Setup PipraPay on VPS Using Docker (Production Guide)

Introduction

PipraPay is a powerful payment automation system that allows developers and businesses to integrate payment collection, transaction tracking, and payout workflows into their platforms.

In this guide, you will learn how to deploy PipraPay on a VPS using Docker and Traefik, creating a secure, scalable, and production-ready environment. This setup is ideal for SaaS platforms, eCommerce systems, and custom applications that require a reliable payment backend.

Why Use Docker for PipraPay?

Using Docker provides several advantages in a production environment:

• Consistent deployment across environments

• Isolation from other applications on the server

• Simplified dependency management

• Easy scaling and portability

• Seamless integration with reverse proxies like Traefik

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

• A VPS running Ubuntu (22.04 or later recommended)

• A domain or subdomain (e.g., pay.yourdomain.com)

• Docker and Docker Compose installed

• A reverse proxy setup (Traefik recommended)

If you have not yet set up your VPS or Docker environment, refer to your base deployment setup guide.

System Architecture

This deployment uses two main services:

• piprapay-db: MySQL database container

• piprapay-app: PipraPay application (PHP/Laravel-based)

Both services communicate over a shared Docker network, and Traefik handles routing and HTTPS.

Step 1: Create file path and clone PipraPay github repository

Make file path

mkdir -p /srv/apps/piprapay & cd /srv/apps/piprapay

Clone piprapay repository

git clone https://github.com/PipraPay/PipraPay.git

Step 2: Create Dockerfile Configuration

Create a Dockerfile file

FROM php:8.2-apache

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    git \
    unzip \
    curl \
    libzip-dev \
    libpng-dev \
    libjpeg-dev \
    libfreetype6-dev \
    libonig-dev \
    libxml2-dev \
    libmagickwand-dev \
    && docker-php-ext-configure gd --with-freetype --with-jpeg \
    && docker-php-ext-install pdo pdo_mysql mysqli mbstring zip exif pcntl bcmath gd \
    && pecl install imagick \
    && docker-php-ext-enable imagick \
    && a2enmod rewrite headers remoteip \
    && echo 'SetEnvIf X-Forwarded-Proto "https" HTTPS=on' > /etc/apache2/conf-available/forwarded-proto.conf \
    && a2enconf forwarded-proto \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

Step 3: Create Docker Compose Configuration

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  piprapay-db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    container_name: piprapay-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: piprapay
      MYSQL_USER: piprapay
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: strongpassword
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: strongrootpassword
    volumes:
      - piprapay_mysql_data:/var/lib/mysql
    command: --default-authentication-plugin=mysql_native_password
    networks:
      - proxy

  piprapay-app:
    build: .
    container_name: piprapay-app
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - piprapay-db
    working_dir: /var/www/html
    volumes:
      - ./PipraPay:/var/www/html
    environment:
      APP_ENV: production
      APP_DEBUG: "false"
      DB_CONNECTION: mysql
      DB_HOST: piprapay-db
      DB_PORT: 3306
      DB_DATABASE: piprapay
      DB_USERNAME: piprapay
      DB_PASSWORD: strongpassword
      HTTPS: "on"
      HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO: "https"
      SERVER_PORT: 443
    labels:
      - traefik.enable=true
      - traefik.docker.network=proxy
      - traefik.http.routers.piprapay.rule=Host(`pay.yourdomain.com`)
      - traefik.http.routers.piprapay.entrypoints=websecure
      - traefik.http.routers.piprapay.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt
      - traefik.http.services.piprapay.loadbalancer.server.port=80
      - traefik.http.middlewares.piprapay-https.headers.customrequestheaders.X-Forwarded-Proto=https
      - traefik.http.routers.piprapay.middlewares=piprapay-https
    networks:
      - proxy

volumes:
  piprapay_mysql_data:

networks:
  proxy:
    external: true

Step 4: Configure Domain DNS

In your domain provider dashboard, create an A record:

• Host: pay.yourdomain.com

• Value: Your VPS IP address

Wait for DNS propagation before proceeding.

Step 5: Give read & write access

docker exec -it piprapay-app bash -c "chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html"
docker exec -it piprapay-app bash -c "chmod -R 755 /var/www/html"
docker exec -it piprapay-app bash -c "chmod -R 777 /var/www/html/pp-content"
docker exec -it piprapay-app bash -c "chmod -R 777 /var/www/html/pp-media"

Step 4: Run the Application

From your project directory, run:

docker compose up -d --build

Once the containers are running, open:

https://pay.yourdomain.com

Step 5: Enable HTTPS with Traefik

If Traefik is configured properly:

• SSL certificates will be generated automatically via Let’s Encrypt

• All traffic will be served over HTTPS

• No manual SSL setup is required

Important Considerations

• PipraPay is a PHP-based application, typically built with Laravel

• It should be deployed separately from Node.js applications

• Always isolate your database using a dedicated container

• Ensure your reverse proxy network (proxy) exists before deployment

Production Best Practices

Container Restart Policy

Ensure services restart automatically:

restart: unless-stopped

Database Backup Strategy

• Regularly back up your MySQL volume

• Use automated cron jobs for daily backups

• Store backups in external storage (S3, R2, etc.)

Logging and Monitoring

Check logs using:

docker logs piprapay-app

For advanced monitoring, consider:

• Portainer for container management

• Grafana + Prometheus for metrics

Updating the Application

To deploy updates:

git pull
docker compose down
docker compose up -d --build

This ensures the latest code is rebuilt and deployed cleanly.

Final Result

After completing this setup, you will have:

• A secure payment system running on your domain

• Automatic HTTPS with Traefik

• A scalable Docker-based architecture

• A clean and maintainable deployment workflow

Conclusion

Deploying PipraPay using Docker and Traefik provides a robust and production-ready payment infrastructure. This approach is ideal for developers building SaaS platforms, subscription systems, or eCommerce applications that require reliable payment processing.

With proper configuration, you can easily extend this setup to support features like automated billing, wallet systems, and webhook-based integrations.

Useful Links

• PipraPay Website: https://piprapay.com

• PipraPay Developer Documentation: https://piprapay.readme.io/reference/overview

• Docker Official Website: https://www.docker.com

• Docker Compose Documentation: https://docs.docker.com/compose/

• Traefik Documentation: https://doc.traefik.io/traefik/

• MySQL Docker Image: https://hub.docker.com/_/mysql

• Let’s Encrypt (Free SSL): https://letsencrypt.org

• Hostinger VPS: https://www.hostinger.com/vps-hosting

If you want a more advanced version, you can also include:

• GitHub (for deployment & version control): https://github.com

• Portainer (Docker GUI management): https://www.portainer.io

• Cloudflare (DNS & security): https://www.cloudflare.com