Sep 27, 2024 · Networking / Intermediate · ~3 MIN READ

Set Up a Reverse Proxy with Nginx Proxy Manager

Replace ugly IP-and-port URLs with clean hostnames and TLS certificates using Nginx Proxy Manager.

Who This Is For

Intermediate.

Think of it like a hotel concierge. Guests don’t need to know which floor or room number a service lives on, they just say the name and the concierge quietly sends them to the right door.

What You’ll Build

Access self-hosted services through a readable hostname instead of a raw IP and port number.

Prerequisites

Docker host
At least one internal service already running to proxy

What a Reverse Proxy Does

It routes incoming requests to internal services by hostname, issues and renews TLS certificates, and can apply access controls in one place, instead of every service handling its own TLS and exposure separately.

Local-Only vs. Public Reverse Proxy

Deciding to expose a service publicly should be an intentional, service-by-service decision, not a default. Most homelab services are better kept local-only or behind a VPN (see Tailscale vs. WireGuard).

Deploy Nginx Proxy Manager

$ services:
$   npm:
$     image: jc21/nginx-proxy-manager:latest
$     ports:
$       - "80:80"
$       - "81:81"
$       - "443:443"
$     volumes:
$       - ./data:/data
$       - ./letsencrypt:/etc/letsencrypt

Create a Shared Docker Network

Put NPM and the services it proxies on the same Docker network so it can reach them by container name.

$ docker network create proxy-net

Add a Proxy Host

In the NPM UI: Hosts → Proxy Hosts → Add. Set the domain name, forward hostname/IP (the container name on the shared network), and forward port. Enable WebSocket support for apps that need it (chat tools, some dashboards).

TLS Options

Public domain + Let’s Encrypt for anything actually exposed to the internet
Internal-only HTTPS with a self-signed or internal CA cert for LAN-only services
Split DNS if the same hostname needs to resolve differently inside vs. outside your network

What Should Stay VPN-Only

Portainer
Proxmox
NAS admin interfaces
NetBox
Router/firewall management

Security & Backup Notes

Add an access list or basic auth on any admin-style interface you proxy
Never proxy a service publicly just because it’s convenient, ask whether it actually needs to be internet-reachable

Troubleshooting

502 Bad Gateway, the forward hostname/port is wrong, or the target container isn’t on the shared network
DNS resolves to the wrong IP, check both public DNS and any local DNS override you’ve set up
Container can’t resolve another container by name, they need to be on the same Docker network
WebSocket failures, enable the WebSocket support toggle on that proxy host
Certificate request failure, Let’s Encrypt needs port 80 reachable from the internet for the initial challenge

Lab Finish Line

A local application accessible through a readable hostname rather than a raw IP and port.