Forum OpenACS Q&A: OpenACS Docker Email configuration

Device: Docker OpenACS and PostgreSQL - loaded successfully. Nice Job with procedure write-up.

Email implementation question 1) How does the SMTP nssmtpd module get build and instaledl? non-docker: ns_modules="nsdbpg nssmtpd" bash install-ns.sh

2) How can I tell if the module nssmtpd is installed? non-docker - /usr/local/src/modules

3) How/where is the NaviServer param relay plain://info%40celtic-arts.org:PWD@smtp.celtic-arts.org:587 variable set

Docker compose:

      # Internal listen ports
      oacs_httpport: 8080
      oacs_httpsport: 8443
      oacs_ipaddress: 0.0.0.0
      oacs_loopbackport: ${internal_loopbackport:-8888}
      oacs_smtpdhost: mail-relay
      oacs_smtpdport: 2525
      
      # Host / service naming
      oacs_hostname: ${hostname:-localhost}
      oacs_server: ${service:-oacs-5-10}
      oacs_tag: ${oacs_tag:-oacs-5-10}
      # Paths inside the container
      oacs_serverroot: /var/www/openacs
      oacs_certificate: ${certificate:-/var/www/openacs/etc/certfile.pem}
      oacs_logdir: ${logroot:-/var/www/openacs/log}

      # OpenACS internal secrets (populated by entrypoint from /run/secrets/*)
      oacs_clusterSecret: ${clusterSecret:-}
      oacs_paramterSecret: ${parameterSecret:-}

      # Extra packages installed at container setup
      system_pkgs: ${system_pkgs:-imagemagick}

  # ------------------------------------------------------------------
  #  mail relay
  # ------------------------------------------------------------------
  mail-relay:
    image: gustafn/mail-relay:latest
    container_name: mail-relay
    hostname: smtpd.celtic-arts.org
    restart: unless-stopped

    expose:
      - "2525"

    environment:
      - TZ=US/Detroit
      - POSTFIX_TLS_CERT_FILE=${certificate}

    volumes:
      - /var/www/openacs.org:/var/www/openacs.org
      - ${logdir}/postfix:/var/log

  # ------------------------------------------------------------------
  #  postgres  (PostgreSQL instance)
  # ------------------------------------------------------------------

You can always provide your own configuration file via a bind-mounting your own docker file by overlaying the docker-internal path (in the "volumes" section). This way, you have full freedom.

I am currently in the process of containerizing the openacs.org servers (including xotcl.org, dotlrn, former CVS viewer) into docker containers, including mail-relay and munin. When this is done, I will make it available as a reference. Updating the dockerhub docs is a pain, so it is currently not fully up to date, but keep watching, I have updated also today.

[1] https://openacs.org/forums/message-view?message_id=8728475

the last days, i spent some time on further documenting the docker containers, provide examples, document and publish the build environment (see also [1]). If you use OpenACS just for sending emails, you can also consider using the mail-relay container, and you will not have to configure the smtprelay. An example is included in the GitHub repository [2]

all the best
-g

[1] https://openacs.org/forums/message-view?message_id=8729243
[2] https://github.com/gustafn/docker-ns/tree/main/examples/openacs-org

Hi Tyge,

here a short recipe for using the oacs-db-inclusive container with mail-relay:

1) In the OpenACS package parameter for acs-mail-lite set the following parameters

EmailDeliveryMode nssmtpd
SMTPPort 2525

2) Use the following extended docker-config file:

# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
#
# oacs-db-inclusive example
#
# Runs:
#   - openacs (includes nsd + OpenACS code)
#   - postgres (local db)
#
# Works without any environment variables.
#
# Stack-level parameters (optional):
#   TZ                 default: Europe/Vienna
#   hostname           default: localhost      (OpenACS hostname)
#
#   ipaddress          default: 127.0.0.1      (host bind for IPv4)
#   ipv6address        default: ::1            (host bind for IPv6)
#   httpport           default: (empty)        (random host port -> container 8080)
#   httpsport          default: (empty)        (random host port -> container 8443)
#
#   nsdconfig          default: /usr/local/ns/conf/openacs-config.tcl
#
#   db_name            default: oacs-5-10
#   db_user            default: openacs
#   db_host            default: postgres
#   db_port            default: 5432
#
#   system_pkgs         default: imagemagick poppler-utils  (load these as extra apt packages at startup)
#
# Tailoring:
#   - To use a host secrets directory: replace oacs_secrets volume with ./secrets:/run/secrets:ro
#   - To use custom OpenACS config: bind-mount openacs-config.tcl to /usr/local/ns/conf/openacs-config.tcl
#   - For IPv6 bindings: use docker-compose.ipv6.yml override
#

