MODX Docker

Automated MODX CMS deployment from source in Docker containers.

Features

• Automatic installation — no browser wizard required
• Ready-to-use environment — Nginx + PHP-FPM + MySQL + phpMyAdmin
• Reproducibility — single command deploys identical environment
• Git-based installation — fresh code from MODX repository

Services

Service	Port	Description
nginx	8080	Web server
php-fpm	—	PHP 8.2
mysql	3306	Database
pma	8090	phpMyAdmin

Quick Start

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Create www folder beforehand

You must create an empty www folder before starting:

mkdir www

If you skip this step, Docker will create it as root and PHP won't be able to write files.

Installation

1. Copy .env.sample to .env:

   cp .env.sample .env

2. Edit .env if needed (passwords, MODX version, etc.)

3. Create empty www folder:

   mkdir www

4. Start containers:

   docker-compose up -d

5. Wait for installation to complete (watch logs):

   docker-compose logs -f php-fpm

6. Open:

   • Site: http://localhost:8080
   • Admin panel: http://localhost:8080/manager/
   • phpMyAdmin: http://localhost:8090

Configuration (.env)

Variable	Description	Default
PUID/PGID	User UID/GID	1000
MODX_GIT_BRANCH	MODX version	v3.0.5-pl
MYSQL_PASSWORD	Database password	modx
MODX_ADMIN_USER	Admin login	admin
MODX_ADMIN_PASSWORD	Admin password	admin123

Known Issues

• www directory permissions: If the www directory does not exist when the container is created, Docker will mount it as root. The PHP process will not be able to create files in it. You must create the www directory beforehand with the correct user permissions.
• Empty www directory required: You cannot create a non-empty www directory beforehand, as the git clone operation will fail if the directory is not empty. Ensure the directory exists but is empty before starting the container.