Mirror Source Switching

This article introduces the panel's "Domestic Mirror Source" feature — switching the software sources / Docker install sources of domestic servers to the Alibaba Cloud mirror.

First, Understand: What Is a "Source"

When Linux installs software, it downloads the installation packages from a "software repository" (source). The official sources used by default on overseas servers are slow or even unreachable from within China, causing software installation to stall or time out. Switching sources means changing the download address from "overseas official source" to a "domestic mirror site" (such as Alibaba Cloud), so download speeds improve immediately.

Overview

Servers in mainland China often access overseas software sources (get.docker.com, download.docker.com, etc.) slowly, or cannot connect at all. This feature switches the target server's system software sources and Docker install source to Alibaba Cloud's domestic mirror in one click, solving the stalls, timeouts, and SSL connection resets that occur when installing software / Docker.

Use Cases

• The server is in China and overseas sources are slow or failing
• App Store software installation fails, or Docker won't install
• Want to use domestic acceleration for apt-get / dnf / apk installs

How to Use

There are two entry points for the source-switching feature:

Entry 1: System Management Panel (Recommended)

1. In the server list, click a server's "System Management" button

2. In the top tabs, find "Mirror Source" (the ⚡ icon, between "Cron Jobs" and "Settings")

3. The panel automatically detects the server's system (distro + package manager)

4. Click as needed:

• Switch System Source (Alibaba Cloud): switch the system software sources (apt/dnf/apk) to Alibaba Cloud
• Switch Docker Source (Alibaba Cloud): switch the Docker install source to Alibaba Cloud
• Restore Official System Source / Restore Official Docker Source: restore the official sources with one click

Entry 2: Server Card Quick Button

In the button area of each card in the server list, there is a ⚡ lightning icon (to the right of the "System Management" button, to the left of the edit pencil); click it to open the source-switching panel directly, without entering System Management.

Supported Systems

Mirror Source Notes

• Uses the Alibaba Cloud mirror (mirrors.aliyun.com), a major domestic source that is stable over the long term.
• The Docker install source uses Alibaba Cloud's docker-ce repository, so pulling the Docker engine itself goes through domestic acceleration.

> ⚠️ Note: what's switched here is the install source (software sources + Docker engine source), not the "Docker registry mirror" (acceleration for docker pull image pulls). Since public mirrors for the latter have largely become unavailable, users need to apply for their own Alibaba Cloud personal accelerator ID.

Security

1. Automatic backup: the original config files are backed up automatically before switching sources, and can be restored with one click at any time.

2. Rollback: the restore button restores the official sources and refreshes the cache.

3. Only changes source config: nothing else on the server is touched.

Notes

1. Source switching is a user-initiated action; the panel does not auto-detect "whether the server is in China" and force a switch (to avoid misoperation in environments where switching is inappropriate).

2. Very old distros (e.g. Fedora 32 and other EOL versions) may still fail even after switching sources, because the official sources are no longer maintained and the mirror sources no longer keep the corresponding versions.

3. When installing Docker, if the official script download fails, the panel automatically falls back to the Alibaba Cloud source installation, with no manual intervention needed.