Deploying your first container with the Hostinger VPS Docker manager is a streamlined process that allows you to launch applications on your virtual private server in minutes. This guide walks you through the entire process—from accessing the manager within your VPS dashboard to running and maintaining your containerized applications.

Pre-requisites

• A Hostinger VPS with a Docker template installed.
• A Docker Compose file or a URL to a Docker Compose repository.

Deploy your first container

Follow these steps to deploy your first container using the Docker Manager in hPanel.

Step 1 – Access the Hostinger Docker manager

1. Go to the VPS section on hPanel
2. Select your server by clicking Manage.
3. Click Docker Manager in the left sidebar.
4. The main interface will display, showing options to create or manage deployments.

Step 2 – Choose a deployment method

Docker manager offers two deployment methods:

The Hostinger Docker manager offers two primary ways to set up your project:

• Option 1 – Compose from URL: This is recommended for beginners. It allows you to deploy pre-configured applications from platforms like GitHub or GitLab. Paste the direct link to your docker-compose.yml file in the URL field.
  • The system supports GitHub, GitLab, and direct links to Docker Compose files.
• Option 2 – Compose manually: Use this if you want to write or paste your configuration directly into the editor.

Step 3 – Configure the container settings

If you choose to compose manually, define the following parameters:

• Project name: Enter a unique, descriptive name (e.g., my-wordpress-site).
• Container name: Give your container a unique identifier
• Image: Specify the Docker image (e.g., nginx:latest, wordpress:6.0)
• Ports: Map container ports to VPS ports using the format VPS-port:Container-port (e.g., 8080:80).
• Volumes (optional): Assign persistent storage paths to save data outside the container. (e.g., /home/mydata:/var/www/html).
• Environment variables (optional): Add necessary configuration keys, such as NODE_ENV=production or PORT=3000.
• Restart policy: Select the option from the dropdown for how the container behaves if it stops.
  
  • always: Container restarts automatically
  • unless-stopped: Restarts unless manually stopped
  • on-failure: Restarts only on errors
  • no: No automatic restart

The right panel shows a live preview of your Docker Compose YAML configuration for setting verification, making quick edits and better understand the Docker Compose format.

Step 4 – Deploy the container

1. Review the live YAML preview in the right panel to ensure the syntax is correct.
2. Click the Deploy button.
3. The system will validate the configuration, pull the required images, and start the services. This usually takes between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.

After successful deployment, you’ll be redirected to the project list for further managing options.

Step 6 – Access your application

To access your deployed application:

1. Note the port mapping from your container settings
2. Open your browser and navigate to http://your-vps-ip:port, e.g.: http://123.45.67.89:8080

Deploy additional containers

After deploying your initial project, you can easily add more containers to your environment. This allows you to run multiple services on the same server.

1. Go to hPanel VPS → click Manage next to the server.
2. On the left sidebar, select Docker Manager → Projects
3. Click the Compose button located in the top-right corner of the projects list.
4. Select your preferred deployment method from the dropdown menu.
   1. Compose manually: Use this to paste or write a new Docker Compose configuration directly in the editor.
   2. Compose from URL: Use this to pull a configuration file from a remote repository.
   3. One click deploy: Select this to access the Docker Catalog applications.
      

After completing these steps, have successfully deployed your first container using the Hostinger Docker manager. You can now scale your project by adding more containers and exploring more advanced features as you become comfortable with the platform.