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How to Install Padloc on Ubuntu 20.04

DockerPadlocUbuntu
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