Post-Installation Configuration

After running the deployment script, you need to complete the Moodle setup wizard and configure your installation for production use.

Moodle Installation Wizard

When you first access your Moodle site, you’ll be guided through the installation wizard.

Access the installation wizard

Navigate to your configured site URL in a web browser:

http://your-domain.com

Select language

Choose your preferred installation language.

Confirm paths

Moodle will auto-detect these paths:

Web address: Your SITE_URL
Moodle directory: /var/www/html
Data directory: /var/www/moodledata

These are pre-configured by the Docker setup.

Database configuration

Enter the database settings (these match your .env file):

Setting	Value
Database type	PostgreSQL
Database host	`db`
Database name	`moodle` (or your `DB_NAME`)
Database user	`moodle` (or your `DB_USER`)
Database password	`moodle` (or your `DB_PASS`)
Database port	`5432`
Tables prefix	`mdl_`

The database host is db (not localhost) because containers communicate via Docker network.

Review server checks

Moodle will verify that all required PHP extensions are installed. All checks should pass thanks to the custom Dockerfile configuration.

Accept license terms

Review and accept the Moodle GPL license.

Install database tables

Moodle will create all necessary database tables. This process takes 2-3 minutes.

Configure administrator account

Create the primary admin user:

Username
Password
Email address
Site name
Site description

Complete setup

Configure front page settings and you’re done!

Environment Variables

Your deployment uses these environment variables, configured in the generated .env file:

Core Variables

.env

SITE_URL=https://your-domain.com
DB_NAME=moodle
DB_USER=moodle
DB_PASS=moodle

For production environments:

Use a strong database password
Ensure SITE_URL uses HTTPS
Never commit .env to version control

Application Container Variables

The app service receives these environment variables from docker-compose.yml:22-27:

docker-compose.yml

environment:
  MOODLE_DB_TYPE: pgsql
  MOODLE_DB_HOST: db
  MOODLE_DB_NAME: ${DB_NAME}
  MOODLE_DB_USER: ${DB_USER}
  MOODLE_DB_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASS}
  MOODLE_URL: ${SITE_URL}

PHP Configuration

The Dockerfile includes optimized PHP settings for Moodle at Dockerfile:30-36:

moodle.ini

max_input_vars=5000
memory_limit=512M
upload_max_filesize=512M
post_max_size=512M
max_execution_time=600

Customizing PHP Settings

To modify PHP configuration:

Edit the Dockerfile:

Dockerfile

RUN { \
    echo 'max_input_vars=5000'; \
    echo 'memory_limit=1024M'; \    # Increase memory
    echo 'upload_max_filesize=1024M'; \
    echo 'post_max_size=1024M'; \
    echo 'max_execution_time=900'; \
} > /usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/moodle.ini

Rebuild the image:

docker compose build app
docker compose up -d

PHP Settings Explained

max_input_vars: Maximum input variables (default 5000 for large forms)
memory_limit: Maximum memory per request (512M recommended for Moodle)
upload_max_filesize: Maximum file upload size (512M for large course materials)
post_max_size: Maximum POST data size (should match or exceed upload limit)
max_execution_time: Maximum script execution time in seconds (600 = 10 minutes)

Database Configuration

The PostgreSQL container is configured with persistent storage at docker-compose.yml:3-14:

docker-compose.yml

db:
  image: postgres:16-alpine
  container_name: moodle_db
  restart: always
  environment:
    POSTGRES_DB: ${DB_NAME}
    POSTGRES_USER: ${DB_USER}
    POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASS}
  volumes:
    - ./db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

Accessing the Database

To connect directly to PostgreSQL:

docker compose exec db psql -U moodle -d moodle

Database Backups

Create a backup:

docker compose exec db pg_dump -U moodle moodle > backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Restore from backup:

docker compose exec -T db psql -U moodle -d moodle < backup_20261203.sql

Cron Configuration

Moodle requires regular cron execution for maintenance tasks. This is handled automatically by the cron container at docker-compose.yml:36-48:

docker-compose.yml

cron:
  build: .
  container_name: moodle_cron
  restart: always
  command: sh -c "echo '*/1 * * * * /usr/local/bin/php /var/www/html/admin/cli/cron.php > /dev/null 2>&1' > /var/spool/cron/crontabs/www-data && crond -f -l 8"
  volumes:
    - ./html:/var/www/html
    - ./moodledata:/var/www/moodledata

The cron job runs every minute (*/1 * * * *), executing Moodle’s maintenance script at /var/www/html/admin/cli/cron.php.

Verifying Cron Execution

Check cron logs:

docker compose logs cron

Verify cron is running in Moodle:

Log in as admin
Navigate to Site administration → Server → Scheduled tasks
Check that tasks show recent “Last run” times

File Permissions

The deployment script sets proper permissions at deploy.sh:32-34:

deploy.sh

docker compose exec -T app chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html
docker compose exec -T app chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/moodledata
docker compose exec -T app chmod -R 755 /var/www/html

User and Group Configuration

The Dockerfile configures the www-data user at Dockerfile:38:

Dockerfile

RUN usermod -u 82 www-data && groupmod -g 82 www-data

UID/GID 82 is the standard for www-data in Alpine Linux, ensuring consistent file ownership.

