Error 203 when setting up Amnezia Self-hosted

Overview

This guide can help if you see error 203 while setting up Amnezia Self-hosted in the AmneziaVPN app.

Error 203 (ServerDockerFailedError) means that the AmneziaVPN app could not complete the required actions through Docker.

If Telemt is installed on the server or was installed previously, follow the Telemt solution.

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For the next steps, connect to your server over SSH. You can use the detailed SSH connection guide.

Check Docker

Run the commands below in the server console one by one.

sudo which docker

sudo docker --version

If which docker does not show anything, or if docker --version returns command not found, Docker is not installed.

If Docker is installed but error 203 appears again, try the alternatives below.

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Install Docker

Run this command in the server console:

sudo curl -fsSL https://get.docker.io | sh

After that, run diagnostics:

sudo systemctl status docker

After Docker is installed, go back to the AmneziaVPN app and set up VPN on the server again. The error should not appear if it was caused by missing Docker.

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Alternative 1: change the server's DNS settings

If installing Docker did not resolve the error, try using public DNS servers, such as Google DNS. Changing DNS servers may help if the problem is related to domain name resolution.

The steps below describe how to configure DNS through systemd-resolved. If another service manages DNS on your server, the setup steps will differ.

1. Check whether the service is running:

   sudo systemctl is-active systemd-resolved

   If the command returns active, follow the steps below. If the service is missing or inactive, move on to the second alternative.

2. Open /etc/systemd/resolved.conf:

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/resolved.conf

3. In the [Resolve] section, find DNS= and FallbackDNS=, remove the leading # if present, and set these values:

   [Resolve]
   DNS=8.8.8.8
   FallbackDNS=8.8.4.4

   If these lines are missing, add them to the [Resolve] section. FallbackDNS is used only when no other DNS servers are configured.

4. Save the file and exit the editor: Ctrl + O → Enter → Ctrl + X.

5. Restart the service:

   sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved

6. Check that the service has applied the settings:

   resolvectl status

   In the Global section, DNS Servers should show 8.8.8.8, and Fallback DNS Servers should show 8.8.4.4. If the values differ, check the lines saved in /etc/systemd/resolved.conf.

   The settings in the file persist after a reboot. The server may also use DNS servers specified in its network settings.

7. Go back to the AmneziaVPN app and try setting up VPN on the server again.

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Alternative 2: update the server's packages

If the error persists, try updating the packages. These commands apply to Ubuntu and Debian servers.

1. Update the package lists:

   sudo apt update

2. Once the command completes successfully, install the updates:

   sudo apt upgrade

   Confirm the upgrade if prompted and wait for it to finish.

   If the command reports that dpkg was interrupted or that package configuration is incomplete, run:

   sudo dpkg --configure -a

   Once this command completes successfully, retry the upgrade:

   sudo apt upgrade

3. Go back to the AmneziaVPN app and try setting up VPN on the server again.

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If error 203 persists after these steps, or if the commands fail, contact us via TG-bot or email [email protected].