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To create a Docker Swarm on Linux VPS servers, install Docker Engine on every VPS, initialize one VPS as the manager with docker swarm init --advertise-addr <MANAGER_IP>, join the remaining VPS instances with the generated worker or manager token, and verify the cluster with docker node ls. Before initialization, restrict the Swarm control and overlay ports to traffic between trusted nodes.
This guide covers Swarm mode, not the obsolete Swarm Classic project. It also distinguishes the ports and firewall rules required for a current Swarm-mode cluster from older or unofficial port lists.
What you are building
Docker Swarm mode turns several Docker Engine installations into one cluster. A manager maintains the cluster state, accepts administrative commands, schedules services, and distributes tasks. Workers run the containers assigned to them. A node can be both a manager and a worker, although separating those roles is usually easier to reason about as the cluster grows.
Swarm mode uses mutual TLS certificates issued by a swarm-wide, self-signed root certificate authority. During initialization, Docker also creates a worker join token, a manager join token, and an overlay network named ingress. The ingress network supports the routing mesh used when a published service port receives traffic on a node.
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The steps below assume Linux VPS instances that can reach one another over stable IP addresses and that you have root or equivalent administrative access on each server.
Prerequisites and planning
VPS layout
- Choose one VPS as the initial manager. Its address must be reachable by every node that will join the swarm.
- Prepare one or more additional VPS instances as workers, or plan to add additional managers if you need manager redundancy.
- Use a private address between VPS instances when your hosting provider supplies a private network. If no private network exists, use the manager’s reachable address and limit access to the known node addresses with your firewall.
- Give each server a stable hostname and synchronized system time. Record which address belongs to each node before running initialization.
Docker Engine
Install Docker Engine on every VPS using the installation instructions for that Linux distribution. The installation is not a Swarm operation, and a node cannot join until the Docker daemon is running. Confirm locally on each server with:
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Privileges and network policy
Run the swarm commands as root or through an account permitted to access the Docker socket. Configure both the VPS operating-system firewall and any provider-level firewall. Allow Swarm ports only between node addresses; expose application ports separately according to the services you intend to publish.
Open the required Swarm ports
The following list is for Docker Swarm mode. Verify the current Docker documentation before production because port requirements and wording can change between releases.
| Port or protocol | Transport | Purpose | Recommended exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2377 | TCP | Communication with and between manager nodes, including joins to the manager. | Only between trusted swarm nodes; do not expose it publicly. |
| 7946 | TCP and UDP | Overlay-network node discovery. | Allow between every swarm node. |
| 4789 | UDP | Overlay-network traffic, using VXLAN by default. Docker documents this port as configurable. | Allow between every swarm node that carries overlay traffic. |
| IP protocol 50 | IPSec ESP | Encrypted overlay networks created with the --opt encrypted option. |
Allow between nodes only when you use encrypted overlays. |
Ports 7946/TCP, 7946/UDP, and 4789/UDP must be available between nodes before enabling swarm mode for the routing mesh. Do not blindly add TCP 2376, 2375, 3375, or 8500 from old blog posts: community lists may describe a different product or Swarm Classic, not current Swarm mode.
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If your distribution uses UFW, add rules that name the other node addresses rather than allowing the ports from the whole internet. Replace the address values with real node IPs; the commands are examples of the policy shape, not a substitute for your provider’s firewall configuration.
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sudo ufw allow from <NODE_IP> to any port 2377 proto tcp
sudo ufw allow from <NODE_IP> to any port 7946 proto tcp
sudo ufw allow from <NODE_IP> to any port 7946 proto udp
sudo ufw allow from <NODE_IP> to any port 4789 proto udpRepeat the rules for each trusted node, then apply the firewall according to your distribution’s procedure. Keep SSH access available from your administration network so a firewall change does not lock you out.
Initialize the first manager
- Connect to the VPS selected as the manager.
- Identify the address that the other VPS instances can actually reach. A public address may be necessary when the provider has no private network; otherwise prefer the private inter-node address.
