Self-host 15/16: Ollama + Open WebUI

In this series, you will learn how to self-host 16 services on your server. To self-host a service, you can either use a server at home or a server in the cloud.

Nginx Proxy Manager

The first thing you need to set up is a reverse proxy, so you can go to a domain or subdomain to access the service.

Install docker-compose

Update your package list

sudo apt-get update

Install dependencies

sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

Add Docker’s official GPG key

sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

Set up the stable repository

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

Update your package list

sudo apt-get update

Install Docker Engine

sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

Verify that Docker Engine is installed correctly

sudo docker run hello-world

Download the current stable release of Docker Compose

sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/docker/compose/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f 4)/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Apply executable permissions to the binary

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Verify the installation

docker-compose --version

Create directory

Create a directory

Change “name-of-the-service” with the actual name of the container

mkdir -p ~/docker-compose/name-of-the-service

Move into the directory

Change “name-of-the-service” with the name you choose above

cd ~/docker-compose/name-of-the-service

Create a docker-compose.yml file

Create a docker-compose.yml file

nano docker-compose.yml

Past this content into the file

version: '3.8'
services:
  app:
    image: 'jc21/nginx-proxy-manager:latest'
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - '80:80'
      - '81:81'
      - '443:443'
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
      - ./letsencrypt:/etc/letsencrypt

Press “ctrl + o” to save the file

Press “ctrl + x” to exit the file

Start the docker-compose container

Start the docker-compose container

sudo docker-compose up -d

Access the service

To access the service, open a browser and type in the following content

http://<your-server-ip>:81

Afterwards, you will be presented by a Nginx Proxy Manager website. Login with this credentials
Email: [email protected]
Password: changeme

Ollama + Open WebUI

Create directory

Create a directory

Change “name-of-the-service” with the actual name of the container

mkdir -p ~/docker-compose/name-of-the-service

Move into the directory

Change “name-of-the-service” with the name you choose above

cd ~/docker-compose/name-of-the-service

Create a docker-compose.yml file

Create a docker-compose.yml file

nano docker-compose.yml

Past this content into the file

services:
  ollama:
    volumes:
      - ollama:/root/.ollama
    container_name: ollama
    pull_policy: always
    tty: true
    restart: unless-stopped
    image: ollama/ollama:${OLLAMA_DOCKER_TAG-latest}

  open-webui:
    image: ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:${WEBUI_DOCKER_TAG-main}
    container_name: open-webui
    volumes:
      - open-webui:/app/backend/data
    depends_on:
      - ollama
    ports:
      - ${OPEN_WEBUI_PORT-3000}:8080
    environment:
      - 'OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://ollama:11434'
      - 'WEBUI_SECRET_KEY='
    extra_hosts:
      - host.docker.internal:host-gateway
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  ollama: {}
  open-webui: {}

Press “ctrl + o” to save the file

Press “ctrl + x” to exit the file

Start the docker-compose container

Start the docker-compose container

sudo docker-compose up -d

Access the service

To access the service, open a browser and type in the following content

http://<your-server-ip>:11434

Afterwards, you will be presented by the website. Now you can create an account and start using it.

Make the service available via a domain

Login into your Nginx Proxy Manager

Add a host

Click on “Proxy Hosts”

Click on “Add Proxy Host”

Fill in the details

Details

Domain Names: Enter your domain name (e.g. servicename.yourdomain.com)

Scheme: select “http”

Forward Host / IP: Enter the IP address of your server (enter “localhost” or “127.0.0.1” if its on the same machine)

Forward Port: Enter used port in the config

Cache Assets: Optional, check if needed

Block Common Exploits: Optional, check if needed (recommended)

Websockets Support: Check if your service needs Websocket support

Custom locations

Add location: Optional, check if needed

SSL

SSL Certificate: Select “Request a new SSL Certificate”

Force SSL: Optional, highly recommended automatic redirecting to HTTPS

HSTS Enabled: Optional, check if needed

Use a DNS Challenge: Optional, check if needed

HTTP/2 Support: Optional, check if needed

HSTS Subdomains: Optional, check if needed

Email Address for Let’s Encrypt: Enter your Email address

Agree to the Terms of Services

Advanced

Custom Nginx Configuration: Optional, check if needed

Click “Save”

Enjoy!