Comprehensive Guide to Getting Started with CapRover

CapRover is an open-source Platform as a Service (PaaS) that simplifies the process of deploying and managing your applications. This guide will walk you through the steps to set up CapRover and deploy your first application.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • A server running Ubuntu (18.04 LTS or newer recommended) with at least 1GB RAM
  • A domain or subdomain pointed to your server’s IP address
  • SSH access to your server

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Step 1: Install Docker

CapRover runs on top of Docker. If you haven’t installed Docker yet, you can do so with these commands:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh

Step 2: Install CapRover

Install CapRover using the following command:

sudo npm install -g caprover

Step 3: Setup CapRover

Now, let’s set up CapRover on your server:

caprover serversetup

This command will ask you several questions. Here’s what to input:

  • CapRover machine name: Choose a name (e.g., my-captain)
  • CapRover password: Choose a strong password
  • Email address for SSL certificates: Your email
  • Domain for CapRover: Your domain or subdomain (e.g., captain.yourdomain.com)
  • CapRover server root domain: Your root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com)

The setup process will take a few minutes to complete.

Step 4: Connect to CapRover

Once the setup is complete, you can access the CapRover dashboard:

  1. Open your web browser and go to https://captain.yourdomain.com
  2. If you see a certificate error, wait a few minutes and try again (Let’s Encrypt is setting up your SSL certificate)
  3. Log in with the password you set during the setup

Step 5: Install CapRover CLI

To deploy applications easily, install the CapRover CLI on your local machine:

npm install -g caprover

Step 6: Connect CLI to CapRover Server

Connect your local CLI to your CapRover server:

caprover login

Enter your CapRover server’s URL and the password you set during setup.

Step 7: Deploy Your First App

Let’s deploy a sample app:

  1. Create a directory for your app:

    mkdir my-first-app
cd my-first-app

  2. Create a simple index.html file:

    echo "<h1>Hello World!</h1>" > index.html

  3. Create a captain-definition file:

    echo '{"schemaVersion": 2, "templateId": "node/8.7.0"}' > captain-definition

  4. Deploy the app:

    caprover deploy

  5. Follow the prompts to name your app and select the CapRover server

After deployment, your app will be accessible at http://my-first-app.yourdomain.com

Additional Configuration

Enable HTTPS for Your App

  1. Go to the CapRover dashboard
  2. Navigate to “Apps” and select your app
  3. Enable HTTPS in the app settings

Set Environment Variables

  1. In the app’s settings on the CapRover dashboard, find the “Environmental Variables” section
  2. Add your variables in the format KEY=VALUE

Persistent Data

For apps that need to persist data:

  1. In the app settings, go to “Persistent Directories”
  2. Add the directories your app needs to persist

Best Practices for CapRover

  1. Regular Backups: Regularly backup your CapRover configurations and app data
  2. Monitor Resources: Keep an eye on your server’s resource usage
  3. Keep Updated: Regularly update CapRover and your deployed apps
  4. Use Version Control: Manage your app code with Git for easier deployments

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

  1. Check the CapRover logs in the dashboard
  2. Ensure your firewall allows necessary ports (80, 443, 3000)
  3. Verify your domain is correctly pointed to your server’s IP

Conclusion

You now have CapRover set up and your first application deployed! CapRover simplifies the process of managing and deploying your applications, allowing you to focus on development rather than infrastructure management.

Remember, the performance of your CapRover instance and deployed apps greatly depends on the underlying hardware. For optimal performance, especially for production workloads, consider using high-performance servers from Servers Guru. Their servers are optimized for containerized applications and PaaS solutions, ensuring your CapRover environment runs smoothly and efficiently.

Happy deploying!