- Run the initialization command, replacing the example address:
docker swarm init --advertise-addr <MANAGER_IP>Docker’s reference example uses docker swarm init --advertise-addr 192.168.99.121. Do not copy that address unless it is the reachable address of your own manager.
A successful initialization prints a message similar to:
Swarm initialized: current node (bvz81updecsj6wjz393c09vti) is now a manager.The identifier in that message is an example node ID. Your output will contain a different ID. Initialization creates the swarm certificate authority, join credentials, and the ingress overlay network. Save the join commands in a protected password manager or other restricted location; anyone who obtains a manager token can join with control privileges.
Choosing the advertised address correctly
--advertise-addr tells other nodes which address to use for swarm communication. It is not simply the address displayed by a local command: it must be routable from every node. Advertising a loopback address, an unreachable private address, or an interface blocked by a provider firewall commonly produces joins that time out or nodes that remain unreachable.
If a VPS has several interfaces, use the address on the network that carries node-to-node traffic. Test reachability from another VPS before initialization and confirm that the firewall permits TCP 2377 plus the discovery and overlay traffic described above.
Join worker VPS servers
Initialization prints a worker join command containing a token and the manager endpoint. On each worker VPS, run the exact command printed by the manager:
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docker swarm join --token <WORKER_TOKEN> <MANAGER_IP>:2377The token and address are intentionally shown as placeholders inside the command. Copy the real values from the manager’s output, keep the manager endpoint on port 2377, and do not wrap the token in extra quotation marks.
When the join succeeds, Docker reports that the node joined the swarm as a worker. Repeat the command on every worker. A worker does not need a separate initialization step; it must have Docker Engine running and network access to the manager and the overlay ports.
Add another manager when appropriate
A manager token makes the joining node a manager rather than a worker. Use it only for servers that should participate in cluster administration and state management:
docker swarm join --token <MANAGER_TOKEN> <MANAGER_IP>:2377Manager credentials are more sensitive than worker credentials because they grant control over the swarm. Store them separately from routine application secrets, limit who can retrieve them, and rotate them if they may have been exposed.
The evidence available for this guide does not establish a particular manager-quorum count or a required odd-number pattern. For a production design, consult the current Docker manager and quorum documentation for your release instead of assuming a fixed topology.
Retrieve or rotate join tokens
Run these commands on an existing manager:
docker swarm join-token worker
docker swarm join-token managerEach command displays a fresh join command containing the current token. Add -q when you need only the token value:
docker swarm join-token -q worker
docker swarm join-token -q managerUse token rotation after a credential has been disclosed or when your access policy requires it. Rotation invalidates the previous token for future joins; nodes that already joined remain members. Treat the manager token as highly sensitive because it can be used to add administrative nodes.
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Verify that the cluster is healthy
On the manager, list every node:
docker node lsThe output identifies each node, its role, availability, and status. The initial manager should appear as a manager, and successfully joined workers should appear as workers. Run this command on a manager; a worker does not have permission to display the complete node inventory.
- Ready: the node is connected and available for scheduling.
- Down or unreachable: check that Docker is running, the advertised address is correct, and TCP 2377 plus the discovery and overlay ports are allowed between the affected nodes.
- Drain: the node is connected but will not receive new tasks. This may be intentional maintenance configuration.
For a second local check, run docker info on each server and confirm that the node reports swarm mode as active. The manager’s node list is the authoritative view of membership.
Deploy a small service to test scheduling and publishing
Once membership is healthy, create a simple replicated service from the manager to test scheduling. For example, this command asks Swarm to run two replicas and publish container port 80 on port 8080 of the routing mesh:
docker service create --name web --publish published=8080,target=80 --replicas 2 nginxThis is a functional test rather than a production deployment pattern. Inspect placement and task state with:
docker service ls
docker service ps webThe routing mesh means a request to a published port can enter through a node and be routed to an active task elsewhere in the swarm. Open the published application port in your firewall only if the service is meant to be publicly reachable; it is separate from the internal Swarm ports.
