kenpat
1e8319ee75
Complete documentation suite for KiteStacks covering all 11 services across 2-host active-active architecture. Includes beginner track (with AI, 8 files) and advanced track (without AI, 7 files) with time estimates, real troubleshooting cases, and command-by-command explanations. Updates certifications roadmap to reflect July 7 2026 A+ Core 2 exam goal. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
129 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
129 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
# Step 2 — DNS and Cloudflare Setup
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**Track:** With AI (Beginner)
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**Time for this step:** 1–2 hours
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In this step you will set up Cloudflare so your domain points to Cloudflare's servers,
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and you will create the Cloudflare Tunnel that allows the internet to reach your home
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computer without exposing your home IP address.
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---
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## What Is Happening Here?
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When someone types `www.kitestacks.com` into a browser, their computer asks a system
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called DNS: "What is the IP address for kitestacks.com?"
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Normally, that answer would be your home IP address. But we do NOT want that — your
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home IP could change, could be targeted by attackers, or could be blocked by your ISP.
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Instead, the DNS answer will be Cloudflare's IP address. Traffic goes to Cloudflare,
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Cloudflare sends it to your computer through a tunnel, and your home IP is never involved.
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**Ask your AI:** "Can you explain in simple terms how Cloudflare Tunnel works?"
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---
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## Step 2A — Add Your Domain to Cloudflare
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If you bought your domain from Cloudflare Registrar, skip to Step 2B.
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If you bought it elsewhere (Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.):
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1. Log in to Cloudflare at cloudflare.com
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2. Click "Add a site"
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3. Enter your domain name
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4. Choose the Free plan
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5. Cloudflare will give you two nameserver addresses (like `vera.ns.cloudflare.com`)
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6. Go to your domain registrar's website and replace the nameservers with Cloudflare's
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**Ask your AI:** "How do I change nameservers on [your registrar]?"
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It can take up to 24 hours for nameserver changes to propagate worldwide, but usually
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it happens within an hour.
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---
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## Step 2B — Create Your Cloudflare Tunnel
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A Cloudflare Tunnel is the invisible connection between your home computer and Cloudflare.
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Your home computer reaches out to Cloudflare (outbound connection). Cloudflare holds that
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connection open. When someone visits your website, Cloudflare sends the request back through
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that existing connection. Your home router never needs to be configured.
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**To create a tunnel:**
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1. In your Cloudflare dashboard, go to: **Zero Trust → Networks → Tunnels**
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2. Click **"Create a tunnel"**
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3. Choose **"Cloudflared"** as the connector type
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4. Name your tunnel (e.g., `kitestacks-tunnel`)
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5. Cloudflare will show you a token — a long string of characters starting with `eyJ`
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6. **Save this token somewhere safe** — you will need it in Step 3
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---
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## Step 2C — Add Public Hostnames to the Tunnel
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A public hostname tells Cloudflare: "When someone visits this URL, send the traffic
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to this container on my home computer."
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You will set up hostnames for all eleven of your services. For each one:
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1. In the tunnel settings, click **"Public Hostnames"**
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2. Click **"Add a public hostname"**
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Add all of these (you will complete the services in later steps, but adding the
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hostnames now means they are ready):
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| Subdomain | Domain | Service | URL |
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|-----------|--------|---------|-----|
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| www | yourdomain.com | http://homepage:3000 | www.yourdomain.com |
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| auth | yourdomain.com | http://authentik:9000 | auth.yourdomain.com |
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| gitforge | yourdomain.com | http://forgejo:3000 | gitforge.yourdomain.com |
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| ai | yourdomain.com | http://kite-openwebui:8080 | ai.yourdomain.com |
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| links | yourdomain.com | http://karakeep:3000 | links.yourdomain.com |
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| kavita | yourdomain.com | http://kavita:5000 | kavita.yourdomain.com |
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| grafana | yourdomain.com | http://grafana:3000 | grafana.yourdomain.com |
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| status | yourdomain.com | http://uptime-kuma:3001 | status.yourdomain.com |
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| wiki | yourdomain.com | http://bookstack:80 | wiki.yourdomain.com |
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| tasks | yourdomain.com | http://osticket-app:80 | tasks.yourdomain.com |
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| portainer | yourdomain.com | https://portainer:9443 | portainer.yourdomain.com |
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For the `portainer` entry, enable **"No TLS Verify"** (Portainer uses its own self-signed certificate internally).
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Replace `yourdomain.com` with your actual domain throughout.
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**Ask your AI:** "What does the 'service' field in a Cloudflare Tunnel hostname mean?
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Why do I use `http://homepage:3000` instead of an IP address?"
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---
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## Step 2D — Create the Docker Network
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Everything in this homelab runs in Docker (covered in the next step), and all the
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containers need to be able to talk to each other and to the Cloudflare connector.
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They do this by being on the same Docker network.
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On your **home computer**, run:
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```bash
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docker network create kitestacks
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```
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You will also do this on your **cloud VPS** in a later step.
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**Ask your AI:** "What is a Docker network and why do all containers need to be on the same one?"
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---
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## Checkpoint
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Before moving to Step 3, make sure:
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- [ ] Your domain is on Cloudflare (nameservers changed or bought from Cloudflare)
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- [ ] You created a Cloudflare Tunnel and saved the tunnel token
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- [ ] You added all 11 public hostnames to the tunnel
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- [ ] You ran `docker network create kitestacks` on your home computer
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---
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**Next:** [Step 3 — Installing Docker](03-docker-setup.md)
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