Fixing Permission Issues

If you encounter permission errors:

docker compose exec app chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html
docker compose exec app chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/moodledata

Volume Mounts

The application uses three persistent volumes:

Moodle Code (`./html`)

docker-compose.yml

volumes:
  - ./html:/var/www/html

Contains the Moodle application code. You can modify files here directly.

Moodle Data (`./moodledata`)

docker-compose.yml

volumes:
  - ./moodledata:/var/www/moodledata

Stores uploaded files, course content, and temporary data.

Never make ./moodledata web-accessible. It contains user data and must remain private.

Database Data (`./db_data`)

docker-compose.yml

volumes:
  - ./db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

Contains PostgreSQL database files. Backup this directory regularly.

Network Configuration

All containers communicate via the moodle-net bridge network at docker-compose.yml:65-67:

docker-compose.yml

networks:
  moodle-net:
    driver: bridge

Container Communication

app → db: Connects using hostname db
web → app: Connects via FastCGI to app:9000
cron → app: Shares same code volumes

External Access

Only the web container exposes ports to the host at docker-compose.yml:55-56:

docker-compose.yml

ports:
  - "80:80"

Database and application containers are not directly accessible from outside the Docker network, improving security.

Security Configuration

Change Default Credentials

Before exposing to the internet:

Edit deploy.sh and set a strong DB_PASS:

deploy.sh

export DB_PASS="your-strong-password-here"

If already deployed, update the password:

# Update .env file
vim .env

# Update database password
docker compose exec db psql -U moodle -c "ALTER USER moodle WITH PASSWORD 'new-password';"

# Restart containers
docker compose down
docker compose up -d

Update Moodle Config

After changing database credentials, update ./html/config.php:

config.php

$CFG->dbpass = 'new-password';

Enable HTTPS

For production deployments, configure SSL/HTTPS. See SSL/HTTPS Configuration for details.

Moodle Configuration File

After installation, Moodle creates ./html/config.php with your settings:

config.php

$CFG->dbtype    = 'pgsql';
$CFG->dblibrary = 'native';
$CFG->dbhost    = 'db';
$CFG->dbname    = 'moodle';
$CFG->dbuser    = 'moodle';
$CFG->dbpass    = 'moodle';
$CFG->prefix    = 'mdl_';

$CFG->wwwroot   = 'https://your-domain.com';
$CFG->dataroot  = '/var/www/moodledata';

Never commit config.php to version control as it contains sensitive credentials.

Verifying Configuration

After configuration, verify everything is working:

Check container health

docker compose ps

All containers should show “Up” status.

Test web access

Access your site URL and verify the login page loads.

Check cron execution

docker compose logs cron --tail=50

Should show cron task execution.

Verify PHP settings

In Moodle:

Site administration → Server → PHP info
Verify memory_limit = 512M
Verify upload_max_filesize = 512M

Test file uploads

Upload a test file to verify permissions are correct.

Next Steps

With configuration complete:

Review Operations for ongoing maintenance
Set up Backup & Restore procedures
Configure Monitoring for production
Explore Advanced Security hardening

Your Moodle installation is now ready for use. Consider setting up automated backups before adding production data.

Getting Started

Deployment

Architecture

Configuration

Operations

Advanced

Post-Installation Configuration

Moodle Installation Wizard

Environment Variables

Core Variables

Application Container Variables

PHP Configuration

Customizing PHP Settings

Database Configuration

Accessing the Database

Database Backups

Cron Configuration

Verifying Cron Execution

File Permissions

User and Group Configuration

Fixing Permission Issues

Volume Mounts

Moodle Code (`./html`)

Moodle Data (`./moodledata`)

Database Data (`./db_data`)

Network Configuration

Container Communication

External Access

Security Configuration

Change Default Credentials

Update Moodle Config

Enable HTTPS

Moodle Configuration File

Verifying Configuration

Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Deployment

Architecture

Configuration

Operations

Advanced

​Moodle Installation Wizard

​Environment Variables

​Core Variables

​Application Container Variables

​PHP Configuration

​Customizing PHP Settings

​Database Configuration

​Accessing the Database

​Database Backups

​Cron Configuration

​Verifying Cron Execution

​File Permissions

​User and Group Configuration

​Fixing Permission Issues

​Volume Mounts

​Moodle Code (./html)

​Moodle Data (./moodledata)

​Database Data (./db_data)

​Network Configuration

​Container Communication

​External Access

​Security Configuration

​Change Default Credentials

​Update Moodle Config

​Enable HTTPS

​Moodle Configuration File

​Verifying Configuration

​Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Moodle Installation Wizard

Environment Variables

Core Variables

Application Container Variables

PHP Configuration

Customizing PHP Settings

Database Configuration

Accessing the Database

Database Backups

Cron Configuration

Verifying Cron Execution

File Permissions

User and Group Configuration

Fixing Permission Issues

Volume Mounts

Moodle Code (`./html`)

Moodle Data (`./moodledata`)

Database Data (`./db_data`)

Network Configuration

Container Communication

External Access

Security Configuration

Change Default Credentials

Update Moodle Config

Enable HTTPS

Moodle Configuration File

Verifying Configuration

Next Steps