Choose a lab topology
Decide whether BunkerWeb will sit in front of one test app or a small group of services. Keep the first test narrow.
- Upstream service is reachable.
- Docker networking is understood.
- Expected ports are free.
WAF installation guide
BunkerWeb Docker Evaluation Guide
A BunkerWeb Docker evaluation guide for self-hosted web security, reverse proxy deployment, validation checks, and WAF-like controls.
Quick answer
How to use this BunkerWeb Docker Evaluation Guide
Use one Docker network and one upstream service to verify BunkerWeb's reverse-proxy, generated configuration, security events, persistence, and bypass before treating it as a broader web security platform.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Time
- 45-90 minutes for a lab deployment
- Updated
- 2026-07-17
Guide data
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Time
- 45-90 minutes for a lab deployment
- Updated
- 2026-07-17
- Use case
- Useful when a team wants to evaluate BunkerWeb as a self-hosted web security and WAF-like stack.
Prerequisites
- A Docker-capable Linux host.
- A test web application or upstream container.
- Control over test hostname routing.
- Basic reverse proxy and container logging knowledge.
Deployment workflow
Prove persistence and proxy behavior on one Docker service.
Deploy from official documentation
Use current official BunkerWeb documentation for compose files and configuration examples. Treat third-party snippets as stale until verified.
- Containers are healthy.
- Logs are visible.
- Admin or management surfaces are not publicly exposed.
Validate security behavior
Test clean traffic first, then review security events and WAF-like controls with safe lab payloads.
- Clean traffic passes.
- Security logs are understandable.
- Rollback route is documented.
Validation checklist
- Confirm upstream app responses through BunkerWeb.
- Review logs for clean and suspicious requests.
- Measure baseline latency impact.
- Document how configuration changes are versioned.
Rollback planning
- Keep original container or reverse proxy route available.
- Save known-good compose and config files.
- Avoid changing DNS and WAF policy in the same step.
Common mistakes
- Treating web server hardening and WAF evaluation as identical.
- Skipping Docker network and port mapping documentation.
- Routing multiple apps before one app is validated.
Related WAF profiles
FAQ
What does the BunkerWeb Docker Evaluation Guide workflow validate?
It validates container health, upstream routing, configuration persistence, clean traffic, security-event visibility, update behavior, and a direct upstream fallback.
What must pass before BunkerWeb Docker Evaluation Guide is used in production?
Do not expand beyond the lab until generated configuration, data persistence, plugin and rule updates, TLS, logs, admin access, backup, and bypass have all been tested.