ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED when trying to view software running in docker containers via url

Question

I'm new to Docker, and have been reconstructing a test environment with instructions that were left to me by the previous developer.

We have several in-house pieces of job tracking software that both the outside clients and internal employees can access.

The job tracking software has a few dependencies that require a mailhog container to be spun up, and a second container which contains all of the other required sub software.

Despite my amateur knowledge on the subject, and the complexity of the software, I successfully installed Docker with the required Linux Kernels and Ubuntu. I pulled the required images I needed, and successfully built the other ones. I configured the in-house software with all of the testing settings enabled, and have it all grouped in the proper file directory.

By all intents and purposes, it should be configured fine. The trouble starts with starting the containers.

The command line prompt "docker-compose up -d" pointed in the proper sub-directory throws this error: Error response from daemon: Get "https://registry-1.docker.io/v2/": remote error: tls: handshake failure

I figured screw it, I'll build it right from the Docker Desktop instead of using command line, and it worked! The two containers I needed successfully built.

I even ran the docker test command to make sure they were really running.

So here's where the trouble just gets worse.

The ex-developer states the jobtracking software can then be viewed in browser using this "https://localhost/jobtracker/"

The page doesn't load, and then throws err_connection_refused error.

I am at my wits end with trouble shooting, because I quite simply don't have the networking or development knowledge to search the right things, AND to make matters even more frustrating is the remote outsourced devs have their environment up and running, despite using the exact same instructions I have.

So I'm down to two possible issues. Either somewhere in the set-up process, I messed something up, OR my office network security is breaking something. However, I was told by our lead IT specialist, I should have all of the same network permissions the outsourced guys on the vpns have.

I am here now reaching out on several docker web sources to find a solution.

I am on Windows 10.

Thankfully my employers are pretty cool about me learning as I go, and understand the technical difficulties. I just don't want to squander the opportunity, and would like to make some progress.