Successfully Running Unlighthouse with Docker on Ubuntu: My Journey from LXC to VMware Fusion

How I Successfully Ran Unlighthouse with Docker on Ubuntu Desktop

If you’ve ever tried to monitor and optimize your website’s performance using Unlighthouse, you know how critical it is to have a reliable setup. After several failed attempts to run Unlighthouse in an LXC Ubuntu container on Proxmox, I finally found a solution that works flawlessly. In this blog post, I’ll share my journey and how I successfully got Unlighthouse running using Docker on an Ubuntu Desktop VM in VMware Fusion.

1. My Initial Attempts with LXC Containers

Initially, I tried running Unlighthouse in a Linux container (LXC) on Proxmox, both with Ubuntu and Debian operating systems. Despite following all the recommended steps—installing Node.js 18, allocating sufficient resources, and even using the --host 0.0.0.0 command—I faced persistent issues. The scans were never completed, and the process often got stuck, consuming valuable time without any results.

Challenges Faced:

• Insufficient resources in the container (initially allocated only 512 MB of RAM).
• Issues with copying and pasting between my desktop PC and the Ubuntu VM on Proxmox.
• Unlighthouse failing to run despite correct configurations.

Despite using various debugging parameters  --debug and --verbose, I couldn’t get Unlighthouse to perform a successful scan. Realizing the limitations of my approach, I decided to switch to a more stable setup.

2. Moving to VMware Fusion with Ubuntu Desktop

Given the challenges I encountered with LXC containers, I decided to try a different approach. I set up an Ubuntu Desktop VM on VMware Fusion on my Mac. This environment allowed me more control and easier interaction with the system. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how I successfully ran Unlighthouse using Docker on this setup.

Step 1: Installing Docker on Ubuntu Desktop

Installing Docker on an Ubuntu desktop is straightforward. Here’s how you can do it:

# Update your system
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install required packages for Docker
sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common -y

# Add Docker’s official GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

# Add Docker’s APT repository
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Update package database
sudo apt update

# Install Docker
sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io -y

# Verify Docker installation
sudo docker --version

Optionally, you can manage Docker as a non-root user by adding your user to the Docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Finally, verify Docker by running a test container:

docker run hello-world

3. Setting Up Unlighthouse with Docker: Downloading and Configuring

Before you can run Unlighthouse using Docker, there are a few essential steps to prepare your environment. Here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Download the Unlighthouse Docker Files

First, you need to download the necessary files from the Unlighthouse Docker repository. You can find these files on GitHub, for example, at the following link:

https://github.com/indykoning/unlighthouse-docker

Once you’ve downloaded the ZIP file, unzip it and move the entire folder to a location on your system where you want to work, such as your Documents folder.

Step 2: Navigate to the Project Directory

After unzipping the folder, open your terminal and change the directory to the location where you placed the unzipped files. For example, if you moved the folder to your Documents directory, you can navigate there with the following command:

cd ~/Documents/unlighthouse-docker

This command changes the directory to the location of the Unlighthouse Docker project.

Step 3: Clone the Repository (Optional)

If you haven’t already done so, you can clone the repository directly from GitHub using the following command:

git clone https://github.com/indykoning/unlighthouse-docker.git

This will download the latest version of the repository to your current directory.

Step 4: Update the docker-compose.yml File

Next, you need to configure the docker-compose.yml file to include your website. Open the file in your preferred text editor and replace the default http://localhost with your website’s URL. This step is crucial as it tells Unlighthouse which site to analyze.

Step 5: Run the Docker Container

With everything set up, you can now start the Unlighthouse Docker container. Run the following command in your terminal:

docker compose up

After a few seconds, Unlighthouse will start, and you will be able to see the status and results in your web browser by navigating to:

http://localhost:5678

This command launches Unlighthouse, which will immediately begin analyzing your website and display the results in a user-friendly interface accessible via your browser.

4. Understanding the Dockerfile: What It Does

When setting up Unlighthouse using Docker, it’s important to understand what the Dockerfile does. This Dockerfile is crafted to create a minimal environment with all the necessary dependencies to run Unlighthouse. Here’s a breakdown of each part:

Base Image: The Dockerfile uses the lightweight Alpine Linux image as a base, keeping the final Docker image small and efficient.

Installing Dependencies: It installs essential packages such as Chromium, Node.js, npm, and yarn. These are required for running Unlighthouse.

Exposing the Port: The EXPOSE 5678 command specifies the port on which Unlighthouse will be accessible.

Environment Variables: The file sets up environment variables, including the path for Puppeteer to use the installed Chromium browser and the default site URL.

Security and Permissions: It sets up permissions to ensure that the Chromium sandbox runs securely and creates a non-root user for running the Unlighthouse process.

Setting Up the Work Environment: The Dockerfile specifies the working directory and adds the necessary Unlighthouse configuration file.

Entry Point: Finally, the Dockerfile defines the command to start Unlighthouse, analyzing the site defined by the SITE environment variable.

This Dockerfile ensures that the container is lightweight, secure, and perfectly set up to run Unlighthouse with minimal overhead. By following these steps, you can efficiently monitor and optimize your website’s performance using Docker.

5. Conclusion

If you’re facing difficulties running Unlighthouse in an LXC container, I highly recommend switching to Docker on an Ubuntu Desktop VM. This setup has proven to be stable, efficient, and easy to manage. Docker simplifies the process and ensures that Unlighthouse runs smoothly, allowing you to focus on what matters—optimizing your website’s performance.

The journey taught me the importance of choosing the right tools for the job. By moving to a more robust environment with Docker, I was able to overcome the challenges I initially faced and successfully run Unlighthouse without any hiccups.

If you’re looking for a reliable way to run Unlighthouse, give this Docker setup a try. It’s a game-changer for web developers and SEO experts who need a consistent and efficient performance monitoring tool.

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