Traefik, the API Gateway

This project starts an API Gateway (Traefik) on your local server.
It is configured to:

• Use Docker as a service provider.
• Expose and listen on port 443 (HTTPS).
• Redirect incoming traffic on port 80 to 443.
• Automatically handle SSL certificates and DNS via DuckDNS.

DuckDNS offers 5 free subdomains, which you can use to set up your apps.

---

Prerequisites

• Docker
• Docker Compose

---

Installation

1. Port Forwarding on Your Router

1. Access your router settings (often at http://192.168.1.1).
2. Forward port 443 (HTTPS) to the local server running Traefik.

2. Free DNS & HTTPS with DuckDNS

1. Create a free account on DuckDNS.

2. Link your public IP address to one or more DuckDNS subdomains of your choice.

3. Initialize the .env file:

   cp .env.sample .env

4. Edit the .env file to include your email address, DuckDNS token, and subdomains. For example:

   DUCKDNS_EMAIL=myuser@example.com
   DUCKDNS_TOKEN=4f51...
   DUCKDNS_DOMAINS=domain1,domain2

   • DUCKDNS_EMAIL: Your email address.
   • DUCKDNS_TOKEN: The token from the DuckDNS dashboard.
   • DUCKDNS_DOMAINS: A comma-separated list of the subdomain names you created on DuckDNS (e.g., if your DuckDNS subdomain is domain1.duckdns.org, just put domain1 here).

   Note: Each domain listed in DUCKDNS_DOMAINS corresponds to domain-name.duckdns.org.

5. Create an empty homeserver-https-cert.json file and secure it by setting permissions to 600:

   touch homeserver-https-cert.json
   chmod 600 homeserver-https-cert.json

6. Traefik will automatically renew certificates before they expire.

7. Start Traefik:

   docker network create homeserver
   docker compose up -d
   firefox http://localhost:8080

---

Key Points

1. Traefik Dashboard

   • By default, the Traefik dashboard is exposed (insecure) at http://your-server:8080.
   • You can secure or disable the dashboard by removing --api.insecure=true from the Traefik configuration.

2. Certificate Renewal

   • Traefik automatically renews Let’s Encrypt certificates before they expire.

3. Additional Applications

   • You can add other Docker services by labeling them for Traefik with a different Host() or PathPrefix() rule.

---

Automating IP Updates on DuckDNS

If your public IP changes frequently (e.g., residential internet service), you can keep your DuckDNS subdomains updated automatically:

1. Auto-Refresh Script

   • Create a script (e.g., autorefresh-dns.sh) that detects your IPv4/IPv6 and updates DuckDNS for each subdomain in DUCKDNS_DOMAINS.
   • Make sure it reads your DuckDNS token and subdomains from the .env file.

2. Cron Scheduling

   • Give execution permission:

     chmod +x autorefresh-dns.sh

   • Schedule it in cron (e.g., every 5 minutes):

     crontab -e
     */5 * * * * /path/to/autorefresh-dns.sh

This ensures that your DuckDNS subdomains always match your current public IP, keeping your SSL certificates valid and your services accessible.