     PL_DB_DIR=./db
     # The directory where attachment files will be stored
     PL_ATTACHMENTS_DIR=./attachments
    
     # The port the web application will be served from
     PL_PWA_PORT=8080
     # The directory where the static code for the web application will be stored
     PL_PWA_DIR=./pwa
    
     # SMTP host
     PL_EMAIL_SERVER=smtp.example.com
     # SMTP username
     PL_EMAIL_USER=example@example.com
     # SMTP port
     PL_EMAIL_PORT=443
     # SMTP password
     PL_EMAIL_PASSWORD=CHANGE_ME
     # Use TLS when sending emails
     PL_EMAIL_SECURE=false
    
     # The path to your SSL certificate (change example.com)
     PL_SSL_CERT=/etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem
     # The path to your SSL private key (change example.com)
     PL_SSL_KEY=/etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem
  3. Save and exit the text editor by using Control + X, then Y, followed by Enter.

  4. Run Padloc by using docker-compose in detached mode. This may take a few seconds.

     $ sudo docker-compose up -d
  5. Check that Padloc is running by using docker. The status should be Up.

     $ sudo docker ps
     STATUS
     Up x seconds/minutes

You have now successfully installed and configured Padloc.

Finishing Steps

You should now navigate to your Padloc installation and create an account.

https://example.com

This completes the steps to install Padloc and secure it using an SSL certificate and an Nginx reverse proxy.

Documentation