x-default-env: &default-env
  TZ: Europe/Vienna

x-db-env: &db-env
  oacs_db_name: ${db_name:-oacs-5-10}
  oacs_db_user: ${db_user:-openacs}
  oacs_db_host: ${db_host:-postgres}
  oacs_db_port: ${db_port:-5432}
  oacs_db_passwordfile: /run/secrets/psql_password

services:
  openacs:
    image: gustafn/openacs:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    hostname: ${hostname}
    depends_on:
      - postgres
    command: >
      /bin/sh -c "
        . /scripts/container-setup-openacs.sh \\
        && /usr/local/ns/bin/nsd -i -t $${nsdconfig:-/usr/local/ns/conf/openacs-config.tcl} -u nsadmin -g nsadmin
      "
    volumes:
      # The following volumes can be named (default) or host paths.
      # If it is a host path: must exist/ be writable.
      - ${hostroot:-oacs_data}:/var/www/openacs
      - ${secretsdir:-oacs_secrets}:/run/secrets
      - ${certificatesdir:-oacs_certificates}:/var/lib/naviserver/certificates
      - ${logdir:-oacs_log}:/var/www/openacs/log

      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

    ports:
      # Provide IP address and ports for your application if needed.
      # By default, the local IP address and an ephemeral port are used.
      - ${ipaddress:-127.0.0.1}:${httpport:-}:8080
      - ${ipaddress:-127.0.0.1}:${httpsport:-}:8443
      # Examples for using (additionally) IPv6 addresses for HTTP and HTTPS
      #- ${ipv6address:-::1}:${httpport:-}:8080
      #- ${ipv6address:-::1}:${httpsport:-}:8443

    healthcheck:
        test: ["CMD-SHELL", "curl -s -H \"Host: localhost\" -f http://localhost:8080/SYSTEM/success.tcl || exit 1"]
        interval: 10s
        timeout: 5s
        retries: 5

    environment:
      <<:
        - *default-env
        - *db-env
      LD_PRELOAD: ${LD_PRELOAD:-}
      oacs_httpport: 8080
      oacs_httpsport: 8443
      oacs_smtpdport: 2525
      oacs_smtprelay: plain://mail-relay:25
      oacs_ipaddress: "::"
      oacs_loopbackport: ${internal_loopbackport:-8888}
      oacs_hostname: ${hostname:-localhost}
      oacs_serverroot: /var/www/openacs
      oacs_certificate: ""      # computed via container setup script
      oacs_logdir: /var/www/openacs/log
      oacs_tag: ${oacs_tag:-oacs-5-10}
      oacs_clusterSecret: ${clusterSecret:-}
      oacs_parameterSecret: ${parameterSecret:-}
      system_pkgs: ${system_pkgs:-imagemagick poppler-utils}

  postgres:
    image: postgres:18
    hostname: postgres
    restart: unless-stopped
    #user: postgres

    environment:
      <<: *default-env
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/psql_password
      POSTGRES_USER: ${db_user:-openacs}
      POSTGRES_DB: ${db_name:-oacs-5-10}

    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql
      - ${secretsdir:-oacs_secrets}:/run/secrets
      - ${certificatesdir:-oacs_certificates}:/var/lib/naviserver/certificates

    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${db_user:-openacs} --dbname ${db_name:-oacs-5-10}"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

  # ------------------------------------------------------------------
  #  mail relay
  # ------------------------------------------------------------------
  mail-relay:
    image: gustafn/mail-relay:latest
    container_name: mail-relay
    hostname: smtpd.${hostname}
    restart: unless-stopped

    environment:
      <<: *default-env
      # Use the managed certificate store (same as OpenACS uses)
      POSTFIX_MYORIGIN: localhost
      POSTFIX_TLS_CERT_FILE: /var/lib/naviserver/certificates/${hostname}.pem

    volumes:
      - ${logdir:-oacs_log}:/var/log
      - ${certificatesdir:-oacs_certificates}:/var/lib/naviserver/certificates:ro

volumes:
  db_data:
  oacs_data:
  oacs_log:
  oacs_secrets:
  oacs_certificates:

The changes relative to the version [oacs-db-inclusive](https://github.com/gustafn/docker-ns/blob/main/examples/oacs-db-inclusive]:

• openacscontainer: setting hostname, oacs_smtpdport and oacs_smtprelay
• adding the mail-relay container

3) important: setting the environment/stack variable hostname, since the docker-confg file references i.

We could probably simplify further (e.g. overriding the mail delivery mode, when the nssmtpd module is configured), but that might lead to bad interactions for some people.

Hope this helps! All the best
-g