- Yup, pretty much, unless you can guarantee everyone is on IPv6, which isn't likely.
- Yup, docker or kunernetes is probably the way to go.
I'm building something based on Iroh, which is basically a DIY IPFS system. They have their own DHT, but AFAIK the "distributed" part is very much DIY (i.e. balancing between nodes). Maybe it's worth looking at, the code is pretty easy to follow imo.