How to Set Up Sing-Box

This guide explains how to deploy sing-box + Docker + Docker Compose for managing modern proxy connections (VLESS + WS + TLS), providing a lightweight and configuration-driven alternative to v2rayA. This setup is ideal for users who want a stable SOCKS proxy for browsers on Arch Linux with minimal system modification.

1. Preparation

1.1 Docker

Install Docker:

sudo pacman -S docker

Add your user to the Docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $(whoami)

Create Docker config directory:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/docker

Create /etc/docker/daemon.json to use a registry mirror:

cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/docker/daemon.json > /dev/null
{
    "registry-mirrors": [
        "https://dockerproxy.net"
    ]
}
EOF

Enable and start Docker:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Verify Docker:

docker ps

💡 Tip: Adding your user to the Docker group avoids using sudo every time. 💡 Tip: Registry mirrors help in restricted network environments.

1.2 Docker Compose

Install Docker Compose:

sudo pacman -S docker-compose

Verify installation:

docker-compose --version

💡 Tip: Docker Compose simplifies managing sing-box containers.

2. sing-box

2.1 Prepare Directories

Create project directories:

mkdir -p software/sing-box/config

Create the Docker Compose file:

nvim software/sing-box/docker-compose.yml

2.2 Docker Compose Configuration

Example docker-compose.yml:

services:
  sing-box:
    image: ghcr.io/sagernet/sing-box
    restart: always
    container_name: sing-box
    network_mode: host

    volumes:
      - ./config:/etc/sing-box

    command: run -C /etc/sing-box

2.3 Start the Container

cd software/sing-box
docker-compose up -d

Verify:

docker ps | grep sing-box

💡 Tip: Use docker logs sing-box to debug startup issues.

3. sing-box Configuration

3.1 Create Configuration File

Create config:

nvim software/sing-box/config/config.json

3.2 VLESS + WS + TLS Configuration

Example config:

{
  "log": {
    "level": "info"
  },

  "inbounds": [
    {
      "type": "socks",
      "listen": "127.0.0.1",
      "listen_port": 1080
    }
  ],

  "outbounds": [
    {
      "type": "vless",
      "tag": "proxy",

      "server": "yourdomain.com",
      "server_port": 443,

      "uuid": "your_uuid",

      "tls": {
        "enabled": true,
        "server_name": "yourdomain.com"
        "insecure": true
      },

      "transport": {
        "type": "ws",
        "path": "/ws/8f3a7b2c9d",
        "headers": {
          "Host": "yourdomain.com"
        }
      }
    },

    {
      "type": "direct",
      "tag": "direct"
    }
  ],

  "route": {
    "final": "proxy"
  }
}

💡 Tip: path, Host, and UUID must match your VPS configuration exactly. Then restart your container.

4. Browser Proxy Configuration

4.1 Firefox Example

Open:

Settings → Network Settings → Manual Proxy

Set:

SOCKS Host: 127.0.0.1
Port: 1080
SOCKS v5: enabled

Enable:

✔ Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5

4.2 Chromium Example

google-chrome --proxy-server="socks5://127.0.0.1:1080"

💡 Tip: Firefox is more stable for SOCKS DNS handling.

5. Security and Optimization Tips

• Do NOT expose port 1080 publicly
• Keep container bound to 127.0.0.1 only
• Keep VPS path and UUID secret
• Prefer WS + TLS over raw TCP
• Avoid system-wide iptables rules

6. Backup & Rollback

6.1 Backup Config

sudo mkdir -p /root/backup/sing-box
sudo cp -r software/sing-box/config /root/backup/sing-box/

6.2 Restore Backup

sudo rm -rf software/sing-box/config
sudo cp -r /root/backup/sing-box/config software/sing-box/
docker-compose restart

💡 Tip: Always restart container after restoring config.

7. Troubleshooting

7.1 Container Not Starting

Check logs:

docker logs sing-box

Common causes:

• JSON syntax error
• Wrong UUID
• Wrong domain or TLS mismatch

7.2 Docker Compose Issues

Validate config:

docker-compose config

Restart:

docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d

7.3 Browser Cannot Connect

Check:

• SOCKS port = 1080
• Firefox DNS over SOCKS enabled
• Container running