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Multi-Host Docker Configuration

Overview

VPS-Monitor includes native support for monitoring and managing multiple Docker hosts from a single central instance. This allows you to aggregate container status, logs, and statistics from distributed infrastructure without deploying separate monitoring agents on every machine.

Configuration Mechanism

Multi-host support is configured exclusively through the DOCKER_HOSTS environment variable. This variable accepts a comma-separated list of key-value pairs defining your environments.

Format Specification

The configuration string follows this pattern:

DOCKER_HOSTS=name1=connection_string1,name2=connection_string2,name3=connection_string3
  • Friendly Name: An arbitrary alphanumeric identifier for the host (e.g., remote-server). This label appears in the UI drop-down menu.
  • Connection String: The standard Docker connection URI (e.g., ssh://user@host or tcp://host:port).

Supported Connection Protocols

1. Unix Socket (Local)

Standard connection for the host where VPS-Monitor is running.

  • URI Scheme: unix:///path/to/socket

2. SSH (Secure Shell)

The recommended method for connecting to remote hosts. It provides encryption and authentication without exposing the Docker daemon port publicly.

  • URI Scheme: ssh://user@hostname or ssh://user@ip-address
  • Requirements: Public/Private key pair authentication configured.

3. TCP (Direct Network)

Direct connection to a Docker daemon listening on a network port.

  • URI Scheme: tcp://hostname:port
  • Note: Ensure the target Docker daemon is configured to listen on the specified TCP port (traditionally 2375 for unencrypted, 2376 for TLS).

Configuration Examples

Hybrid Local and Remote Setup

This configuration connects to the local machine and a remote satellite server over SSH.

DOCKER_HOSTS=hq-server=unix:///var/run/docker.sock,outpost-alpha=ssh://ops@10.50.12.5

Distributed Infrastructure

A setup managing three distinct environments using different protocols.

DOCKER_HOSTS=mars-base=ssh://admin@mars.internal,jupiter-station=ssh://root@192.168.42.100,saturn-ring=tcp://saturn.ring.local:2375

SSH Key Management

For SSH connections to work, the VPS-Monitor container must have access to a valid private key that is authorized on the target remote hosts.

1. Generate Identity File

Create a dedicated SSH key pair for the monitor service:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "monitor-access-key" -f ./monitor_key

2. Authorize Key on Remote Hosts

Copy the public key (monitor_key.pub) to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file of the user you intend to connect as on each remote host.

ssh-copy-id -i ./monitor_key.pub ops@10.50.12.5

3. Mount Keys in Docker Compose

Mount the directory containing your keys into the container. The container looks for keys in /root/.ssh by default.

services:
  vps-monitor:
    image: ghcr.io/hhftechnology/vps-monitor:latest
    environment:
      - DOCKER_HOSTS=hq-server=unix:///var/run/docker.sock,outpost-alpha=ssh://ops@10.50.12.5
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      # Mount the folder containing your SSH keys
      - ./ssh-keys:/root/.ssh:ro

Troubleshooting Connections

Common Issues

Host key verification failed The container does not know the fingerprint of the remote host.

  • Fix: Manually connect once from the host machine to populate known_hosts, or mount your host's known_hosts file into the container.

Permission denied (publickey) The private key is not readable or not authorized.

  • Fix: Ensure the private key file has 600 permissions and is owned by the user running the process inside the container.

Cannot connect to the Docker daemon The user on the remote host may not be in the docker group.

  • Fix: Run sudo usermod -aG docker <username> on the remote machine.