A Comprehensive Guide to Deploying NextCloud on Podman

NextCloud, a powerful self-hosted cloud storage solution, can be deployed using various containerization tools. In recent years, Podman has gained popularity as an alternative to Docker due to its daemonless architecture. If you’re considering setting up NextCloud with Podman, this guide will help you navigate the installation and deployment process seamlessly.

Installing Podman on Ubuntu Server

Before diving into NextCloud, you need to establish Podman on your Ubuntu server. Begin by accessing your terminal within the Ubuntu environment. First, ensure your package listings are up-to-date by running:

sudo apt update

Next, upgrade any pending packages:

sudo apt upgrade -y

Now, install the Podman package along with its composer:

sudo apt install podman podman-compose

For versions of Ubuntu Server prior to 23.10, you’ll also need to install podman-compose via pip:

sudo apt install python3-pip
sudo pip3 install podman-compose

Once Podman is installed, verify its successful setup by executing:

podman --help

If this command works without issues, you’re ready to proceed.

Pulling the NextCloud Image

To install NextCloud, the first step is to pull the official image from Docker Hub. Use the following command in your terminal:

podman pull nextcloud

This process should be quick, allowing you to quickly move on to the database setup.

Pulling the MariaDB Image

NextCloud relies on a database to store its data, and using SQLite is strongly discouraged due to its instability. Therefore, you should pull the MariaDB image with:

podman pull mariadb

Installing CNI Plugins on Ubuntu

To maximize Podman’s capabilities, CNI (Container Network Interface) plugins must be installed. To simplify this process, you can use a bash script tailored for the job. Execute the following command to install the needed plugins:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/soltros/random-stuff/main/cni-tool.sh | bash

Deploying NextCloud with Podman

Now comes the exciting part—deploying your NextCloud instance. First, you’ll need to create volumes for your application and database data. Use the commands below:

podman volume create nc-app
podman volume create nc-data
podman volume create nc-db

Verify that your volumes were created successfully:

podman volume ls

Next, establish a network for your NextCloud containers:

podman network create nc-net

Creating Deployment Scripts

You will need two scripts to deploy your database and NextCloud application. First, create the database deployment script:

touch nc-podman-db-deploy.sh
nano nc-podman-db-deploy.sh

In the file, include the following script. Replace DB_USER_PASSWORD and DB_ROOT_PASSWORD with secure passwords you choose:

#!/bin/bash

podman run --detach \
  --env MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud \
  --env MYSQL_USER=nextcloud \
  --env MYSQL_PASSWORD=DB_USER_PASSWORD \
  --env MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=DB_ROOT_PASSWORD \
  --volume nc-db:/var/lib/mysql \
  --network nc-net \
  --restart on-failure \
  --name nextcloud-db \
  docker.io/library/mariadb:latest

Save and close the file (Ctrl + O, then Ctrl + X). Now, repeat the process for the NextCloud deployment script:

touch nc-podman-app-deploy.sh
nano nc-podman-app-deploy.sh

Include the following code in the new script, ensuring you adjust DB_USER_PASSWORD, NC_ADMIN, and NC_PASSWORD as necessary:

#!/bin/bash

podman run --detach \
  --env MYSQL_HOST=nextcloud-db.dns.podman \
  --env MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud \
  --env MYSQL_USER=nextcloud \
  --env MYSQL_PASSWORD=DB_USER_PASSWORD \
  --env NEXTCLOUD_ADMIN_USER=NC_ADMIN \
  --env NEXTCLOUD_ADMIN_PASSWORD=NC_PASSWORD \
  --volume nc-app:/var/www/html \
  --volume nc-data:/var/www/html/data \
  --network nc-net \
  --restart on-failure \
  --name nextcloud \
  --publish 8080:80 \
  docker.io/library/nextcloud:latest

After saving, you can deploy the scripts as follows:

bash nc-podman-db-deploy.sh
bash nc-podman-app-deploy.sh

Update the containers with the following commands:

podman exec -u root -it nextcloud apt update
podman exec -u root -it nextcloud apt upgrade
podman exec -u root -it nextcloud apt install nano

Now, edit the config.php file to ensure it’s set up correctly:

podman exec -u root -it nextcloud nano /var/www/html/config/config.php

Change the instance’s trusted domain from localhost to your server’s domain name. For example, if your server domain is ubuntu-server-vm, make that update.

Once finished, save and exit. Restart the NextCloud container with:

podman container restart nextcloud

Now, you’re ready to access your NextCloud installation using the admin credentials you’ve set.

Managing Your Containers

To manage your NextCloud and database containers, use the following commands to start, stop, or restart as needed:

podman container start nextcloud
podman container start nextcloud-db

podman container stop nextcloud
podman container stop nextcloud-db

podman container restart nextcloud
podman container restart nextcloud-db

With this straightforward guide, you can successfully deploy and manage NextCloud using Podman. Enjoy your secure and customizable cloud storage experience!