When deploying AnQiCMS with Docker, you may sometimes encounter situations where you need to explore its internal file structure, such as locating the actual root directory path of the website.This is very important for troubleshooting file access issues, performing manual file modifications, or deeply understanding the operation mechanism of AnQiCMS within containers.As a website operations expert, I fully understand the value of this exploration. Next, let's unveil the 'mysterious veil' of the root directory of the website within the AnQiCMS container together.

Explore the root directory path of the website within the AnQiCMS container

Docker provides an isolated and enclosed runtime environment for our applications, like an independent mini operating system. This means that the file paths inside the container are isolated from the host machine's paths, and you cannot directly find the files inside the container in the host machine's filesystem/appor/publicThis directory. This isolation is the cornerstone of Docker's security and portability.

For most web applications deployed based on Docker, there is usually a convention for placing the application code and the root directory of the web service. AnQiCMS is no exception, its core application is usually placed inside the container./appDirectory. We are truly concerned about the "root directory of the website", which is the directory provided by the web server (such as Nginx or OpenResty) to serve externally./app/public.

You might be curious, why/app/publicnot to/appdo this? This is actually a common web application design pattern, known as the "Front Controller Pattern" or "Separation of Concerns"./appThe catalog includes all the core code, configuration files, and template files of AnQiCMS (as you see in the documentation)/templateContents) and other sensitive files that should not be directly exposed to external access./app/publicThe catalog is specifically designed to store files that need to be accessed directly via the web server, such as static resources (CSS, JavaScript, images), entry files (such asindex.htmlorindex.phpand certain SEO verification files.The benefits of doing this include effectively separating application logic from public resources, enhancing security, preventing external users from directly accessing the core code, and also making the website structure clearer.

How to verify this path in Docker environment?

Want to verify this by yourself and seeAnQiCMSThe file structure inside the container, you can follow the steps below to access the container's command line interface:

  1. Find the running AnQiCMS container ID or name:Firstly, you need to open the command line terminal on the host machine, then usedocker ps命令来列出所有正在运行的Docker容器。Observe the output carefully and find the ID or name of the AnQiCMS container you deployed.anqicmsor includeanqicmssuch as.

    docker ps

    You will see output similar to this:

    CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                  COMMAND                  CREATED         STATUS         PORTS                     NAMES
a1b2c3d4e5f6   anqicms/anqicms:latest "/usr/local/bin/anqi…"   2 hours ago     Up 2 hours     0.0.0.0:8001->8001/tcp    anqicms

    In this example, the container ID isa1b2c3d4e5f6, and the name isanqicms.

  2. Enter the command line for the AnQiCMS container:)After finding the container ID or name, you can usedocker execcommand to enter the shell environment inside the container.execThe command allows you to execute commands inside a running container.-itThe option provides an interactive terminal.

    docker exec -it anqicms sh
# 或者如果容器内有bash：
# docker exec -it anqicms bash

    Execution successful, your command line prompt will change, indicating that you have entered the container.

  3. Navigate to the target path and view the file:Now you are inside the AnQiCMS container. You can operate it just like a normal Linux system, usingcdcommand to switch directories, and usingls -lCommand to list files and folders in the current directory.

    cd /app/public
ls -l

    You will seepublicThe directory containsindex.html(or}index.php(specifically depending on the application configuration),staticFolder (contains static resources such as CSS, JS, images, etc.) content. This is the root directory of the AnQiCMS container that provides services to the website.

    If you go back to the parent directory/appyou will see more AnQiCMS application core files and directories, such astemplatedirectories that contain various template files of the website.

    cd /app
ls -l

    You will find that there isanqicmsExecutable files,config.jsonconfiguration files,templatedirectories, and so on. These are components that are essential for the normal operation of AnQiCMS but do not directly provide web services.

What does this mean for the operation of your AnQiCMS?

Understanding the root directory path of the website in the Docker container for AnQiCMS (/app/public) and its application core path (/app)，for daily website operation and maintenance is crucial.

  • Troubleshooting:When the website encounters a 404 error, or static resources cannot be loaded, you can enter the container and check/app/publicThe existence of files in the directory and whether the permissions are correct, to quickly locate the problem.
  • File upload and management:If you need to upload specific SEO verification files (such as Google Search Console or Baidu站长平台的验证文件), or in some special cases need to manually place custom HTML files, now you know where to put them./app/publicthe directory.
  • Template and theme customization:Although the template file is located in/app/templatedirectory, due to the isolation of the container, it is not recommended to directly modify these files inside the container. It is more recommended to modify them on the host machine where the container is running./app/templateThe catalog is mounted through the data volume (Volumes) method, so you can use your preferred editor to modify it on the host machine, and the changes will be synchronized to the container in real time, while also ensuring data persistence.

Through these in-depth understanding and practice, you will be able to manage and optimize your AnQiCMS website more skillfully.

Common Questions (FAQ)

  1. Q: Can I directly access the host machine's file manager?/app/publicCan I modify the files in the directory?A: Cannot directly access through the host's file manager. Docker containers are independent running environments, with their internal file systems isolated from the host. You must accessdocker exec -it <容器ID或名称> shCommand inside the container must be entered to view and operate. If you need to persistently modify files or develop, it is recommended to use Docker'svolumes (Volume)Function, to place the container inside/appor/app/publicThe directory mapping to a directory on the host machine, so that you can directly operate on files on the host machine.

  2. Q: Why is the root directory of the website in the AnQiCMS container not/or/var/www/htmlsuch a common path?A: This depends on the AnQiCMS Dockerfile design and the internal web server configuration./appis a common convention used to store the code and resources of the application itself, rather than using directly/or/var/www/htmlCan avoid confusion with other system-level files and provide a clearer, more manageable application sandbox environment.publicThe introduction of subdirectories further follows the **practice** that web applications isolate publicly accessible files from internal application logic.

  3. Q: How do I install a custom Nginx configuration?A: The Docker image of AnQiCMS is usually pre-installed and configured with a web server (such as OpenResty), and points to/app/publicAs the Web root directory. If your need is to modify An