Deploy a relay

Run a relay on your own server so paired phones and computers can reach your local DotCraft from other networks.

Use a Linux x64 server with Docker and Compose installed, and a domain name pointing to that server. Open TCP ports 80 and 443 on the server. The deployment template configures HTTPS automatically.

Download the deployment files

Choose a version from the DotCraft releases and replace vX.Y.Z below with its version tag:

mkdir -p /opt/dotcraft-relay
cd /opt/dotcraft-relay
DOTCRAFT_VERSION=vX.Y.Z
TEMPLATE_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DotHarness/dotcraft/${DOTCRAFT_VERSION}/docker/relay"
curl -fSLO "${TEMPLATE_URL}/docker-compose.yml"
curl -fSLO "${TEMPLATE_URL}/.env.example"
curl -fSLO "${TEMPLATE_URL}/Caddyfile"
sed "s/^DOTCRAFT_VERSION=.*/DOTCRAFT_VERSION=${DOTCRAFT_VERSION}/" .env.example > .env

Configure and start

Generate a random token:

openssl rand -hex 32

Edit .env with the server's domain name and the token you generated:

RELAY_PUBLIC_HOST=relay.example.com
RELAY_TOKEN=your-generated-token

Keep .env private and out of version control. Start the relay:

docker compose up -d

Connect Desktop

On the computer you want to reach, open Settings → Connections → Control this PC → Access from anywhere, enter the relay address (such as https://relay.example.com) and the same token, and enable device access.

For devices you've already paired, connect to the computer once on the same network. They can then connect from other networks.

Use an existing reverse proxy

If the server already has an HTTPS reverse proxy, start only the relay:

docker compose up -d relay

Forward the domain's /r/* requests to http://127.0.0.1:47620, preserving the request path and enabling WebSocket support and long-lived connections.

Update the version

Download the deployment files from the target release, keep your existing .env, and change its DOTCRAFT_VERSION to the target version tag. Then run:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d