aaPanel — Docker

A clean, production-minded Docker packaging of aaPanel — the free, open web hosting control panel for Linux. One container, one volume, no privileged mode, multi-architecture, and rebuilt automatically every day to track the latest official aaPanel release.

This is an unofficial community image. aaPanel itself is developed by its respective owners; this repository only packages it for Docker.

Why this image

• 🧱 Panel-only, lightweight — ships the aaPanel core only. Install Nginx, Apache, MySQL, PHP, Redis, FTP and the rest from the panel UI, on demand — so the base image stays small and your stack stays exactly what you choose.
• 💾 Single volume — all state lives under one /www volume. Easy to back up, move, or snapshot.
• 🔓 No privileged: true — runs as an ordinary container with a plain process model (no systemd-in-Docker gymnastics, no host cgroup mount).
• 🏗️ Multi-arch — native linux/amd64 and linux/arm64 images behind a single tag.
• 🔄 Auto-updated daily — a scheduled pipeline checks the official aaPanel version API every day, and rebuilds + republishes when a new stable release ships. Image tags track the upstream version (e.g. 8.0.3).
• 🔐 Secure by default — generates a random username, password, and secured entry path on first run, and prints them to the container logs.

Supported Tags

Tag	Description
latest	Most recent stable aaPanel release
8.0.3, 8.0.2, …	Pinned to a specific aaPanel version

Each version tag is a multi-arch manifest covering amd64 and arm64.

Quick Start

Docker Compose (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/toquanghieu/aapanel-docker.git
cd aapanel-docker
cp .env.example .env          # optional — tweak the port or set fixed credentials
docker compose up -d

Docker Run

docker run -d \
  --name aapanel \
  -p 8888:8888 \
  -p 80:80 -p 443:443 \
  -v aapanel_data:/www \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  hieutq/aapanel:latest

Get your login details

On the first start the panel generates a random username, password, and a secured entry path, then prints them to the logs:

docker logs aapanel

============================================================
  aaPanel is ready
------------------------------------------------------------
  URL (host):      http://<your-server-ip>:8888/a1b2c3d4
  Username:        aapanel_x7f9k2
  Password:        3f8a1c9e2b7d4a06
------------------------------------------------------------

Open the printed URL and log in. The credentials are also stored inside the volume at /www/.aapanel-credentials, and you can always re-display panel info from inside the container:

docker exec -it aapanel bt 14

To set fixed credentials instead, provide the environment variables below before the first start.

Environment Variables

All variables are optional. Credentials left unset are generated randomly on first run.

Variable	Default	Description
AAPANEL_PORT	8888	Panel web UI port
AAPANEL_USERNAME	random	Panel login username
AAPANEL_PASSWORD	random	Panel login password
AAPANEL_ENTRY	random	Secured entry path, e.g. /my-secret-entry
AAPANEL_SSL	off	Serve the panel over HTTPS (on/off)

These apply only on first run, when the panel is initialized. To change them later, use the panel UI or the bt CLI inside the container.

Ports

Port	Published by default	Description
8888	✅	aaPanel web UI
80	✅	HTTP — your websites (once a web server is installed)
443	✅	HTTPS
888	—	phpMyAdmin
21 / 20	—	FTP (control / data)
3306	—	MySQL

The non-panel ports only carry traffic once you install the matching service from the panel. Publish them by uncommenting the relevant lines in docker-compose.yml (or adding -p flags) when you need them.

Data Persistence

Everything aaPanel manages lives under a single /www volume:

Path	Contents
/www/server/panel	Panel application, config, and database
/www/wwwroot	Your website files
/www/server/data	MySQL data (after you install MySQL)
/www/server/*	Other services you install (Nginx, PHP, …)

Back up by snapshotting the aapanel_data volume. To use a host bind mount instead, replace aapanel_data:/www with ./www:/www in the compose file and drop the trailing volumes: block.

Installing a Web Stack

This image intentionally ships only the panel. After logging in:

1. Go to the panel's home page; it will offer a recommended stack.
2. Pick LNMP (Nginx) or LAMP (Apache) — or install components à la carte from App Store → Runtime / Web Server / Database.
3. Add your site under Website, then publish ports 80/443 (and 3306, 888, 21 as needed) on the container.

Security

• Random username, password, and secured entry path on first boot — no well-known default credentials.
• Runs without privileged: true and without mounting the host cgroup.
• Change the panel port and entry path, and enable HTTPS + two-factor auth from the panel's Settings page for any internet-facing deployment.
• Restrict access to the panel port (8888) with a firewall or reverse proxy.

Troubleshooting

Lost your password?

# Re-display panel info (URL, user, entry path):
docker exec -it aapanel bt 14
# Reset the password:
docker exec -it aapanel bt 5

Panel not reachable? Confirm the daemon is up and you are hitting the secured entry path (the URL suffix from the logs), not just the bare port:

docker logs aapanel
docker exec -it aapanel /etc/init.d/bt status

A service you installed (Nginx/MySQL) isn't reachable from the host. Make sure its port is published on the container — add the -p flag (or compose line) and recreate the container.

How It Works

1. The Dockerfile installs aaPanel into a clean ubuntu:22.04 base using the official installer, then packs /www into a compressed first-run seed.
2. On first start the entrypoint seeds the /www volume, sets the port and secured entry path, generates (or applies) credentials, and starts the panel daemon — no systemd required.
3. A daily GitHub Actions workflow polls the official aaPanel version API. When a new stable release appears, it bumps the version, tags vX.Y.Z, and triggers a multi-arch build that publishes :X.Y.Z and :latest to Docker Hub and refreshes this description automatically.

Building Locally

git clone https://github.com/toquanghieu/aapanel-docker.git
cd aapanel-docker
docker build -t hieutq/aapanel:local .
docker run -d --name aapanel -p 8888:8888 -v aapanel_data:/www hieutq/aapanel:local
docker logs aapanel        # grab the generated credentials

License

MIT. aaPanel is a trademark of its respective owners; this project is not affiliated with or endorsed by aaPanel.