SilverStack Nexus Server Playground
Production-grade Nexus Repository Manager 3 Community Edition on Ubuntu 24.04 - systemd-booted, Cloudflare-ready, Nginx-proxied, zero setup required.
Stack
| Layer | Detail |
|---|---|
| OS | Ubuntu 24.04 - systemd as PID 1 |
| Runtime | Java 21 (OpenJDK) |
| Service | Nexus 3.89.1-02 CE - runs as the nexus system user |
| Reverse proxy | Nginx on port 80 → proxies to Nexus on 8081 |
| Tunnel client | cloudflared pre-installed for public domain access via Cloudflare Tunnel |
Boot sequence
systemd
└── lab-init (oneshot) - SSH keys, /run dirs, Nexus data ownership
└── nginx - reverse proxy on :80
└── nexus - artifact server on :8081
Accessing Nexus
Inside the lab: click the Nexus UI tab. That's it.
- The ↗ arrow on the tab opens Nexus in a new browser tab - but only after the Nexus UI tab has loaded inside the lab first.
Public URL: cloudflared is pre-installed. Install a tunnel token and
point the route to localhost:80 for SSL access on your own domain.
First boot credentials
cat /opt/sonatype-work/nexus3/admin.password
Resources
- 4 vCPU / 10 GiB RAM / 50 GiB disk
- Nexus takes 60–90 seconds to fully initialize on first boot
Docs
A real VM, not a container
Get root on a VM with its own kernel, so Docker, Kubernetes, and systemd just work.
Read the docs →
SSH from browser or CLI
Use the built-in web terminal, or connect with labctl ssh, plain ssh, scp, or rsync.
Read the docs →
Drive it with AI
Let Claude, Codex, or any MCP client start this playground and run commands in it.
Read the docs →
Expose HTTP(S) ports
Give any web app running inside the VM a public URL - for yourself or to share with others.
Read the docs →
Share terminals
Invite others into your terminal session, or open it yourself from another device.
Read the docs →
Customize with init scripts
Add shell scripts that run at boot to install packages, clone repos, or seed test data.
Read the docs →
Private networking
VMs reach the internet via NAT with no public IP; several VMs share bridge networks.
Read the docs →
Ephemeral or persistent
By default, VMs are destroyed when the session ends; enable persistence to keep the disks for next time.
Read the docs →
Built-in container registry
A private registry.iximiuz.com for every playground to share images across services and VMs.
Read the docs →