Cloudflare DDNS and Traefik Configuration

This repository contains configuration files and instructions for setting up a Cloudflare Dynamic DNS (DDNS) service and a Traefik reverse proxy with Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS support.

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Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Requirements
3. Configuration Files
   • config.ddns.json
   • compose.yml
   • .env.dist
   • acme.json
4. Usage
   • Environment Variables
   • Running the Services
5. Dashboard Access
6. Updating Configuration
7. Troubleshooting
8. Makefile Usage
9. Maintenance and Updates
10. Security Considerations
11. Support

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Overview

This setup provides:

• Dynamic DNS updates: Automatically updates A and AAAA records in Cloudflare.
• Reverse proxy management: Handles routing and SSL/TLS certificates with Traefik.
• Automatic SSL certificate renewal: Uses Let's Encrypt with DNS-01 challenges.

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Requirements

• Docker and Docker Compose installed.
• A Cloudflare account with an API token that has DNS edit permissions.
• Domain names managed through Cloudflare.

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Configuration Files

config.ddns.json

Configures the Cloudflare DDNS updater.

{
  "cloudflare": [
    {
      "authentication": {
        "api_token": "your-cloudflare-api-token"
      },
      "zone_id": "your-cloudflare-zone-id",
      "subdomains": [
        {
          "name": "*.your-subdomain",
          "proxied": false
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "a": true,
  "aaaa": true,
  "purgeUnknownRecords": true,
  "ttl": 300
}

• zone_id: The Cloudflare zone identifier for your domain.
• subdomains: List of subdomains to update dynamically.

compose.yml

Defines Docker Compose services for DDNS and Traefik.

services:
  ddns:
    image: timothyjmiller/cloudflare-ddns:latest
    container_name: ddns
    network_mode: 'host'
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
    volumes:
      - ./config.ddns.json:/config.json:ro
    restart: unless-stopped

  traefik:
    image: traefik:latest
    container_name: traefik
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
      - ./certs:/letsencrypt
    command:
      - "--api=true"
      - "--api.dashboard=true"
      - "--entrypoints.web.address=:80"
      - "--entrypoints.websecure.address=:443"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.dnschallenge=true"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json"
      - "--certificatesResolvers.letsencrypt.acme.dnschallenge.provider=cloudflare"
      - "--certificatesResolvers.letsencrypt.acme.dnschallenge.resolvers=1.1.1.1:53,1.0.0.1:53"
    environment:
      - CF_DNS_API_TOKEN=${CF_DNS_API_TOKEN}
      - CERT_MAIL=${CERT_MAIL}
    restart: unless-stopped

.env.dist

A template environment file for storing sensitive variables.

# Cloudflare
CF_DNS_API_TOKEN=your-cloudflare-api-token
CERT_MAIL=your-email@example.com

# Let's Encrypt
MAIN_DOMAIN=your-main-domain.com
SANS_DOMAIN=*.your-main-domain.com

# Dashboard
DASHBOARD_DOMAIN=traefik.localhost
DASHBOARD_ENABLED=true

# WhoAmI Sample
WHOAMI_DOMAIN=whoami.localhost

• CF_DNS_API_TOKEN: Your Cloudflare API token with DNS permissions.
• CERT_MAIL: Email address for Let's Encrypt notifications.
• MAIN_DOMAIN: The primary domain for the SSL certificate.
• SANS_DOMAIN: Additional domains (wildcards) for the SSL certificate.
• DASHBOARD_ENABLED: Enable Traefik dashboard (default: false).
• DASHBOARD_DOMAIN: URL of the traefik dashboard, if DASHBOARD_ENABLED=true
• WHOAMI_DOMAIN: URL of the whoami service, for demo purposes

acme.json

This file stores SSL/TLS certificates managed by Traefik. Will be created automatically. Ensure it has restricted permissions after creation:

chmod 600 acme.json

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Usage

Environment Variables

1. Copy .env.dist to .env:

   cp .env.dist .env

2. Edit .env to provide the required values.

Running the Services

1. Start the Docker Compose services:

   docker-compose up -d

2. Check if the services are running:

   docker ps

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Dashboard Access

1. Ensure Traefik's dashboard is enabled in the compose.yml file under the command section.

2. Visit the dashboard using your domain:

   https://your-domain/dashboard
   

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Updating Configuration

For config.ddns.json

• Modify the subdomains or zone ID.

• Restart the DDNS service:

  docker-compose restart ddns

For compose.yml

• Make necessary updates to the services or environment variables.

• Rebuild and restart:

  docker-compose up -d --build

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Troubleshooting

DNS Updates Not Reflecting

• Verify the API token and zone_id in config.ddns.json.

• Check DDNS logs:

  docker logs ddns

SSL Certificates Not Issued

• Ensure DNS records are correctly set up.

• Check Traefik logs:

  docker logs traefik

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Makefile Usage

The Makefile provides convenient commands to manage the Docker Compose services. Below are the available targets and their usage:

Targets

• start-ddns: Starts the Cloudflare DDNS service.
• start-traefik: Starts the Traefik service.
• start: Starts both the DDNS and Traefik services, including whoami sample.
• start-dev: Starts both the DDNS and Traefik services
• stop: Stops all running services.
• down: Stops and removes all services.

Usage

To use the Makefile targets, run the following commands in your terminal:

make <target>, e.g., make start to start both services and the sample application.

Production Usage

To start the services in production mode, use ENV=prod make <target>

Maintenance and Updates

Updating Docker Images

1. Pull the latest images:

   docker-compose pull

2. Restart the services:

   docker-compose up -d

Backing Up Configuration

• Backup important files:
  • .env
  • config.ddns.json
  • acme.json
  • compose.yml

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Security Considerations

• File Permissions: Restrict access to sensitive files like .env, config.ddns.json, and acme.json.
• API Tokens: Use scoped API tokens with minimal permissions.
• Regular Updates: Keep Docker images and configurations up-to-date.

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Support

For support:

• Open an issue on the repository.
• Refer to Traefik Documentation.
• Refer to Cloudflare API Documentation.

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Cloudflare Setup

Sample config.ddns.json

{
  "cloudflare": [
    {
      "authentication": {
        "api_token": "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
      },
      "zone_id": "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
      "subdomains": [
        {
          "name": "*.dev",
          "proxied": false
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "a": true,
  "aaaa": true,
  "purgeUnknownRecords": true,
  "ttl": 300
}

leading to the following DNS records:

API Token

The Cloudflare API token can be obtained from the Cloudflare dashboard under My Profile -> API Tokens -> Create Token. (https://dash.cloudflare.com/profile/api-tokens)

Zone ID

The zone ID can be found in the Cloudflare dashboard under the domain's Overview tab.

Feel free to contribute or suggest improvements!