Overview

Running a CVM on Phala Cloud gives you hardware‑enforced confidentiality out of the box, but the default service URL (<app‑id>.prod5-dstack.phala.network) isn’t exactly brandable. Luckily, Phala’s dstack‑ingress setup lets you attach your own domain, provision a trusted TLS certificate through Let’s Encrypt, and even produce cryptographic evidence that the certificate lives inside an Intel TDX-protected enclave — all in just a few minutes. Check the Phala Docs for more details.

Below we’ll cover prerequisites, show a production‑ready docker‑compose.yml, walk through deploying on Phala Cloud, and explain the attestation files that prove your endpoint is running inside a genuine TEE.

1. How the dstack‑ingress pattern works

1. DNS automation – A tiny side‑car container talks to Cloudflare’s API, creating the CNAME, TXT (routing hint), and optional CAA records needed for DNS‑01 validation.

2. Let’s Encrypt via DNS‑01 – With those records in place, Certbot requests a certificate without ever exposing ports 80/443 on the raw CVM

3. Nginx reverse proxy – The same container terminates TLS and forwards plain HTTP to your app on TARGET_ENDPOINT.

4. Evidence generation – Each time a cert is issued or renewed the container writes cert.pem, acme‑account.json, a sha256sum.txt, and an Intel TDX quote (quote.json) that ties the SHA‑256 digest into the quote’s report_data field.

5. Certificate Transparency – All issued certs are logged in public CT logs, so anyone can audit issuance via tools like crt.sh.

2. Prerequisites

3. Create the Cloudflare API token

1. Dashboard → My Profile → API Tokens → Create Token.

2. Pick the “Edit zone DNS” template, restrict it to just your zone, and finish.

3. Copy the token and save it as CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN.

(Rolling a token later is as simple as ⋮ → Roll in the same UI.)

4. Drop‑in docker‑compose.yml

services:
  dstack-ingress:
    image: kvin/dstack-ingress@sha256:8dfc3536d1bd0be0cb938140aeff77532d35514ae580d8bec87d3d5a26a21470  # pre‑built
    ports:
      - "443:443"
    environment:
      - CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN=${CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN}
      - DOMAIN=${DOMAIN}                       # e.g. api.example.com
      - GATEWAY_DOMAIN=_.dstack-prod5.phala.network
      - CERTBOT_EMAIL=${CERTBOT_EMAIL}
      - TARGET_ENDPOINT=http://app:80
      - SET_CAA=true
    volumes:
      - cert-data:/etc/letsencrypt
      - /var/run/tappd.sock:/var/run/tappd.sock
    restart: unless-stopped

  app:
    image: nginx   # swap in your own image
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  cert-data:

Phala’s Advanced tab accepts this verbatim when you choose docker‑compose.yml during CVM creation.

5. Deploy on Phala Cloud

1. New CVM → Compose file → Advanced, paste the YAML, and select a prodX region.

2. Fill in the environment variables (DOMAIN, CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN, etc.).

3. Click Create and watch logs: within ~2 minutes Certbot shows Congratulations! Your certificate and chain have been saved. Here is an example of a custom domain deployed to phala.incipient.ltd.

Behind the scenes, dstack‑ingress:

• Adds a CNAME from api.example.com → .dstack-prod5.phala.network so traffic routes through Phala’s secure gateway

• Publishes a TXT record that the gateway reads to identify your CVM instance.

• (Optional) Publishes CAA records limiting issuance to letsencrypt.org, reducing the risk of rogue CAs.

6. Verifying attestation evidence

Visit https://api.example.com/evidences/ and download:

Because the quote is signed by Intel’s TDX Attestation Key and bound to the hash chain above, anyone can cryptographically prove the certificate was generated inside this very enclave. You can check the example of the deployment at phala.incipient.ltd/evidences/.

7. Inspect CAA & CT logs (optional)

dig +short CAA api.example.com   # should list only letsencrypt.org

If you see an entry like 0 issue "letsencrypt.org", you’re good.

To monitor certificate issuance, plug your domain into crt.sh or any CT monitor. Every renewal will show up within minutes, giving you an extra audit trail.

8. Automatic renewals & housekeeping

• Certbot runs twice daily and reloads Nginx when certs hit the 30‑day renewal window.

• Because everything is stored in the cert-data volume, redeploying or resizing the CVM preserves certificates and evidence.

• If you ever migrate to a different prod region, just update GATEWAY_DOMAIN, redeploy, and the script will re‑issue the cert for the new CNAME.

9. Troubleshooting tips

10. Where to go next

• Phala Cloud CLI – script the entire flow with phala cvms create --compose docker-compose.yml --env ....

• Nginx hardening – enforce modern ciphers and HSTS once your cert is live.

• Intel Trust Authority – verify TDX quotes remotely for continuous compliance.

Your application now runs behind a vanity URL, serves modern HTTPS, and ships its own enclave‑backed audit trail—perfect for security‑minded customers and enterprise procurement checklists alike.