The entrypoint used 'tail -f /var/log/httpd/*' which expands the glob at startup. Log files created later (when new vhost configs are added) were never tailed, so 'docker logs' showed nothing for sites added after the container started. Replaced with a loop that re-discovers log files every 60 seconds and restarts tail to include new ones. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Cloud Apache Container
This is a base container for running PHP-based applications, supporting multiple PHP versions (7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4). The default is PHP 8.3. The container is based on AlmaLinux 9 and uses Apache with mod_ssl. It is designed for both development and production use.
You must have Docker or compatible containerization software running.
What's New?
- Optimized Image: The Dockerfile has been refactored for smaller size, faster builds, and improved security. Unnecessary files and caches are removed during build.
- Pre-built Images for Each PHP Version: On every push, images for all supported PHP versions are built and pushed to the registry. You can pull the exact version you need (e.g.,
cac:php74,cac:php84, orcac:latest). - .dockerignore Added: The build context is now minimized, making builds faster and more secure.
Quick Start: Local Development with local-dev.sh
The easiest way to start a local development environment is with the provided local-dev.sh script. This script automates container setup, volume creation, log directories, and WordPress installation.
Usage Example
./local-dev.sh -n local-dev
Flags:
-nName of the container (required)-pHTTP port (default: 80)-sHTTPS port (default: 443)-rRoot path for files and database (default: current directory)-aPHP version (default: 8.3; options: 74, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84)-vEnable verbose mode-hShow help
The script will:
- Create a user directory and log folders
- Create a Docker volume for MySQL
- Start the container with the correct environment variables
- Generate helper scripts in your root path:
instance_start– Start the containerinstance_stop– Stop the containerinstance_logs– Tail Apache logsinstance_db_info– Show MySQL credentials
- Install WordPress in your web root
- Print MySQL credentials
Manual Docker Usage
You can also run the container manually:
mkdir -p local-development/domain.tld
cd local-development/domain.tld
mkdir user
mkdir -p user/logs/{apache,system}
docker run -d -it -p 80:80 -p 443:443 -e PHPVER=84 -e environment=DEV --mount type=bind,source="$(pwd)"/user,target=/home/myuser -v"$name-mysql":/var/lib/mysql -e uid=30001 -e user=myuser -e domain=localhost --name local-dev repo.anhonesthost.net/cloud-hosting-platform/cac:latest
Accessing the Container
docker exec -it local-dev /bin/bash
WordPress Installation
If using local-dev.sh, WordPress is installed automatically. For manual setup:
cat /home/myuser/mysql_creds
su - myuser
cd ~/public_html
wp core download
Then visit https://localhost (accept the SSL warning) to complete setup.
Features
- Multiple PHP Versions: 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 (set with
PHPVERor-aflag) - Pre-built Images: Pull the image for your desired PHP version directly from the registry. No need to build locally unless customizing.
- Optimized Build: Smaller, faster, and more secure images thanks to the improved Dockerfile and
.dockerignore. - Automatic Database Setup: MariaDB is started in DEV mode, credentials are auto-generated and stored in
/home/$user/mysql_creds. - Database Backups: Cron job backs up the database every 15 minutes to
/home/$user/_db_backups. - Log Management: Log rotation compresses logs older than 3 days and deletes those older than 7 days.
- Memcached: Started automatically in DEV mode.
- SSL: Self-signed certificate enabled by default.
- Default Web Content:
/home/$user/public_htmlis the web root./pingendpoint andphpinfo.phpare available for diagnostics. - Helper Scripts:
instance_start,instance_stop,instance_logs,instance_db_info(created bylocal-dev.sh).
Environment Variables
Required:
uid– User ID for file permissionsuser– Username for file permissionsdomain– Primary domain for configuration
Optional:
environment– Set toDEVto start memcached and MySQL locally for developmentserveralias– Comma-separated list of alternative hostnamesPHPVER– PHP version (see above)
Helpful Notes
- To restart the instance:
./instance_startordocker start {container-name} - To stop:
./instance_stopordocker stop {container-name} - To view logs:
./instance_logsordocker logs -f {container-name} - To get DB credentials:
./instance_db_infoorcat /home/$user/mysql_creds - To delete a container:
docker rm {container-name}(does not delete user files or DB volume) - To view running containers:
docker ps - To view all containers:
docker ps --all - To view images:
docker images
Troubleshooting
- The first run may take several minutes as dependencies are installed.
- If you need to change PHP version, stop and remove the container, then recreate with the desired version.
- For advanced configuration, see the scripts in the
scripts/directory. - The image is optimized for size and speed, but local development in DEV mode may install additional packages (MariaDB, memcached) at runtime using microdnf.
- The build context is minimized by the included
.dockerignorefile.