README - no mention of ports configuration (for new user - cross-references to proxy info)

[jcward]

I'm arriving to just start playing with Zulip for the first time in a docker compose container. This is where I started:

docker-zulip/README.md

Lines 100 to 107 in af07d3e

	To use this project, we recommend starting by cloning the repository (since
	you'll want to edit the `docker-compose.yml` file in this project):
	```
	git clone https://github.com/zulip/docker-zulip.git
	cd docker-zulip
	# Edit `docker-compose.yml` to configure; see docs below
	```

Sweet! ... but this is where I got hung up:

docker-zulip/docker-compose.yml

Lines 61 to 64 in af07d3e

	ports:
	- "25:25"
	- "80:80"
	- "443:443"

The README makes no mention of ports or 25 / 80 / 443. I get that users of docker compose must be familiar with these ports... But the presumption is that Zulip will own these three ports (aka services, HTTP, HTTPS, and SMTP) on the host. It'd be great to at least mention from Zulip's perspective - can omit / map any of these, and what that would disable or require?

Might I suggest something like:

---

Port configuration. By default, ports 25, 80, and 443 on the host are forwarded to Zulip. If your server already hosts one of these services (SMTP, HTTP, or HTTPS, respectively), then you should map to different ports, or remove these lines.

• If you remove port 25, Zulip will not be able to xyz
• If you remove port 80, Zulip will not be able to xyz (or is it required?)
• If you remove port 443, Zulip will not be able to provide secure HTTPS access (though HTTP will still work. This may be fine if forwarded through a secure proxy.)

UPDATE:

I now see the Networking and Reverse Proxy Configuration section.

I think this makes the issue simpler: It would help searchability if that section mentioned 443 / 25

AND/OR even better, by the in the .cnf file, add a note by the ports section:

    ## See "Networking and Reverse Proxy Configuration"
    ports:
      - "25:25"
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"

Oh, and separate sections for SSL Certificates... And Reverse Proxies. Hmm... feels like this info is scattered around. 🤔 So, either organize it? Or, like some OSS projects, tell the users to read all the docs before they can even try it out. 😄

OR: leave this info scattered, and tell users:

Describe your network or proxy setup to ChatGPT, link or reference docs, and ask it how to configure the ports:, DISABLE_HTTPS, LOADBALANCER_IPS and SETTING_EXTERNAL_HOST etc variables.

[lightning-sagar]

Hi,
I noticed this issue hasn’t had any maintainer feedback yet..
I ran into the same confusion around port configuration and reverse proxy setup while deploying Zulip via Docker, I can confirm this documentation gap still exists...

If this is still relevant, I’d be happy to open a PR to clarify the ports (25/80/443) and reference the “Networking and Reverse Proxy Configuration” section in the README

@timabbott , would a contribution like that be welcome??

[timabbott]

Yep, such a PR would be welcome!