Deploy OpenEMS Backend to Docker

This chapter explains how OpenEMS Backend can be deployed using our official Docker image.

The involved components (Edge.Manager, Backend.Edge.App) and the available deployment options are described in Backend Architecture. The Docker images follow this architecture: the openems/backend image contains the central Backend with the Edge Manager, while the separate openems/backend-edge image runs the Backend Edge Application that the OpenEMS Edge devices connect to.

1. Prepare system

1.1. Connect to the server

ssh admin@ubuntu

1.2. Check docker installation

admin@ubuntu:~$ docker --version
Docker version 27.3.1, build ce12230

if not already installed, follow Setup docker

1.3. Setup docker

To setup docker follow the instructions from docs.docker.com.

2. Start Container

2.1. Create a Docker compose

Paste content into a docker-compose.yml in a directory of your choice:

services:
  openems_backend:
    image: openems/backend:latest
    container_name: openems_backend
    hostname: openems_backend
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - openems-backend-conf:/var/opt/openems/config:rw
      - openems-backend-data:/var/opt/openems/data:rw
    ports:
      - 8079:8079 # Apache-Felix

  openems_backend_edge:
    image: openems/backend-edge:latest
    container_name: openems_backend_edge
    hostname: openems-backend-edge
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - openems-backend-edge-conf:/var/opt/openems/config:rw
      - openems-backend-edge-data:/var/opt/openems/data:rw
    ports:
      - 8078:8078 # Apache-Felix
      - 8081:8081 # Edge-Websocket

volumes:
  openems-backend-conf:
  openems-backend-data:
  openems-backend-edge-conf:
  openems-backend-edge-data:

2.2. Run compose file

To start the previously created docker-compose.yml cd into the directory of it and run the command:

docker compose up -d

2.3. Check logs

To check if the container is up and running, check docker ps:

admin@ubuntu:~$ docker ps
CONTAINER ID  IMAGE                        COMMAND   CREATED               STATUS
15d5ba3c5f13  openems/backend:latest        "/init"   About a minute ago    Up About a minute
018187f444b1  openems/backend-edge:latest   "/init"   About a minute ago    Up About a minute

or read its logs with:

docker logs openems_backend

2.4. Connect the Backend Edge Application

The Backend Edge Application in the openems/backend-edge container needs to connect to the Edge Manager in the openems/backend container.

Open the Apache Felix Web Console Configuration of the openems/backend-edge container.

Login with username admin and password admin.
Configure the Backend Edge Application service: set Uri to the address of the openems/backend container, e.g. ws://openems_backend:8083.

The port must match the Port of the Edge Manager service in the openems/backend container (default 8083). Click Save.

3. OpenEMS Backend UI

If you want to add the OpenEMS Backend UI to your setup, you can do so by adjusting your docker-compose.yml file to look like this:

services:
  openems_backend:
    image: openems/backend:latest
    container_name: openems_backend
    hostname: openems_backend
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - openems-backend-conf:/var/opt/openems/config:rw
      - openems-backend-data:/var/opt/openems/data:rw
    ports:
      - 8079:8079 # Apache-Felix
      - 8082:8082 # UI-Websocket

  openems_backend_edge:
    image: openems/backend-edge:latest
    container_name: openems_backend_edge
    hostname: openems-backend-edge
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - openems-backend-edge-conf:/var/opt/openems/config:rw
      - openems-backend-edge-data:/var/opt/openems/data:rw
    ports:
      - 8078:8078 # Apache-Felix
      - 8081:8081 # Edge-Websocket

  openems-ui:
    image: openems/ui-backend:latest
    container_name: openems_ui
    hostname: openems_ui
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - openems-ui-conf:/etc/nginx:rw
      - openems-ui-log:/var/log/nginx:rw
    environment:
      - WEBSOCKET_HOST=openems_backend
      - WEBSOCKET_PORT=8082
    ports:
      - 80:80
      - 443:443

volumes:
  openems-backend-conf:
  openems-backend-data:
  openems-backend-edge-conf:
  openems-backend-edge-data:
  openems-ui-conf:
  openems-ui-log:

summary of the changes:

Open a Port for UI Websocket (8082) on the openems-backend service
Added a new service openems-ui to the docker-compose file
Added the volumes openems-ui-conf and openems-ui-log

3.1. Update docker-compose

Update the compose running with: docker compose up -d

3.1.1. Check container status

admin@ubuntu:~$ docker ps
CONTAINER ID  IMAGE                        COMMAND   CREATED               STATUS
018187f444b1  openems/ui-backend:latest     "/init"   About a minute ago    Up About a minute
15d5ba3c5f13  openems/backend:latest        "/init"   About a minute ago    Up About a minute
2a6c8d9f0b53  openems/backend-edge:latest   "/init"   About a minute ago    Up About a minute

4. Add InfluxDB Container

4.1. Update docker-compose

to add InfluxDB to your setup, you can do so by adjusting your docker-compose.yml, by adding the following lines:

  …
  openems-influxdb:
    image: influxdb:2.9-alpine
    container_name: openems-influxdb
    hostname: openems-influxdb
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - openems-influxdb2-data:/var/lib/influxdb2:rw
    ports:
      - 8086:8086

volumes:
  …
  openems-influxdb2-data:

4.2. Setup InfluxDB

4.2.1. Setup InfluxDB

docker exec openems_influxdb influx setup \
  --username openems \
  --password WKeuIhl0deIJjrjoY62M \
  --org openems.io \
  --bucket openems \
  --force

docker exec openems_influxdb influx auth list

Note down Token

4.2.2. Open Backend Apache-Felix.

Open the Apache Felix Web Console Configuration of the openems/backend container and login with username admin and password admin.

Remove Timedata.Dummy
Add Timedata.InfluxDB

Query Language

INFLUX_QL

URL

http://openems-influxdb:8086

Org

openems.io

ApiKey

InfluxDB-Token

Bucket

openems

Values not specified can be left at their default values Timedata.InfluxDB

for further information see OpenEMS docs