Cobbler Web UI Deployment Guide (Podman + systemd)

Official info here: https://github.com/cobbler/cobbler-web

Cobbler server and cobbler web are two separate products, so separately installed. This guide assumes you have cobbler server running already.

This guide shows how to run cobbler-web using Podman, but there are other ways to run it, consult official guide for more info.

Step 1: Create local config File

Create a local JSON file that defines the Cobbler API endpoint, replace the IP with your cobbler server IP or fqdn:

cat > ./app-config.json <<EOF
{ "cobblerUrls": ["http://192.168.100.20/cobbler_api"] }
EOF

Make sure the file is readable:

chmod 644 ./app-config.json

Step 2: Pull the Cobbler Web Container Image

podman pull ghcr.io/cobbler/cobbler-web:v0.0.1-rc2

Step 3: Run the Container

Check and fix the path for ‘/home/sysadmin/app-config.json’. Start the container with port mapping and volume mount:

podman run -d \
--name cobbler-web \
-p 8080:80 \
-v ./app-config.json:/usr/share/nginx/html/assets/configs/app-config.json:ro \
-v ./app-config.json:/usr/share/nginx/html/app-config.json:ro \
ghcr.io/cobbler/cobbler-web:v0.0.1-rc2

Access the web UI at: http://<your-server-ip>:8080
Make sure its working

Step 4: Generate a systemd Unit for Autostart

podman generate systemd --name cobbler-web --files --restart-policy=always

This generates a file named container-cobbler-web.service.

Step 5: Install the systemd Unit

Move the generated unit file to the system directory:

mv container-cobbler-web.service /etc/systemd/system/

Reload systemd to recognize the new unit:

systemctl daemon-reexec
systemctl daemon-reload

Step 6: Stop and Remove Container (Optional)

In next step, systemd will create and start the container, so you might want to stop and remove the running container.

podman stop cobbler-web
podman rm cobbler-web

Step 7: Enable and Start the Service

Enable the service to start on boot:

systemctl enable container-cobbler-web.service

Start the service immediately:

systemctl start container-cobbler-web.service

Check its status:

systemctl status container-cobbler-web.service

Final Check

Visit http://<your-server-ip>:8080 in your browser. You should see the Cobbler Web UI, now running and managed by systemd!