42.inception

A Docker-based micro-infrastructure that provisions a self-hosted WordPress stack fronted by Nginx and backed by MariaDB. Everything is orchestrated with Docker Compose and reproducible through a simple Makefile.

Stack

• Nginx: reverse proxy + TLS termination (ports 80/443)
• WordPress (PHP-FPM): application container
• MariaDB: relational database
• Bridge network: inception-network
• Bind-mounted data volume: persists website files and database data

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Repository layout

• srcs/docker-compose.yml: Compose file defining services, network, and the persistent volume
• srcs/requirements/: Dockerfiles and configs for nginx, wordpress, and mariadb
• secrets/tls/: expected location for TLS key/cert used by Nginx
• Makefile: helper targets to build, run, and clean the environment

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Configuration

1) Environment file (.env)

Create a .env file in srcs/ next to docker-compose.yml. The following variables are referenced:

• WordPress/site

  • WP_URL (domain used by WordPress and Nginx)
  • WP_ADMIN_USER
  • WP_ADMIN_PASSWORD
  • WP_ADMIN_EMAIL
  • WP_USER
  • WP_USER_EMAIL
  • WP_USER_PASSWORD

• Database

  • DB_NAME
  • DB_USER
  • DB_PASSWORD
  • DB_HOST (should match the DB service hostname, e.g. mariadb)

Example:

WP_URL=example.local
WP_ADMIN_USER=admin
WP_ADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me
WP_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.local
WP_USER=author
WP_USER_EMAIL=author@example.local
WP_USER_PASSWORD=change-me

DB_NAME=wordpress
DB_USER=wpuser
DB_PASSWORD=change-me
DB_HOST=mariadb

Place the file at: srcs/.env

2) TLS certificates for Nginx

Nginx expects TLS materials mounted at secrets/tls in the project root, which are mapped into the container at /etc/nginx/secrets.

• Directory: secrets/tls/
• Recommended filenames: server.crt and server.key

Generate self-signed certs (example):

openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout secrets/tls/server.key -out secrets/tls/server.crt -days 365 -subj "/CN=example.local"

Update example.local to match your WP_URL.

3) Persistent data path

The bind-mounted volume is configured in srcs/docker-compose.yml to point to a host path:

volumes:
  web_data:
    driver: local
    driver_opts:
      type: none
      o: bind
      device: /home/bruno/data

If you change it, keep the rest of the volume configuration the same.

Makefile targets

The Makefile wraps common Docker Compose actions against srcs/docker-compose.yml.

• make (default ALL): build and start the stack in the foreground
• make re: prune old resources, recreate the stack from scratch
• make fclean: stop and remove all containers, images, volumes, and networks on your system (destructive)

Commands executed (for reference):

ALL:
	docker compose -f ./srcs/docker-compose.yml up --build

re: fclean
	docker system prune -a -f
	docker compose -f ./srcs/docker-compose.yml down -v
	docker compose -f ./srcs/docker-compose.yml up --build

fclean:
	docker stop $$(docker ps -qa) || true
	docker rm $$(docker ps -qa) || true
	docker rmi -f $$(docker images -qa) || true
	docker volume rm $$(docker volume ls -q) || true
	docker network rm $$(docker network ls -q) || true

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Usage

1. Create srcs/.env with the variables listed above.
2. Put TLS files in secrets/tls/ (server.crt, server.key).
3. Ensure the data directory configured at volumes.web_data.driver_opts.device exists and is accessible by Docker.
4. Optionally add your domain (e.g. example.local) to the hosts file.
5. Start the stack:
   • make
6. Access:
   • HTTP: http://<WP_URL> (or http://localhost if using raw ports)
   • HTTPS: https://<WP_URL>

On first run, WordPress will auto-configure using the provided environment variables.

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Services overview

• nginx

  • Builds from srcs/requirements/nginx/
  • Listens on host ports 80 and 443
  • Mounts web_data at /var/www/html and TLS secrets at /etc/nginx/secrets
  • Depends on wordpress and mariadb

• wordpress

  • Builds from srcs/requirements/wordpress/
  • Receives DB and site settings via environment variables
  • Mounts web_data at /var/www/html

• mariadb

  • Builds from srcs/requirements/mariadb/
  • Receives DB name/user/password via environment variables
  • Mounts web_data at /var/lib/mysql

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