Configure Dynamic DNS via Cloudflare using Docker Compose

This article is an upgrade of the guide to update dynamic IP for domain names via Cloudflare that I shared before. Instead of using bash script and setting up cron, I now switch to installing using Docker for quickness.

I use Docker image of author timothymiller shared here: https://github.com/timothymiller/cloudflare-ddns

1. Requirements

• Already have a domain name and a Cloudflare account.
• The domain has been transferred to CloudFlare management.
• Linux Server / virtual machine (Ubuntu / Arch / CentOS / …) with Docker and Docker Compose pre-installed

2. Prepare parameters from Cloudflare

You need to prepare the following parameters from Cloudflare

• API Token
• Zone ID
• Subdomain (A record)

3. Install Cloudflare-ddns

Create a new folder on server

mkdir ~/cloudflare-ddns
cd ~/cloudflare-ddns Code language: Bash (bash)

Create config.json file

nano config.jsonCode language: CSS (css)

And enter the Content as below. Note that the parameters need to be changed:

• api_token (line 5): Cloudflare API Token.
• zone_id (line 11): Zone ID of the domain.
• name (line 14): the submain you use to update IP. For example: subdomain is homeserver.markknow.com then just enter homeserver

{
  "cloudflare": (
    {
      "authentication": {
        "api_token": "So5eFPERxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx4U4YRwu80Op",
        "api_key": {
          "api_key": "",
          "account_email": ""
        }
      },
      "zone_id": "aeb40exxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxaf51a0b",
      "subdomains": (
        {
          "name": "homeserver",
          "proxied": false
        }
      )
    }
  ),
  "a": true,
  "aaaa": true,
  "purgeUnknownRecords": false,
  "ttl": 300
}Code language: JSON / JSON with Comments (json)

Create file compose.ymlenter the content below and save

services:
  cloudflare-ddns:
    image: timothyjmiller/cloudflare-ddns:latest
    container_name: cloudflare-ddns
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    network_mode: 'host'
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
    volumes:
      - ./config.json:/config.json
    restart: unless-stoppedCode language: YAML (yaml)

Activate by command

docker compose up -d

This application will automatically check the Public IP every 15 minutes and update the new IP to Cloudflare if it detects any change.

It is done.