Traefik Docker Compose Template

A production-ready Copier template for quickly setting up Traefik reverse proxy with Docker Compose.

🎯 Features

• ⚡ Quick Setup: Generate a complete Traefik project in seconds
• 🔐 SSL/TLS Ready: Automatic HTTPS certificates with Let's Encrypt
• 🛡️ Security Built-in: Optional basic authentication with htpasswd
• 🌍 Multi-Environment: Separate configurations for development and production
• 📝 Customizable: Interactive prompts or pre-configured answers file
• 🐳 Docker Native: Docker Compose configurations ready to deploy
• 📊 Dashboard Access: Traefik dashboard with configurable domains
• 🔄 Updatable: Use copier update to sync with template changes

📋 Prerequisites

• Python 3.7+ (for Copier)
• Docker and Docker Compose
• Basic understanding of Traefik and Docker

🚀 Quick Start

Install Copier

pip install copier
# or for isolated installation
pipx install copier

Create New Project

Interactive Mode (Recommended for First Time)

copier copy gh:YOUR_USERNAME/traefik-template ./my-traefik-project

You'll be prompted to answer:

• Project name
• Development and production dashboard domains
• Email for Let's Encrypt
• Traefik version
• Basic auth configuration (optional)
• Log level

Non-Interactive Mode (Using Answers File)

copier copy gh:YOUR_USERNAME/traefik-template ./my-traefik-project \
  --data-file ./example-answers.yml

From Local Path

copier copy /path/to/traefik-template ./my-traefik-project

What Gets Generated

After running Copier, you'll get a complete project with:

my-traefik-project/
├── docker-compose.common.yaml   # Shared Traefik service configuration
├── docker-compose.devel.yaml    # Development environment setup
├── docker-compose.prod.yaml     # Production environment setup
├── .env                         # Environment variables
├── .gitignore                   # Git ignore rules
├── README.md                    # Project-specific documentation
├── setup.sh                     # Setup script (auto-executed)
├── data/
│   ├── acme.json               # Let's Encrypt certificates (auto-created)
│   └── usersfile               # Basic auth credentials (if enabled)
└── traefik/
    ├── traefik.yml             # Main Traefik configuration
    └── dynamic/                # Dynamic configuration directory

🎨 Template Configuration

Questions Asked During Setup

Variable	Description	Default	Required
project_name	Name of your Traefik project	traefik-proxy	Yes
traefik_dashboard_host_devel	Development dashboard domain	traefik.localhost	Yes
traefik_dashboard_host_prod	Production dashboard domain	traefik.example.com	Yes
traefik_acme_email	Email for Let's Encrypt	admin@example.com	Yes
traefik_version	Traefik Docker image version	v2.11	Yes
create_auth_user	Create basic auth user?	true	Yes
auth_username	Basic auth username	admin	If auth enabled
auth_password	Basic auth password	-	If auth enabled
log_level	Logging level	INFO	Yes

Using Custom Answers File

Create a YAML file with your answers:

# my-answers.yml
project_name: company-traefik
traefik_dashboard_host_devel: traefik.local.dev
traefik_dashboard_host_prod: traefik.company.com
traefik_acme_email: devops@company.com
traefik_version: v2.11
create_auth_user: true
auth_username: admin
auth_password: secure-password-here
log_level: INFO

Then use it:

copier copy gh:YOUR_USERNAME/traefik-template ./project \
  --data-file my-answers.yml

🔄 Updating Existing Projects

When the template is updated, you can sync your project:

cd my-traefik-project
copier update

Copier will:

1. Show you what has changed in the template
2. Ask if you want to update each changed file
3. Preserve your customizations where possible

📁 Template Structure

Template Files (.jinja)

These files are processed by Jinja2 templating engine:

• docker-compose.common.yaml.jinja → Docker Compose base configuration
• traefik/traefik.yml.jinja → Main Traefik configuration
• README.md.jinja → Generated project README
• setup.sh.jinja → Post-generation setup script
• .env.jinja → Environment variables file

Static Files

These files are copied as-is:

• docker-compose.devel.yaml → Development environment
• docker-compose.prod.yaml → Production environment
• .gitignore → Git ignore rules

Template Configuration

• copier.yml → Template metadata and questions
• example-answers.yml → Example answers file for reference

Documentation

• README.md → This file (template documentation)
• QUICKSTART.md → Quick start guide
• USAGE.md → Detailed usage instructions
• TEMPLATE.md → Template structure documentation
• PUBLISHING.md → Publishing guidelines
• SETUP-SUMMARY.md → Setup summary reference

🛠️ Development

Testing the Template Locally

# Test generating a project
copier copy . /tmp/test-project

# Check the generated files
cd /tmp/test-project
ls -la

Modifying the Template

1. Edit template files (.jinja files) or configuration (copier.yml)
2. Test locally using the command above
3. Commit and push changes
4. Users can update their projects with copier update

Adding New Questions

Edit copier.yml and add your question:

new_variable:
  type: str
  help: "Description of what this does"
  default: "default-value"
  validator: "{% if not new_variable %}Required{% endif %}"

Then use it in your templates: {{ new_variable }}

📚 Usage Examples

Example 1: Quick Local Development

# Create project
copier copy . ./my-dev-traefik --data project_name=dev-traefik

# Start development environment
cd my-dev-traefik
docker-compose -f docker-compose.common.yaml -f docker-compose.devel.yaml up -d

# Access dashboard at http://traefik.localhost (or your configured domain)

Example 2: Production Deployment

# Create project with production answers
copier copy . ./prod-traefik --data-file prod-answers.yml

# Deploy to production
cd prod-traefik
docker-compose -f docker-compose.common.yaml -f docker-compose.prod.yaml up -d

Example 3: Multiple Environments

# Create separate projects for each environment
copier copy . ./traefik-staging --data-file staging-answers.yml
copier copy . ./traefik-production --data-file production-answers.yml

🔒 Security Considerations

• Passwords: Never commit .env files or answers files with real passwords to version control
• ACME Certificates: The data/acme.json file contains private keys - keep it secure
• Basic Auth: Use strong passwords for production environments
• Dashboard Access: Always enable authentication for production dashboards
• Domains: Use proper DNS configuration for production domains

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Test the template generation
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

[Specify your license here]

🆘 Troubleshooting

Issue: copier: command not found

Solution: Install Copier with pip install copier or pipx install copier

Issue: Permission denied on acme.json

Solution: The setup script automatically sets correct permissions. If needed, run:

chmod 600 data/acme.json

Issue: Dashboard not accessible

Solution:

• Check if domain resolves correctly
• For development, add to /etc/hosts: 127.0.0.1 traefik.localhost
• Verify Docker containers are running: docker ps

Issue: Let's Encrypt certificate errors

Solution:

• Verify email address is correct
• Ensure domain points to your server's public IP
• Check Traefik logs: docker logs <traefik-container>

📖 Additional Resources

• Traefik Documentation
• Copier Documentation
• Docker Compose Documentation
• Let's Encrypt Documentation

⭐ Support

If you find this template helpful, please consider:

• Starring the repository ⭐
• Sharing it with others
• Reporting issues or suggesting improvements

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Made with ❤️ for the DevOps community