Deploy Web-based IntelliJ IDEA on a Cloud Server Using Docker

This guide shows how to set up a web-accessible IntelliJ IDEA environment on a cloud server using Docker, enabling you to code, build, and run Java projects from any browser.

Prerequisites : a cloud server (minimum 2 CPU + 4 GB RAM), Docker and Docker Compose installed.

1. Configure Docker daemon mirrors :

sudo mkdir -p /etc/docker
sudo tee /etc/docker/daemon.json <<-'EOF'
{
  "registry-mirrors": ["https://dc.j8.work", "https://docker.1panel.live"]
}
EOF
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart docker

These mirrors speed up image pulls.

2. Prepare JDK and Maven :

[root@lavm-aqhgp9nber java]# tar -zxvf jdk-8u202-linux-x64.tar.gz

Unpack the JDK and map it into the Docker container.

[root@lavm-aqhgp9nber maven]# unzip apache-maven-3.8.8.zip

Optionally map the .m2/settings.xml file to the container.

[root@lavm-aqhgp9nber maven]# ls -a
.  ..  apache-maven-3.8.8.zip  install-maven.sh  .m2  remove-maven.sh

3. Authorize the project directory :

chmod -R 777 projector-user/

This grants read/write permissions to all files under projector-user .

4. Run the Docker Compose script :

# docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d

The accompanying docker-compose.yml defines the IDEA container:

version: '3.9'
services:
  intellij-idea:
    image: registry.jetbrains.team/p/prj/containers/projector-idea-c
    container_name: intellij-idea
    ports:
      - "8887:8887"
    volumes:
      - ~/projector-user:/home/projector-user
      - ~/projector-user/maven/.m2/settings.xml:/home/projector-user/.m2/settings.xml
    tty: true
    stdin_open: true
    restart: unless-stopped  # auto‑restart on failure

After the containers start, open port 8887 on the server firewall.

5. Test the setup :

Clone your project into projector-user (e.g., via git clone ) and access the IDE at http:// your-server-ip :8887/ . The web IDE behaves like a local IntelliJ instance, making it ideal for learning and quick prototyping on low‑spec machines.