This repository will build a container image for running FreeScout - an open source Help Scout / Zendesk alternative for shared inboxes, helpdesk, and ticketing.
- About
- Maintainer
- Table of Contents
- Installation
- Upgrading from 1.x
- Configuration
- Maintenance
- Support & Maintenance
- License
- References
Builds are available on the Github Container Registry and Docker Hub:
ghcr.io/nfrastack/container-freescout:(image_tag)
docker.io/nfrastack/freescout:(image_tag)
Image tag syntax is:
<image>:<optional tag>-<optional phpversion>
Example:
docker.io/nfrastack/freescout:latest or ghcr.io/nfrastack/container-freescout:2.0-php84
latestwill be the most recent commit on the latest PHP version- An optional
tagmay exist that matches the CHANGELOG - these are the safest
| PHP version | Tag |
|---|---|
| 8.5.x | :<imageversion>-php8.5 |
| 8.4.x | :<imageversion>-php8.4 |
:latest |
|
| 8.3.x | :<imageversion>-php8.3 |
Have a look at the container registries and see what tags are available.
Images are built for amd64 by default, with optional support for arm64 and other architectures.
This section covers upgrading from the tiredofit/freescout:1.x image series to the nfrastack/freescout:2.x series. The 2.x image is based on a new base image (nfrastack/laravel) and introduces breaking changes to volume paths and environment variables.
-
Dump your database
If you are running MariaDB/MySQL:
docker exec freescout-db mysqldump -u freescout -pfreescoutpass freescout > freescout-backup-$(date +%F).sql
-
Copy your data volume to a safe location before any container changes.
docker compose downThe image has moved. Replace the old image name with the new one in your compose file or whatever you use to orchestrate your stacks.
| Old (1.x) | New (2.x) |
|---|---|
docker.io/tiredofit/freescout:latest |
docker.io/nfrastack/freescout:latest |
ghcr.io/tiredofit/docker-freescout |
ghcr.io/nfrastack/container-freescout:latest |
Refer to the tagging information in the README.
The log path changed. If you have /www/logs mapped, remap it to /logs:
| Old (1.x) mount | New (2.x) mount |
|---|---|
/www/logs |
/logs |
- The
/assets/custom,/assets/custom-scripts, and/assets/modulesvolume mounts no longer exist. Remove them from your compose file. - Your existing
/dataor/www/htmlvolume can remain as-is, the container will detect the existing state on first boot.
In 2.x the .env/config file is stored at /data/config/config (a file inside a directory), whereas in 1.x it was stored directly as /data/config (a plain file).
The container will detect and automatically migrate the old layout on first boot. If the auto-migration did not work, or you want to verify before starting the new container, check the layout on your host:
# Should print "directory"
stat -c '%F' ./data/configIf it prints regular file instead, run the manual migration by moving the old file out of the way, create the directory, restore the file inside it:
mv ./data/config ./data/config.bak
mkdir ./data/config
mv ./data/config.bak ./data/config/configAlternatively, set CONFIG_PATH=/data in your compose environment to point the container at the old file location - though the directory layout above is recommended.
Most FreeScout application configuration variables that were set directly in 1.x must now carry a FREESCOUT_ prefix.
These continue to work without a prefix:
| Variable | Notes |
|---|---|
SETUP_TYPE |
Unchanged |
ADMIN_EMAIL |
Unchanged |
ADMIN_FIRST_NAME |
Unchanged |
ADMIN_LAST_NAME |
Unchanged |
ADMIN_PASS |
Unchanged |
ENABLE_AUTO_UPDATE |
Unchanged |
DB_TYPE |
Unchanged; now also accepts mariadb / postgres |
DB_HOST |
Unchanged |
DB_PORT |
Unchanged |
DB_NAME |
Unchanged |
DB_USER |
Unchanged |
DB_PASS |
Unchanged |
DB_SSL |
Unchanged |
SITE_URL |
Unchanged or use APP_URL |
If you had any of the following set in 1.x, add FREESCOUT_ in front of them, there are many, or update your .env | ${DATA_PATH}/config/config manually.
| Old (1.x) | New (2.x) |
|---|---|
APPLICATION_NAME |
FREESCOUT_APPLOCATION_NAME |
APP_PROXY |
FREESCOUT_APP_PROXY |
APP_TRUSTED_PROXIES |
FREESCOUT_APP_TRUSTED_PROXIES |
APP_SINCE_WITHOUT_QUOTES_ON_FETCHING |
FREESCOUT_APP_SINCE_WITHOUT_QUOTES_ON_FETCHING |
APP_X_FRAME_OPTIONS |
FREESCOUT_APP_X_FRAME_OPTIONS |
DB_PGSQL_SSL_MODE |
FREESCOUT_DB_PGSQL_SSL_MODE |
DISPLAY_ERRORS |
FREESCOUT_APP_DEBUG |
| Old (1.x) | Notes |
|---|---|
SKIP_STORAGE_PERMISSIONS |
Removed. |
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d- The quickest way to get started is using docker-compose. See examples/compose.yml for a working stack you can tailor to your environment.
- Map persistent storage for access to configuration and data files for backup.
- Set environment variables to control container behavior.
The first boot can take 2-5 minutes depending on your CPU as the schema is created and assets are warmed.
The following directories should be mapped for persistent storage. The /data mount is recommended - it covers config, sessions, cache, modules, and the version marker in one place. Mounting /www/html instead is supported when you want the FreeScout source tree exposed for inspection or self-update.
