docker-compose

Docker-compose for NGINX Instance Manager

1. Edit the .env file setting the docker image name, the base64-encoded license and optionally username and password

NIM_IMAGE=<NGINX_INSTANCE_MANAGER_DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME>
NIM_LICENSE=<BASE64_ENCODED_LICENSE_FILE>
NIM_USERNAME=admin
NIM_PASSWORD=nimadmin

2. Start NGINX Instance Manager

docker compose -f docker-compose.yaml up -d

3. Stop NGINX Instance Manager

docker compose -f docker-compose.yaml down

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Injecting NIM configuration at runtime (no image rebuild required)

startNIM.sh uses helper functions (set_nms_conf / set_nms_sm) to apply values from environment variables directly into /etc/nms/nms.conf and /etc/nms/nms-sm-conf.yaml at container startup using yq -i.

To add a new config key at runtime:

Step 1 — Add the variable to .env

Open docker-compose/.env and add your variable with a default value:

# Example: set the license mode of operation
NIM_LICENSE_MODE_OF_OPERATION=connected

Supported values depend on the NIM config key you are targeting.
Refer to the NIM configuration reference for valid values.

Step 2 — Pass the variable into the container in docker-compose.yaml

Under the nim service environment: block, add:

- NIM_LICENSE_MODE_OF_OPERATION=${NIM_LICENSE_MODE_OF_OPERATION}

Step 3 — Map it to the config key in startNIM.sh

In the # NGINX Instance Manager configuration update section, add one line:

set_nms_conf '.integrations.license.mode_of_operation'  NIM_LICENSE_MODE_OF_OPERATION

The first argument is the yq dot-notation path into nms.conf.
The second argument is the name (not value) of the environment variable.

For nms-sm-conf.yaml keys, use set_nms_sm instead:

set_nms_sm '.some.key'  MY_ENV_VAR

Full example — adding a new key end-to-end

File	What to add
.env	MY_NEW_VAR=myvalue
docker-compose.yaml	- MY_NEW_VAR=${MY_NEW_VAR} under nim → environment
startNIM.sh	set_nms_conf '.path.to.key' MY_NEW_VAR

No image rebuild is needed — changes take effect on the next docker compose up.