How to Connect to Your Custom Container

Custom containers can be accessed through the platform’s internal network or exposed externally through a shared load balancer, an endpoint, or a public IP address.

This guide explains the principal internal and external connection methods for Docker-based containers and shows where to find the domain name, internal IP address, and access details required to establish a connection.

Container internal and external connections — Internal platform networking and external Internet access for a custom container.

On this page

Internal Connection
Container Linking
Find the Domain and Internal IP
External Connection
Shared Load Balancer
Endpoints
Public IP Address
What’s next?

Internal Connection

Every container receives a unique internal domain name and private IP address immediately after creation. These values can be used to connect containers through the platform’s private network.

Container Linking

Container linking is the first option to consider when services in different layers of the same environment must communicate. It transfers relevant environment-variable information from the source container to the recipient without exposing ports publicly.

1Create a link

Open the required layer settings, select Links, choose the target node or layer, and assign an alias. The related variables receive the alias as a prefix.

Container linking settings — Create a link between containers and define its alias.

Click Save and apply the changes. Linked values can then be reviewed or adjusted in the Variables section.

When a variable on a linked source container is changed, the corresponding value on the receiving container is updated automatically.

Find the Domain and Internal IP

For manually configured internal connections, identify the exact container domain name or private IP address. This information can be obtained from the creation email or directly in the dashboard.

Environment Creation Email

The environment-creation notification lists the container administration information. The internal domain appears in the Access URL field, while the private address appears in the IP field.

Custom container email notification — Container domain, login details, and internal IP in the notification email.

Dashboard Domain Name

Click Open in Browser beside the container and copy the domain from the browser address bar. You can also right-click the environment domain displayed in the dashboard and copy the link.

Container domain name in dashboard — Open the container or copy its domain from the dashboard.

Dashboard Internal IP

Expand the container’s Additionally menu to view its internal IP address.

Container internal IP in dashboard — View the container’s private IP address from the additional actions menu.

External Connection

The platform provides three primary methods for exposing a custom container to the Internet.

Shared Load BalancerAutomatic HTTP access through the assigned container domain.

EndpointMaps a private container port to a public port on the shared load balancer.

Public IPProvides direct external access and maximum networking flexibility.

Shared Load Balancer

When the service inside the container listens on port 80, it is exposed automatically through the shared load balancer under the assigned domain name. Click Open in Browser to launch the service over HTTP.

Open custom container in browser — Open the custom container through its assigned domain.

When no public IP is attached, the platform may automatically detect a custom TCP listening port and redirect incoming requests to it. Firewall rules can be used to prevent this behaviour where required.

Endpoints

For more advanced cases, create an endpoint from the environment settings. An endpoint exposes a selected private container port through a randomly assigned public port on the shared load balancer and provides an access URL.

Public IP Address

Attaching a public IP provides the highest degree of control. It allows the service to listen on any required port and supports scenarios such as custom SSL and a larger number of simultaneous connections.

Attach a public IP to a custom container — Enable a public IP for direct external access.

Selection guidance: Use the shared load balancer for straightforward HTTP access, endpoints for exposing selected ports without a dedicated address, and a public IP when direct control over ports, SSL, or connection limits is required.