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Remove the test service when finished:
docker service rm webFor real workloads, define services in a version-controlled stack file, set explicit resource and restart policies, and publish only the ports required by users or upstream proxies.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use encrypted overlay networks deliberately
Swarm overlay traffic is not automatically the same as an encrypted overlay. If you create an encrypted overlay with --opt encrypted, nodes also need IP protocol 50 (IPSec ESP) permitted between them. A firewall that allows only UDP 4789 can therefore pass ordinary overlay traffic while breaking an encrypted network.
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Enable encryption only after confirming that your VPS provider and network firewall pass ESP. Test service-to-service communication on the encrypted network and monitor for dropped packets before moving production workloads. The protocol requirement applies to encrypted overlay networks, not to every Swarm installation.
Firewall and security practices for VPS swarms
- Keep 2377 private. The manager control plane should be reachable only from trusted swarm nodes and tightly controlled administration paths.
- Scope discovery and overlay traffic. Restrict 7946/TCP, 7946/UDP, and 4789/UDP to the node addresses rather than opening them globally.
- Separate control and application exposure. A publicly published web port does not require public access to 2377, 7946, or 4789.
- Protect tokens. Never paste manager tokens into tickets, public logs, shell history shared with other users, or source repositories.
- Use least privilege. Give routine operators the access they need to deploy services without distributing manager join credentials.
- Plan certificate and token response. If a token or node credential is exposed, rotate the affected join token and investigate the node and account that handled it.
- Document the network. Record which interface is advertised, which addresses are trusted, and which provider firewall rules permit node traffic.
Troubleshooting common failures
docker swarm join times out
Confirm that the manager address resolves to the interface selected with --advertise-addr. From the worker, test TCP connectivity to the manager on port 2377. Then check provider and host firewalls for 2377/TCP, 7946/TCP, 7946/UDP, and 4789/UDP. A port that is open on the manager’s local firewall can still be blocked by a cloud security group.
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Look for asymmetric routing, a private address that is not shared by all VPS instances, or a firewall that permits the initial TCP connection but blocks UDP discovery or VXLAN traffic. If the manager has multiple interfaces, verify that the advertised address is reachable in both directions.
Services cannot communicate across nodes
Check 7946/TCP and UDP for discovery and 4789/UDP for overlay traffic between every node carrying tasks. If the network was created with encryption, also check IP protocol 50. Inspect task placement with docker service ps <SERVICE_NAME> and review daemon logs on the nodes that host failed tasks.
A published port is inaccessible
Verify that the service has a running replica and that the published application port, not a Swarm control port, is allowed from the client network. The routing mesh can accept traffic on a node without a local task, but it still depends on healthy node-to-node overlay and routing traffic.
A token no longer works
The token may have been rotated, copied incompletely, or used with the wrong role. On a manager, generate the current worker or manager command with docker swarm join-token worker or docker swarm join-token manager, then run the matching command on the joining VPS.
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Operational checklist
- Install and verify Docker Engine on every VPS.
- Choose a reachable manager address and document the interface.
- Restrict 2377/TCP, 7946/TCP and UDP, and 4789/UDP to swarm node addresses; add protocol 50 only for encrypted overlays.
- Run
docker swarm init --advertise-addr <MANAGER_IP>on the first manager. - Store the generated worker and manager commands securely.
- Join workers with the worker token and any additional managers with the manager token.
- Run
docker node lson a manager and resolve every node that is not Ready. - Deploy a non-production test service before exposing application traffic.
- Rotate join tokens after suspected disclosure and review firewall rules whenever the node inventory changes.
Version and documentation caveat
Docker’s official pages used for the port and command references can change, and the visible revision dates for those pages were not available here. Confirm the current Swarm reference, distribution-specific Docker installation instructions, and provider firewall behavior immediately before a production rollout. In particular, verify the port list for the Docker Engine release you install and do not substitute an older Swarm Classic guide.
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