OpenPanel

Deploy with Dokploy

Deploy OpenPanel using Dokploy's Docker Compose template

Dokploy is an open-source, self-hosted platform for deploying applications. OpenPanel can be deployed on Dokploy using the Docker Compose template, with some specific configuration requirements.

⚠️ Important: The Dokploy template requires specific configuration that differs from Coolify. Make sure to follow all steps carefully, especially the environment variables and domain configuration.

⚠️ Important: We have an open issue on dokploy https://github.com/Dokploy/templates/issues/292 and hoping it will be resolved.

Prerequisites

  • A Dokploy instance installed and running
  • A server with at least 2GB RAM (4GB+ recommended)
  • Domain name configured in Dokploy

Quick Start

Deploy OpenPanel Template

  1. Log in to your Dokploy dashboard
  2. Navigate to your project
  3. Click "New Application" or "Deploy"
  4. Select "Docker Compose" or search for "OpenPanel" template
  5. Select the OpenPanel template

Configure Domain Names

Configure your domain names in Dokploy:

  1. Set up the main domain for the dashboard (e.g., analytics.yourdomain.com)
  2. Configure the API domain - this should be the same domain as the dashboard, with the API path forwarded to /api

The API and dashboard use the same domain. The API service has a forward path to /api, so make sure to configure this correctly.

Configure Environment Variables

Edit the .env file or environment variables in Dokploy. You must set these environment variables:

# Required: Set these to your actual domain
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=https://yourdomain.com/api
NEXT_PUBLIC_DASHBOARD_URL=https://yourdomain.com
 
# Database Configuration (automatically set by Dokploy)
OPENPANEL_POSTGRES_DB=openpanel-db
SERVICE_USER_POSTGRES=postgres
SERVICE_PASSWORD_POSTGRES=<auto-generated>
SERVICE_PASSWORD_REDIS=<auto-generated>
 
# Optional Configuration
OPENPANEL_ALLOW_REGISTRATION=false
OPENPANEL_ALLOW_INVITATION=true
RESEND_API_KEY=your-resend-api-key
OPENPANEL_EMAIL_SENDER=noreply@yourdomain.com

⚠️ Critical: Unlike Coolify, Dokploy does not support SERVICE_FQDN_* variables. You must hardcode NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL and NEXT_PUBLIC_DASHBOARD_URL with your actual domain values.

Configure API Service Domain Settings

In Dokploy, configure the API service domain:

  1. Go to the op-api service configuration
  2. Set up the domain configuration: 
    [[config.domains]]
serviceName = "op-api"
port = 3000
host = "${api_domain}"
  3. Important: Check the "Strip external path" checkbox for the API service

The "Strip external path" option is crucial! Without it, the API will receive incorrect paths when requests are forwarded from /api.

Deploy

  1. Review all configuration
  2. Click "Deploy" or "Save"
  3. Wait for all services to start and become healthy

Monitor the deployment logs to ensure all services start correctly.

Verify Installation

Once deployment is complete:

  1. Check that all services are running:

    • op-api - API server
    • op-dashboard - Dashboard (frontend)
    • op-worker - Background worker
    • op-db - PostgreSQL database
    • op-kv - Redis cache
    • op-ch - ClickHouse database

  2. Access your dashboard at your configured domain

  3. Try creating an account to verify the API is working correctly

If you're using Cloudflare in front of Dokploy, remember to purge the Cloudflare cache after making changes to ensure updated resources are served.

Configuration Details

Required Environment Variables

For Dokploy, you must hardcode these variables (unlike Coolify, Dokploy doesn't support SERVICE_FQDN_* variables):

  • NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL - Full API URL (e.g., https://analytics.example.com/api)
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_DASHBOARD_URL - Full Dashboard URL (e.g., https://analytics.example.com)

Dokploy automatically sets:

  • OPENPANEL_POSTGRES_DB - PostgreSQL database name
  • SERVICE_USER_POSTGRES - PostgreSQL username
  • SERVICE_PASSWORD_POSTGRES - PostgreSQL password (auto-generated)
  • SERVICE_PASSWORD_REDIS - Redis password (auto-generated)

For a complete reference of all available environment variables, see the Environment Variables documentation.

Domain Configuration

The API and dashboard services share the same domain:

  • Dashboard: Serves the frontend at the root path (/)
  • API: Serves the API at /api path

Important settings for the API service:

  • Domain: Same as dashboard domain
  • Path: /api
  • Strip external path: ✅ Must be checked

This ensures that when requests come to /api/*, the path is correctly forwarded to the API service without the /api prefix.

Troubleshooting

API Requests Not Working

If API requests fail after deployment:

  1. Verify environment variables:

    # Check that NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL is set correctly
docker exec <op-api-container> env | grep NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL
docker exec <op-dashboard-container> env | grep NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL

  2. Check "Strip external path" setting:

    • Go to API service configuration in Dokploy
    • Ensure "Strip external path" is checked

  3. Verify domain configuration:

    • API service should have path /api
    • Dashboard service should be at root /

Account Creation Not Working

If account creation fails:

  1. Check API logs:

    # In Dokploy, view logs for op-api service

  2. Verify NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL matches your domain:

    • Should be https://yourdomain.com/api
    • Not http://localhost:3000 or similar

  3. Check that the API service is accessible:

    curl https://yourdomain.com/api/healthcheck

Cloudflare Cache Issues

If you're using Cloudflare in front of Dokploy:

  1. After deploying or updating, purge Cloudflare cache
  2. This ensures updated resources are served immediately
  3. You can do this from Cloudflare dashboard or API

Database Connection Issues

If services can't connect to databases:

  1. Verify database services are running:

    • op-db (PostgreSQL)
    • op-kv (Redis)
    • op-ch (ClickHouse)

  2. Check environment variables are set:

    docker exec <op-api-container> env | grep DATABASE_URL

  3. Verify service names match in docker-compose:

    • Database service names: op-db, op-kv, op-ch
    • These should match the hostnames in connection strings

Docker Compose Structure

The OpenPanel template includes these services:

  • op-api: OpenPanel API server
  • op-dashboard: OpenPanel dashboard (frontend)
  • op-worker: Background worker for processing events
  • op-db: PostgreSQL database
  • op-kv: Redis cache
  • op-ch: ClickHouse analytics database

Differences from Coolify

The Dokploy template differs from Coolify in these ways:

  1. Environment Variables:

    • Dokploy does not support SERVICE_FQDN_* variables
    • Must hardcode NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL and NEXT_PUBLIC_DASHBOARD_URL

  2. Domain Configuration:

    • Must manually configure domain paths
    • Must enable "Strip external path" for API service

  3. Service Discovery:

    • Uses standard Docker Compose service names
    • No automatic FQDN resolution

Updating OpenPanel

To update OpenPanel in Dokploy:

  1. Pull the latest images:

    docker compose pull

  2. Restart services:

    docker compose up -d

Or use Dokploy's UI to restart services.

Next Steps

Additional Resources

Previous

Deploy with Coolify

Next

Deploy on Kubernetes

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