Set Up SSL Certificate on Ubuntu Server

This guide provides instructions for setting up an SSL certificate on an Ubuntu Server using Docker, Nginx, and Certbot.

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• Ubuntu Server with sudo privileges
• Domain name pointing to your server's IP address

Steps

1. Build Docker Image

docker compose build

2. Update and Upgrade Ubuntu Packages

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

3. Create Directories for Certificates

mkdir -p certificates
mkdir -p certificates/bot

4. Initialize Temporary Self-Signed Certificate

Generate a temporary self-signed certificate to ensure Nginx runs initially.

cd certificates
openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -new -nodes -x509 -days 3650 -keyout privkey.pem -out fullchain.pem
cd ..

5. Copy Configuration Files to Server

Place your default.conf and docker-compose.yaml in the project's root directory.

6. Start Application

docker compose up -d

7. Install Certbot

sudo apt install certbot

8. Generate Let's Encrypt Certificate

Replace [PATH] with your certificates directory path and [DOMAIN_NAME] with your domain name.

sudo certbot certonly --webroot -w [PATH]/certificates/bot -d [DOMAIN_NAME]

Example:

sudo certbot certonly --webroot -w /home/ubuntu/search-engine-shopee/nginx/certificates/bot -d search.vectornguyen.com

9. Copy Generated Certificates

Copy the Let's Encrypt certificates to your certificates directory.

sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/archive/[DOMAIN_NAME]/fullchain1.pem [PATH]/certificates/fullchain.pem
sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/archive/[DOMAIN_NAME]/privkey1.pem [PATH]/certificates/privkey.pem

Example:

sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/archive/search.vectornguyen.com/fullchain1.pem /home/ubuntu/search-engine-shopee/nginx/certificates/fullchain.pem
sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/archive/search.vectornguyen.com/privkey1.pem /home/ubuntu/search-engine-shopee/nginx/certificates/privkey.pem

10. Restart Microservice Application

docker compose restart

11. Renew Certificates

Regularly renew certificates close to expiration.

sudo certbot renew

Notes

• Ensure your domain name is correctly configured to point to your server's IP.
• Regularly check for certificate expiration and renew as needed.