Dozzle Log Viewer on Rocky Linux 9 (Docker + Nginx + SSL)

Dozzle is a lightweight, web-based log viewer for Docker containers. Instead of running docker logs -f on each container, Dozzle gives you a real-time, searchable dashboard where you can see logs from all containers in one place. It runs as a single container with no database, making it fast to deploy and easy to maintain — perfect for developers and sysadmins who want instant visibility into their workloads without the complexity of a full logging stack.

Rocky Linux 9 is a community-driven, RHEL-compatible enterprise distribution that focuses on stability, performance, and long-term support. With strong security updates and binary compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux provides a reliable foundation for running production services like Dozzle.

---

Architecture Overview

Layer	Component	Role
OS	Rocky Linux 9	Enterprise-grade, RHEL-compatible base with long-term support
Runtime	Docker Engine	Runs Dozzle in an isolated container
Application	Dozzle	Real-time web UI for container logs
Reverse Proxy	Nginx (optional)	TLS termination, routing, HTTP/2, compression, authentication
TLS	Let’s Encrypt / PKI	Provides HTTPS for secure log access

---

Why Use Dozzle?

• One-command setup – runs as a single Docker container.
• Instant log visibility – stream logs across all containers in real time.
• Low resource usage – extremely lightweight compared to ELK or Loki stacks.
• Simple web UI – easy access to logs without SSH.
• Flexible integration – use it standalone or alongside centralized logging systems.

---

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
UI	Built-in web UI	Grafana dashboards	Kibana dashboards	None (terminal)
Use case	Quick log viewing	Centralized logging	Enterprise log analysis	Debugging only

Dozzle shines when you need real-time logs without setup overhead, while ELK or Loki stacks are better suited for environments that require long-term log retention and advanced analytics.

---

Security & Best Practices

• Place Dozzle behind Nginx with SSL for secure external access.
• Add basic authentication or SSO/OAuth for user access control.
• Limit exposure with firewall rules and SELinux/AppArmor.
• Regularly update Dozzle (amir20/dozzle:latest) to patch vulnerabilities.
• Use alongside monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana) for full observability.

---

Typical Use Cases

• Development environments for quick container debugging.
• Staging or test servers where a lightweight solution is enough.
• Small to medium production setups that don’t need centralized log retention.
• Complementing heavy stacks (ELK/Loki) with fast, live log streaming.

---

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 Rocky Linux 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 from the Resources section.

---

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, download PuTTY, enter your server IP, and log in as root.

---

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 repository management utilities and basic tools.

---

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 CE and plugins:

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

---

5. Deploy Dozzle with Docker Compose

Create directory:

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 any 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

Test health endpoint:

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

---

6. Configure Nginx as Reverse Proxy

Install Nginx:

dnf install nginx

Enable and start Nginx:

systemctl enable --now nginx

Create configuration file:

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

---

7. Enable SSL with Let’s Encrypt

Install Certbot:

dnf install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Run Certbot to issue a free SSL certificate:

certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

---

8. Access Dozzle

Now open your browser and visit:

https://your-domain.com

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

---

This tutorial was created and tested on a Shape.Host Cloud VPS.

With Shape.Host you can:

• Deploy fast, reliable Cloud VPS servers worldwide.
• Run Linux distributions like Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Debian, Ubuntu.
• Scale resources instantly (CPU, RAM, Storage) as your project grows.
• Take advantage of snapshots, backups, and monitoring.

Start your own VPS at https://shape.host and deploy Dozzle in just a few minutes.