Dozzle Log Viewer on AlmaLinux 9 (Docker + Nginx + SSL)

Dozzle is a lightweight, real-time log viewer for Docker containers. Instead of manually tailing logs with docker logs -f, Dozzle provides a clean web-based dashboard where you can stream and filter logs from all your containers instantly. It runs as a single Docker container, requires no database, and is designed for developers and sysadmins who need quick insights without deploying a full logging stack.

AlmaLinux 9 is a stable, enterprise-grade distribution that serves as a 1:1 RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) binary-compatible alternative. It’s widely used in production environments, providing long-term support, SELinux enforcement, and enterprise security updates. Combined with Dozzle, AlmaLinux 9 gives you a reliable, secure platform for managing container logs.

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Architecture Overview

Layer	Component	Role
OS	AlmaLinux 9	Enterprise-grade RHEL-compatible base; systemd service management
Runtime	Docker Engine	Runs Dozzle container in isolation
Application	Dozzle	Web UI for real-time Docker logs
Reverse Proxy	Nginx (optional)	TLS termination, HTTP/2, compression, and access control
TLS	Let’s Encrypt / PKI	Secure HTTPS access to the log viewer

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Why Use Dozzle?

• Simple deployment – one container, no database, no extra services.
• Real-time visibility – instantly stream logs from multiple containers.
• Low resource usage – much lighter than ELK or Loki.
• User-friendly – accessible web interface, no SSH required.
• Flexible – can run standalone or alongside enterprise observability stacks.

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Dozzle vs Other Logging Tools

Feature/Capability	Dozzle	Loki + Grafana	ELK/EFK Stack	Docker CLI
Setup complexity	Very low (1 container)	Medium (multi-service)	High (Elasticsearch, Beats, Kibana)	None
Log storage	No (stream only)	Yes (time-series DB)	Yes (Elasticsearch DB)	No
User interface	Built-in Web UI	Grafana dashboards	Full dashboards	None (terminal)
Best use case	Quick log access	Centralized logging	Enterprise-scale logging	Debug only

Dozzle is the right choice when you need live logs at a glance, without the complexity of heavy log management systems. For long-term log storage or analytics, it complements centralized solutions like Loki or ELK.

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Security & Best Practices

• Run Dozzle behind Nginx with HTTPS in production.
• Add basic authentication or integrate SSO/OAuth if accessed publicly.
• Limit access with firewall rules and SELinux policies.
• Keep Dozzle updated (amir20/dozzle:latest).
• Combine with Prometheus/Grafana for a full observability stack.

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Typical Use Cases

• Local or staging environments for quick debugging.
• Small production servers where ELK or Loki are overkill.
• Real-time log streaming for CI/CD pipelines or microservices.
• Complementing centralized logging with fast, live visibility.

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1. Create a Shape.Host VPS Instance

Go to https://shape.host and log in.

Click “Create” → “Instance”.

Select the server location closest to your users.

Choose AlmaLinux 9 (64-bit) as the OS.

Pick a plan with at least 2 CPUs, 4 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD.

Click “Create Instance”.

Copy the IP address of your instance from the Resources section.

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2. Connect to Your VPS

On Linux/macOS

ssh root@your-server-ip

On Windows

• If using PowerShell on Windows 10/11: ssh root@your-server-ip
• On older Windows, use PuTTY and log in as root with your server’s IP.

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3. Update the System and Install Required Tools

dnf update

Updates all system packages.

dnf install yum-utils device-mapper-persistent-data lvm2 curl wget

Installs required tools for managing repositories and storage.

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4. Install Docker and Docker Compose

Add the official Docker repository:

dnf config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo

Install Docker and related components:

dnf install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Enable and start Docker:

systemctl enable --now docker

Check versions:

docker --version
docker compose version

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5. Deploy Dozzle with Docker Compose

Create a directory for Dozzle:

mkdir -p /opt/dozzle
cd /opt/dozzle

Create the docker-compose.yml file:

cat > /opt/dozzle/docker-compose.yml <<'YML'
services:
  dozzle:
    image: amir20/dozzle:latest
    container_name: dozzle
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "wget", "-qO-", "http://localhost:8080/health"]
      interval: 15s
      timeout: 3s
      retries: 5
    restart: unless-stopped
YML

Remove old Dozzle container if it exists:

docker rm -f dozzle 2>/dev/null || true

Start Dozzle:

docker compose up -d

Check running containers:

docker compose ps

View logs:

docker logs dozzle --tail=50

Verify Dozzle health:

curl -s http://127.0.0.1:8080/health

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6. Configure Nginx as Reverse Proxy

Install Nginx:

dnf install nginx

Enable and start Nginx:

systemctl enable --now nginx

Create the Dozzle configuration:

cat > /etc/nginx/conf.d/dozzle.conf <<'NGINX'
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    # Optional Basic Auth (see 4.4)
    # auth_basic "Restricted";
    # auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Connection "";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}
NGINX

Test and reload Nginx:

nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx

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7. Enable SSL with Let’s Encrypt

Install Certbot:

dnf install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Run Certbot to obtain SSL:

certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

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8. Access Dozzle

Open your browser and visit:

https://your-domain.com

You should see the Dozzle web UI, showing real-time Docker logs. 🎉

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This tutorial was tested on a Shape.Host Linux SSD VPS.

With Shape.Host, you can:

• Deploy fast Cloud VPS globally
• Run Linux distributions like AlmaLinux, Debian, Ubuntu, and Rocky Linux
• Scale resources instantly (CPU, RAM, Storage)
• Use backups, snapshots, and monitoring for reliability

Start your project today with Shape.Host and set up Dozzle in minutes.