Install Nextcloud with Docker

This guide shows how to install Nextcloud, the open-source platform for your own cloud with files, calendars and contacts, with MariaDB via Docker Compose on your Linux server. It covers the Compose file, the web setup and HTTPS access via a reverse proxy.

Prerequisites:

✓ A server running a current Linux distribution (e.g. Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 13)

✓ Docker and Docker Compose installed on the server

✓ A domain name pointing to your server's IP address (recommended for SSL)

Step 1: Create the Docker Compose File

Create Directory and File

mkdir nextcloud && cd nextcloud && nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following content into the file. Replace the password placeholders with your own secure values — more on this in Step 2.

docker-compose.yml

services: db: image: mariadb:11.4 restart: always command: --transaction-isolation=READ-COMMITTED --binlog-format=ROW volumes: - ./db:/var/lib/mysql environment: - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=YOUR_STRONG_ROOT_PASSWORD - MYSQL_PASSWORD=YOUR_STRONG_MYSQL_PASSWORD - MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud - MYSQL_USER=nextcloud app: image: nextcloud:latest restart: always ports: - 8080:80 depends_on: - db volumes: - ./nextcloud:/var/www/html environment: - MYSQL_PASSWORD=YOUR_STRONG_MYSQL_PASSWORD - MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud - MYSQL_USER=nextcloud - MYSQL_HOST=db

Step 2: Set Your Passwords

Before proceeding, replace both placeholders in the file with your own secure passwords:

Placeholder	Description
YOUR_STRONG_ROOT_PASSWORD	Root password for MariaDB — used internally only
YOUR_STRONG_MYSQL_PASSWORD	Password for the Nextcloud database user — must be identical in both `db` and `app`

The MYSQL_PASSWORD must be exactly the same in both the db and app services — otherwise Nextcloud will not be able to connect to the database.

Step 3: Start the Stack

Start the entire Nextcloud stack with a single command. Docker will pull the required images and start all containers in the background.

Start Docker Compose

docker compose up -d

The -d flag stands for "detached mode" — the containers run in the background without blocking your terminal session.

Step 4: Complete Setup in the Browser

Once the containers are running, Nextcloud is accessible in your browser. Open:

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8080

1.Create your administrator account by choosing a username and password

2.Under Storage & Database, select MySQL/MariaDB

3.Fill in the database fields with the following values:

Field	Value
Database user	nextcloud
Database password	YOUR_STRONG_MYSQL_PASSWORD
Database name	nextcloud
Database host	db

Click Finish setup. After a few moments you will be logged in to your new Nextcloud instance.

Step 5: Set Up a Reverse Proxy for HTTPS (Recommended)

For a production-ready setup, you should not access Nextcloud permanently via IP address and port 8080. A reverse proxy routes traffic from your domain and enables HTTPS encryption — allowing you to reach Nextcloud securely via an address like https://cloud.yourdomain.com.

Common tools for this are Nginx Proxy Manager, Traefik, or Caddy. All three can also run as Docker containers and integrate well with this setup.

Further Documentation

For detailed configuration options and advanced setup scenarios, we recommend the official Nextcloud documentation.

Nextcloud Admin Manual

Nextcloud Docker on GitHub