Cloudron 2.0 released
We are happy to announce the release of Cloudron 2.0!
For those unaware, Cloudron is a platform that makes it easy to run web apps on your server and keep them up-to-date. Think SaaS for self-hosted apps.
The Big Picture
Cloudron 2.0 is a big exciting release for us and a tremendous amount of work has gone into making this happen. This release also marks a change in who Cloudron is targeting.
Two years back, we started Cloudron to scratch our own itch. After Google Reader shutdown, we started looking for solutions that will let us self-host applications easily. We wanted the convenience of SaaS for apps deployed on our own servers. We wanted automated deployment, seamless updates, encrypted backups, timely security patches - all of which are big barriers to self-hosting.
Our first iteration of Cloudron was designed primarily to be a personal cloud. Cloudron 1.x was installed on a domain name like girish.in and apps are then installed from the Cloudron App Store into subdomains like reader.girish.in, git.girish.in and so on. With the personal cloud angle, our target audience was privacy conscious individuals and companies. We took an appliance centric and consumer oriented approach for our product like Android/iOS that hides all complexities of app deployment - we didn't even have a log viewer!.
As Cloudron gained more users, we received requests to build more tooling around managing running apps - web terminal, log viewer, advanced app configuration etc. What we have learnt is that Cloudron is solving the bigger problem of zero-effort application delivery, deployment and maintenance. Managed service providers, system administrators, IT teams and even some SaaS products are using Cloudron as the backend to deploy apps on the behalf of their own customers and users.
With that in mind, the first big feature we are pushing out today is support for multiple domains. This feature can be used to use a single Cloudron to deploy and manage apps for their customers spanning multiple domains.
Multiple domains support
Domains can be added in the Domains view.
Each domain has it's backend configuration. So, you can have one domain on Cloudflare, another on Digital Ocean DNS and so on.
App installation
When installing an app, simply select the domain in which it should be installed in the domain dropdown. Cloudron will automatically setup the DNS and install Let's Encrypt certificates when installing the app.
Multi-domain email server
Cloudron's built-in email server now supports hosting email on multiple domains. The email server can be enabled on a per-domain basis in the Email view. When email is enabled for a domain, Cloudron will automatically setup all the DNS records required for hosting email on that domain.
A mail relay like Postmark, Mailgun, Amazon SES can be setup for outbound mails on a per-domain basis.
The DNS status section in the Email view will have green check marks to indicate your domain is ready to use.
Mailboxes
Mailboxes can be assigned to users and groups on a per-domain level. To edit the mailboxes of a user, simply edit the user in the Users view.
Email aliases can also be set on a per-domain basis.
Webmail updates
Rainloop and Roundcube have been updated to support multi-domain email. Login to the apps using the email ids to access the different mailboxes.
Revamped log viewer
The activity got a facelift and it's must easier to quickly browse through all the activity on the Cloudron.
Install or update Cloudron
New to Cloudron? Get started for free by running with 3 simple commands on your server.
To update an existing installation, simply click on the 'Update now' button on your dashboard.
Comments?
Comments/Suggestions/Feedback? Please email us.