HTTPS & Reverse Proxy

Lyftr’s container serves plain HTTP on a host port. To expose it publicly — and to use the mobile app, which needs a real hostname — put it behind a reverse proxy that terminates HTTPS.

Port conflict

By default the compose file publishes Lyftr on host port 80 (PORT=80). A reverse proxy also wants 80/443, so first move Lyftr to a different host port — set PORT=8080 in your .env — and point the proxy at localhost:8080.

Caddy (easiest — automatic HTTPS)

Caddy fetches and renews Let’s Encrypt certificates for you. A one-line Caddyfile:

lyftr.example.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}

Then reload Caddy. That’s it — HTTPS is live and auto-renewing.

nginx + Certbot

server {
    server_name lyftr.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Then issue a certificate with Certbot:

sudo certbot --nginx -d lyftr.example.com

Point Lyftr at your public origin

After the proxy is up, set CORS_ORIGIN to your HTTPS URL so browser and mobile clients are allowed, and restart:

# in .env
CORS_ORIGIN=https://lyftr.example.com

docker compose up -d

See Configuration for the full list of variables, and the Mobile App page for pointing the phone app at your new HTTPS server.