Using HTTPS

An HTTPS certificate (SSL/TLS) provides a secure connection between the client and the server by verifying the website’s authenticity and encrypting transmitted data. In .NET development, you can use either a locally generated self-signed certificate or one purchased from a certification authority. A certificate is essential for ensuring security (data protection), building user trust (browser padlock icon), and complying with standards. During development, local certificates are often used.

To generate a local .pfx certificate in .NET, run the following command:

terminal

dotnet dev-certs https -ep d:/aspnetapp.pfx -p 123456

This command specifies the certificate’s output path and password. Note that such a certificate is suitable for development and testing purposes only. For production environments, a certificate from a trusted certification authority should be used.

Connecting the Certificate

Navigate to the folder with your Docker container and create a subfolder called stimulsoft-server. Then, copy the generated certificate into that folder.

Next, edit the docker-compose.yml file by adding parameters to enable HTTPS. You will need to define the HTTPS port, internal URLs (for production, it is recommended to use real domain names or IP addresses instead of *), and the path to the certificate along with its password:

docker-compose.yml

...
    ASPNETCORE_HTTPS_PORTS: 8081
    Urls: "https://*:8081;http://*:8080"
    ASPNETCORE_Kestrel__Certificates__Default__Path: "/var/lib/stimulsoft-server/aspnetapp.pfx"
    ASPNETCORE_Kestrel__Certificates__Default__Password: 123456
...

If the directory with the server files hasn’t yet been mounted, this can be done using the volumes section in docker-compose.yml:

docker-compose.yml

...
    volumes:
        - ./stimulsoft-server:/var/lib/stimulsoft-server
...

Launch the container using the following command:

terminal

docker-compose up

Now, Stimulsoft Server will be available via HTTPS at port 8081 using the address: http://localhost:8081. The server will still be accessible via HTTP at: http://localhost:8080.

Docker-compose.yml File

Below is an example of the contents of a docker-compose.yml file:

docker-compose.yml

services:
    server:
        image: stimulsoft/server:dev
        ports:
            - 8080:8080
            - 8081:8081
        volumes:
            - ./stimulsoft-server:/var/lib/stimulsoft-server
        environment:
            ASPNETCORE_HTTP_PORTS: 8080
            ASPNETCORE_HTTPS_PORTS: 8081
            Urls: "https://*:8081;http://*:8080"
            ASPNETCORE_Kestrel__Certificates__Default__Path: "/var/lib/stimulsoft-server/aspnetapp.pfx"
            ASPNETCORE_Kestrel__Certificates__Default__Password: 123456
            Storage__DatabaseType: "MySql"
            Storage__MySqlConnectionString: "Server=mysql; port=3306; Database=server; UserId=root; Pwd=root;"
  
    mysql:
        image: mysql:8.0
        ports:
            - 3306:3306
        volumes:
            - './mysql:/var/lib/mysql'
        environment:
            MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: "root"
            MYSQL_DATABASE: "server"