How to run SmokePing on your own server

Charts your network latency over time so you can spot a flaky line. Cresdock runs it on a server you own, from a catalogue, with no Docker and no reverse proxy to configure.

What Cresdock does for you with SmokePing

Its configuration is written before the container ever starts, so SmokePing comes up already set up rather than showing you a blank first-run form.
Reached through your panel login. There is no second password to invent for SmokePing and no port to open on your firewall.
SmokePing charts how steady this machine's line to the outside world is. It can't look at your other apps — each workspace is kept to itself — so the line out is what it watches.

Why run SmokePing yourself

Tools like this see everything on your network by design, which is exactly why it is worth them being yours rather than someone else's service.

What kind of server SmokePing needs

Barely registers. These run comfortably on the smallest server you can rent, and are usually installed alongside something bigger rather than on their own.

Cresdock itself is undemanding — it runs on a small rented server, an old desktop or a mini PC, on Ubuntu or Debian. Everything it installs shares that machine, so the honest question is not "will this app run" but "how much am I going to put on here in total".

Where to run SmokePing

SmokePing runs wherever Cresdock runs, and the choice is about the machine, not the app:

At home, on hardware you already own. A mini PC, an old desktop or a NAS that can run Debian. Cresdock works behind a home router with no port forwarding and no domain, so SmokePing is reachable on your own network first and from outside only if you choose.
On a rented server. A small VPS is enough for most apps and is the usual answer when SmokePing should be reachable from anywhere. The setup guide covers the specs and the one-command install.
Through a provider that runs Cresdock. Hosting companies deploy Cresdock workspaces for their customers, so SmokePing can come with a server you rent rather than one you set up — ask your provider, or see how providers offer it.

Installing SmokePing

Put Cresdock on a server
One line on any Ubuntu or Debian machine — a rented VPS, a spare PC, a home server. It sets itself up.
Pick SmokePing from the catalogue
Click Install. The panel pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets a certificate and starts it.
Open it from your dashboard
Its address and any login details are on its card. Start, stop, update, roll back or remove it from the same place, any time.

What this replaces

Doing it by hand means writing something like this, then keeping it working:

services:
  smokeping:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/smokeping:2.9.0-r0-ls178
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
    volumes:
      - ./smokeping/config:/config

And that is the easy half. Still to do:

Install a reverse proxy and write a server block for it
Get a TLS certificate and set up automatic renewal
Create the folders above with the right ownership, or it will not start
Repeat all of it for the next app, and again on every server rebuild

On Cresdock, SmokePing is one click and none of the above exists.

Common questions

Do I need to know Docker to run SmokePing?

No. Cresdock installs SmokePing in one click from its catalogue: it pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets an HTTPS certificate and starts it. SmokePing's configuration is written before it first starts, so it opens already set up.

What happens to my SmokePing data when it updates?

Cresdock updates the SmokePing image and leaves its stored data in place. SmokePing keeps its own files in its own folder, which survives an update, a rebuild and a reinstall — and Cresdock never writes into it.

Can I run SmokePing at home instead of on a VPS?

Yes. Cresdock runs on a mini PC, an old desktop or anything that boots Debian, behind a normal home router with no port forwarding, and SmokePing is reachable on your own network first. A rented server is only needed when SmokePing must be reachable from anywhere without a VPN.

Can I remove SmokePing later?

Yes. Cresdock removes SmokePing in one click, and asks whether to keep its configuration for a future reinstall. Nothing else you have installed is affected.

Looking for what SmokePing itself can do? That lives in its own documentation — this page is only about running it.

Pairs well with: Speedtest · AdGuard Home · Solidtime

Before you start: where to rent a server · what it needs to run · Cresdock vs Cloudron