https://github.com/nfrastack/container-freescout
Containerized web based help desk and shared inbox
https://github.com/nfrastack/container-freescout
helpdesk laravel php-fpm
Last synced: 18 days ago
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Containerized web based help desk and shared inbox
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/nfrastack/container-freescout
- Owner: nfrastack
- License: mit
- Created: 2018-11-04T02:02:56.000Z (over 7 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-05-12T05:46:40.000Z (29 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-05-12T07:10:45.502Z (29 days ago)
- Topics: helpdesk, laravel, php-fpm
- Language: Dockerfile
- Homepage:
- Size: 435 KB
- Stars: 315
- Watchers: 8
- Forks: 128
- Open Issues: 85
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# nfrastack/container-freescout
## About
This repository will build a container image for running [FreeScout](https://freescout.net/) - an open source [Help Scout](https://www.helpscout.com/) / [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/) alternative for shared inboxes, helpdesk, and ticketing.
## Maintainer
* [Nfrastack](https://www.nfrastack.com)
## Table of Contents
* [About](#about)
* [Maintainer](#maintainer)
* [Table of Contents](#table-of-contents)
* [Installation](#installation)
* [Prebuilt Images](#prebuilt-images)
* [Quick Start](#quick-start)
* [Persistent Storage](#persistent-storage)
* [Configuration](#configuration)
* [Environment Variables](#environment-variables)
* [Base Images used](#base-images-used)
* [Core Configuration](#core-configuration)
* [Database](#database)
* [Application](#application)
* [Setting FreesScout configuration](#setting-freescout-configuration)
* [Scheduler](#scheduler)
* [Networking](#networking)
* [Maintenance](#maintenance)
* [Shell Access](#shell-access)
* [Support & Maintenance](#support--maintenance)
* [License](#license)
* [References](#references)
## Installation
### Prebuilt Images
Builds are available on the [Github Container Registry](https://github.com/nfrastack/container-freescout/pkgs/container/container-freescout) and [Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/r/nfrastack/freescout):
```text
ghcr.io/nfrastack/container-freescout:(image_tag)
docker.io/nfrastack/freescout:(image_tag)
```
Image tag syntax is:
`:-`
Example:
`docker.io/nfrastack/freescout:latest` or `ghcr.io/nfrastack/container-freescout:2.0-php84`
* `latest` will be the most recent commit on the latest PHP version
* An optional `tag` may exist that matches the [CHANGELOG](CHANGELOG.md) - these are the safest
| PHP version | Tag |
| ----------- | ------------------------ |
| 8.5.x | `:-php8.5` |
| 8.4.x | `:-php8.4` |
| | `:latest` |
| 8.3.x | `:-php8.3` |
Have a look at the container registries and see what tags are available.
#### Multi-Architecture Support
Images are built for `amd64` by default, with optional support for `arm64` and other architectures.
### Quick Start
* The quickest way to get started is using [docker-compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/). See [examples/compose.yml](examples/compose.yml) for a working stack you can tailor to your environment.
* Map [persistent storage](#persistent-storage) for access to configuration and data files for backup.
* Set [environment variables](#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.**
### Persistent Storage
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 |
## Configuration
### Environment Variables
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:
#### Base Images used
| Image | Description |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------- |
| [OS Base](https://github.com/nfrastack/container-base/) | Base image |
| [Nginx](https://github.com/nfrastack/container-nginx/) | Nginx webserver |
| [Nginx PHP-FPM](https://github.com/nfrastack/container-nginx-php-fpm) | PHP-FPM interpreter |
| [Laravel](https://github.com/nfrastack/container-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 `Advanced` column can only be set if the containers advanced functionality is enabled.
#### Core Configuration
| 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 `${DATA_PATH}/.freescout-version` | `TRUE` | |
| `DATA_PATH` | Base persistent-data path (sessions, cache, modules, version marker live under here) | `/data/` | |
| `MODULES_PATH` | Persistent storage for FreeScout `Modules/` directory | `${DATA_PATH}/Modules` | |
#### Database
| 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` | |
#### Application
| Parameter | Description | Default | Alias | `_FILE` |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ---------- | ------- |
| `APP_URL` | Full external URL of the site (e.g. `https://freescout.example.com`). Required. | | `SITE_URL` | |
| `SITE_URL` | Legacy alias for `APP_URL` | | | |
#### Setting FreeScout configuration
FreeScout ships ~80 configuration keys (look inside the running container at `/www/html/.env.example` for a sample, or read the [upstream wiki](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout/wiki/)).
Any environment variable starting with `FREESCOUT_` is stripped of that prefix and written into the runtime config:
```yaml
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=require
```
becomes the following lines in (`/data/config/config` | `/www/html/.env`:
```dotenv
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=require
```
> Three special values delete the matching `.env` line: `FREESCOUT_FOO=unset`, `FREESCOUT_FOO=null`, `FREESCOUT_FOO=`
>
> Docker secrets: any `FREESCOUT__FILE=/run/secrets/x` is resolved into `FREESCOUT_=` before passthrough.
#### Scheduler
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` |
### Networking
The following ports are exposed.
| Port | Description |
| ---- | ----------- |
| `80` | HTTP |
* * *
## Maintenance
### Shell Access
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`.
```bash
docker exec -it freescout-app bash
artisan tinker
```
## Support & Maintenance
* For community help, tips, and discussions, visit the [Discussions board](/discussions).
* For personalized support or a support agreement, see [Nfrastack Support](https://nfrastack.com/).
* To report bugs, submit a [Bug Report](issues/new). 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.
## License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
## References
*
*
*