Deploying ownCloud File Sharing Platform on Ubuntu 24.04

ownCloud is an open-source file sharing platform that lets you store, sync, and share files from a self-hosted server, with desktop, mobile, and web clients across every major platform. This guide deploys ownCloud with a MariaDB backend and Redis cache using Docker Compose, with Traefik handling automatic HTTPS, following file sharing platform deployment practices documented in Vultr Docs.

Set Up the Directory Structure

1. Create the project directory structure:

mkdir -p ~/owncloud/{files,mysql,redis,letsencrypt}
cd ~/owncloud

2. Create the environment file:

nano .env

OWNCLOUD_DOMAIN=owncloud.example.com
ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
ADMIN_PASSWORD=STRONG_ADMIN_PASSWORD

DB_PASSWORD=STRONG_DB_PASSWORD
DB_ROOT_PASSWORD=STRONG_ROOT_PASSWORD

LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=admin@example.com

Deploy with Docker Compose

1. Add your user to the Docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

2. Create the Docker Compose manifest:

nano docker-compose.yml

services:
  traefik:
    image: traefik:latest
    container_name: traefik
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      DOCKER_API_VERSION: "1.44"
    command:
      - "--providers.docker=true"
      - "--providers.docker.exposedbydefault=false"
      - "--entrypoints.web.address=:80"
      - "--entrypoints.websecure.address=:443"
      - "--entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.to=websecure"
      - "--entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.scheme=https"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.le.acme.httpchallenge=true"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.le.acme.httpchallenge.entrypoint=web"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.le.acme.email=${LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL}"
      - "--certificatesresolvers.le.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json"
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
      - ./letsencrypt:/letsencrypt

  mariadb:
    image: mariadb:10.11
    container_name: owncloud_db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${DB_ROOT_PASSWORD}
      MYSQL_USER: owncloud
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
      MYSQL_DATABASE: owncloud
    volumes:
      - ./mysql:/var/lib/mysql
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 3

  redis:
    image: redis:latest
    container_name: owncloud_redis
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - ./redis:/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 3

  owncloud:
    image: owncloud/server:latest
    container_name: owncloud_server
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      mariadb:
        condition: service_healthy
      redis:
        condition: service_healthy
    environment:
      OWNCLOUD_DOMAIN: ${OWNCLOUD_DOMAIN}
      OWNCLOUD_DB_TYPE: mysql
      OWNCLOUD_DB_NAME: owncloud
      OWNCLOUD_DB_USERNAME: owncloud
      OWNCLOUD_DB_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
      OWNCLOUD_DB_HOST: mariadb
      OWNCLOUD_ADMIN_USERNAME: ${ADMIN_USERNAME}
      OWNCLOUD_ADMIN_PASSWORD: ${ADMIN_PASSWORD}
      OWNCLOUD_REDIS_ENABLED: "true"
      OWNCLOUD_REDIS_HOST: redis
    volumes:
      - ./files:/mnt/data
    labels:
      - "traefik.enable=true"
      - "traefik.http.routers.owncloud.rule=Host(`${OWNCLOUD_DOMAIN}`)"
      - "traefik.http.routers.owncloud.entrypoints=websecure"
      - "traefik.http.routers.owncloud.tls=true"
      - "traefik.http.routers.owncloud.tls.certresolver=le"
      - "traefik.http.services.owncloud.loadbalancer.server.port=8080"

3. Start the services:

docker compose up -d

4. Verify the services are running:

docker compose ps

Access ownCloud

Open https://owncloud.example.com in a browser and sign in with ADMIN_USERNAME and ADMIN_PASSWORD from .env. The dashboard loads with file management and the app marketplace.

Next Steps

ownCloud is running and served securely over HTTPS. From here you can:

• Install the desktop and mobile clients for two-way sync

• Add users, groups, and per-folder sharing policies

• Enable apps from the marketplace (Files Antivirus, OnlyOffice, Talk)

For the full guide with additional tips, visit the original article on Vultr Docs.