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
/logs |
Nginx and PHP log files |
/www/html |
(Optional) Expose the FreeScout source tree to the host |
| OR | |
/data |
Persistent state - sessions, cache, uploads, Modules/, configuration |
This image relies on a customized base image in order to work. Be sure to view the following repositories to understand all the customizable options:
| Image | Description |
|---|---|
| OS Base | Base image |
| Nginx | Nginx webserver |
| Nginx PHP-FPM | PHP-FPM interpreter |
| Laravel | Laravel runtime |
Below is the complete list of available options that can be used to customize your installation.
- Variables showing an 'x' under the
Advancedcolumn can only be set if the containers advanced functionality is enabled.
| Parameter | Description | Default | _FILE |
|---|---|---|---|
SETUP_TYPE |
AUTO writes config, runs migrations, creates the bootstrap admin. MANUAL does nothing |
AUTO |
|
ADMIN_EMAIL |
Email of the bootstrap admin user (created on a fresh DB only) | admin@example.com |
x |
ADMIN_FIRST_NAME |
First name of the bootstrap admin | Admin |
x |
ADMIN_LAST_NAME |
Last name of the bootstrap admin | User |
x |
ADMIN_PASS |
Password of the bootstrap admin | freescout |
x |
ENABLE_AUTO_UPDATE |
Auto-upgrade FreeScout source on container restart when image version differs from ${DATA_PATH}/.freescout-version |
TRUE |
|
DATA_PATH |
Base persistent-data path (sessions, cache, modules, version marker live under here) | /data/ |
|
CONFIG_PATH |
Config file (.env file redirection) lives here | ${DATA_PATH}/config/ |
|
CONFIG_FILE |
Actual name of config file | config |
|
MODULES_PATH |
Persistent storage for FreeScout Modules/ directory |
${DATA_PATH}/Modules |
|
SCHEDULER_TYPE |
Use upstream recommended cron routines or alt image routines |
cron |
|
SCHEDULER_LOG_TYPE |
Scheduler Log type file console none |
file |
|
SCHEDULER_LOG_FILE |
Scheduler log file name | scheduler.log |
|
SCHEDULER_LOG_PATH |
Scheduelr log path | /logs/laravel/ |
| Parameter | Description | Default | _FILE |
|---|---|---|---|
DB_TYPE |
Database driver: mysql, mariadb, or pgsql / postgres |
mysql |
|
DB_HOST |
Hostname or container name of the database server | x | |
DB_PORT |
Database port | 3306 |
x |
DB_NAME |
Database name (written to .env as DB_DATABASE) |
x | |
DB_USER |
Database username (written to .env as DB_USERNAME) |
x | |
DB_PASS |
Database password (written to .env as DB_PASSWORD) |
x | |
DB_SSL |
Enable SSL connectivity (TRUE / FALSE) for MySQL/MariaDB |
FALSE |
| Parameter | Description | Default | _FILE |
|---|---|---|---|
APP_URL |
Full external URL of the site (e.g. https://freescout.example.com). Required. |
||
| or | |||
SITE_URL |
alias for APP_URL |
FreeScout ships ~80 configuration keys (look inside the running container at /www/html/.env.example for a sample, or read the upstream wiki).
Any environment variable starting with FREESCOUT_ is stripped of that prefix and written into the runtime config:
environment:
- FREESCOUT_APP_PROXY=http://proxy.local:3128
- FREESCOUT_APP_TRUSTED_PROXIES=10.0.0.0/8
- FREESCOUT_APP_X_FRAME_OPTIONS=DENY
- FREESCOUT_APP_LOCALE=en
- FREESCOUT_APP_TIMEZONE=America/Vancouver
- FREESCOUT_MAIL_DRIVER=smtp
- FREESCOUT_MAIL_HOST=postfix-relay
- FREESCOUT_MAIL_PORT=25
- FREESCOUT_DB_PGSQL_SSL_MODE=requirebecomes the following lines in (/data/config/config | /www/html/.env:
APP_PROXY=http://proxy.local:3128
APP_TRUSTED_PROXIES=10.0.0.0/8
APP_X_FRAME_OPTIONS=DENY
APP_LOCALE=en
APP_TIMEZONE=America/Vancouver
MAIL_DRIVER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=postfix-relay
MAIL_PORT=25
DB_PGSQL_SSL_MODE=requireThree special values delete the matching
.envline:FREESCOUT_FOO=unset,FREESCOUT_FOO=null,FREESCOUT_FOO=Docker secrets: any
FREESCOUT_<KEY>_FILE=/run/secrets/xis resolved intoFREESCOUT_<KEY>=<contents>before passthrough.
FreeScout requires php artisan schedule:run to fire once per minute for mail fetching, queue dispatching, and report digests. This is an alternative to the in place cron service. Most people will not want this enabled. It is here for edge cases.
| Parameter | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
ENABLE_FREESCOUT_SCHEDULER |
Toggle the in-container scheduler. | FALSE |
The following ports are exposed.
| Port | Description |
|---|---|
80 |
HTTP |
For debugging and maintenance, bash and sh are available in the container. An artisan shell function is preinstalled and runs as the nginx user against /www/html/artisan.
docker exec -it freescout-app bash
artisan tinker- For community help, tips, and discussions, visit the Discussions board.
- For personalized support or a support agreement, see Nfrastack Support.
- To report bugs, submit a Bug Report. Usage questions will be closed as not-a-bug.
- Feature requests are welcome but not guaranteed.
- Updates are best-effort, with priority given to active production use and support agreements.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.