This project has been created as part of the 42 curriculum by arazafin.

Inception

Description

The Inception project is a core 42 curriculum project designed to introduce students to system administration through the use of Docker. The goal is to set up a small infrastructure entirely on a virtual machine using Docker Compose.

The infrastructure consists of several interconnected containers:

• Nginx: Acting as the entry point with TLS 1.3 encryption.
• WordPress: Running with PHP-FPM to serve the website content.
• MariaDB: Providing the database backend for WordPress.

This project emphasizes security, networking, and volume management within a containerized environment.

Instructions

Prerequisites

• A Linux environment (preferably Debian or Alpine-based as per subject requirements).
• Docker and Docker Compose installed.
• Make utility.

Installation & Execution

To set up and run the infrastructure, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/gaskar27/inception.git
   cd inception

2. Build and launch:

   make

   This command will automatically generate necessary environment variables, create local data directories, and launch the containers via docker-compose.

3. Manage the project:

   • make status: View the state of your containers.
   • make stop: Stop the running services.
   • make clean: Remove containers and networks.
   • make fclean: Deep clean including volumes and local data.

Resources

Documentation

• Official Docker Documentation
• Docker Compose Overview
• Nginx Configuration Guide
• WordPress and PHP-FPM

Project Description (Technical Details)

Docker Usage and Sources

All images in this project are built from scratch using official parent images (like Alpine Linux). No pre-built images from Docker Hub (other than base OS) are used for the main services. The source files are organized in the srcs/ directory:

• srcs/docker-compose.yml: Defines the services, networks, and volumes.
• srcs/requirements/: Contains Dockerfiles and configuration scripts for each service.

Design Choices

• Alpine Linux: Chosen for its lightweight footprint and security-first approach.
• Service Isolation: Each container runs exactly one process (PID 1), adhering to the Docker philosophy.
• TLS 1.3: Mandatory for all external connections to the Nginx server.

Comparisons

Virtual Machines vs Docker

Feature	Virtual Machines	Docker
Kernel	Separate kernel for each VM	Shared host kernel
Size	Large (GBs)	Lightweight (MBs)
Start Time	Minutes	Seconds
Abstraction	Hardware-level	App-level

Secrets vs Environment Variables

Feature	Environment Variables	Docker Secrets
Visibility	Plain text (docker inspect, env)	Encrypted at rest, mounted in memory
Persistence	Stored in image/container config	Only accessible to authorized services
Usage	General config (ports, usernames)	Sensitive data (passwords, SSH keys)

Docker Network vs Host Network

Feature	Docker Network (Bridge)	Host Network
Isolation	High (isolated subnet)	None (shares host's stack)
Performance	Slight overhead due to NAT	No overhead
Security	Firewall-friendly	Direct exposure

Docker Volumes vs Bind Mounts

Feature	Docker Volumes	Bind Mounts
Management	Managed by Docker (/var/lib/docker/volumes)	Managed by User (any path on host)
Portability	High (independent of host structure)	Low (linked to host paths)
Performance	Optimized for high I/O	Direct host filesystem access