Inception

Overview

Welcome to my Inception project repository! This project, completed as part of my studies at Hive Helsinki, focuses on designing and deploying a self-hosted, containerized infrastructure. Using Docker Compose on an Oracle Cloud-hosted virtual machine, this setup includes a fully functional WordPress site, secured with NGINX, and supported by MariaDB. Each component is configured for performance, isolation, and reliability.

Project Structure

The project leverages Docker to create a small, isolated infrastructure with the following components:

• NGINX: Serves as the only entry point, handling HTTPS requests over TLS v1.2 or v1.3.
• WordPress + PHP-FPM: A containerized WordPress instance, optimized for performance, without a web server included to ensure modularity.
• MariaDB: Provides the database backend for WordPress, stored in a dedicated Docker volume.
• Volumes: Persistent storage for WordPress files and the MariaDB database.
• Docker Network: A private network ensuring secure communication between services.

Features

• Containerization with Docker Compose: Each service runs in its dedicated container, designed with Alpine Linux for lightweight efficiency.
• Security and Stability: TLS-secured entry via NGINX, configured to restart containers automatically in case of failure.

Prerequisites

• Docker & Docker Compose: Ensure Docker and Docker Compose are installed on your system.
• Domain Name: Point your domain name to your VM’s public IP address.
• Environment Variables: Set environment variables in a .env file for credentials and configurations (details below).

Environment Variables

This project uses a .env file to manage sensitive information and configuration. A .env.example file is provided as a template. To use it:

1. Copy .env.example to .env:

   cp ./srcs/.env.example ./srcs/.env

2. Replace placeholder values in .env with your specific settings:

   Required Environment Variables

   Database Credentials:

   • MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: Root password for MySQL.
   • MYSQL_USER: MySQL user for WordPress.
   • MYSQL_PASSWORD: Password for the specified MySQL user.
   • DB_NAME: Database name for WordPress.
   • DB_PASSWORD: Password for accessing the WordPress database.
   • DB_HOST: Database host, typically localhost or the service name if in Docker, e.g., mariadb.

   WordPress Site Configuration:

   • WP_SITE_TITLE: (Optional) Title for the WordPress site.
   • WP_USER: Default WordPress user name.
   • WP_PASSWORD: Password for the default WordPress user.
   • WP_EMAIL: Email for the default WordPress user.
   • WP_ADMIN_USER: WordPress admin username.
   • WP_ADMIN_PASSWORD: Password for the WordPress admin.
   • WP_ADMIN_EMAIL: Email for the WordPress admin.

   WordPress Salts and Keys:

   • Generate fresh values for each deployment using the WordPress Salt Generator for improved security.

Getting Started

1. Clone the repository
2. Configure environment variables (a dummy one is included for reference)
3. Build and run Use the Makefile to build the containers , it will create and start all services defined in the docker-compose.yml
4. Access the application https://localhost:443

Repository Structure

.
├── Makefile            # Automates the build and setup process
├── docker-compose.yml  # Defines services, networks, and volumes
└── srcs
    ├── .env.example    # Template for environment variables
    ├── nginx           # NGINX configuration
    ├── wordpress       # WordPress configuration
    └── mariadb         # MariaDB configuration

Project Details

• NGINX: Configured to serve traffic only over HTTPS with TLS v1.2 or v1.3.
• WordPress: Running with PHP-FPM, it is stored on a persistent volume to ensure data durability.
• MariaDB: A separate container with a dedicated volume to store the WordPress database, ensuring data persistence and reliability.
• Restart Policies: Containers are set to restart automatically, ensuring uptime and resilience in case of errors.

Deployment

🚧 Temporary Notice:
The Inception project is typically deployed on an Oracle Cloud virtual machine with a custom domain. However, due to a temporary issue with Oracle Cloud account access, the live demonstration at portfolio.clerc.fi is currently unavailable.

This does not affect the project's reproducibility—by following the setup steps, you can deploy it on any compatible cloud or local infrastructure.

Future Enhancements

Potential improvements include:

• Redis Caching: Adding Redis to improve WordPress performance.
• FTP Server: Setting up an FTP server for direct access to WordPress files.
• Automated Deployment: Implementing automation for the deployment process on Oracle Cloud.

Sample Automated Workflow

1. Provision Infrastructure: Use Terraform to automate resource provisioning.
2. Configuration Management: Automate instance and container setup with Ansible playbooks.
3. CI/CD Pipeline: Set up a CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions for streamlined deployment and updates.
4. Container Deployment: Deploy services using Docker Compose.