SurfSense/DOCKER_SETUP.md

Docker Setup for SurfSense

This document explains how to run the SurfSense project using Docker Compose.

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed on your machine
• Git (to clone the repository)

Environment Variables Configuration

SurfSense Docker setup supports configuration through environment variables. You can set these variables in two ways:

1. Create a .env file in the project root directory (copy from .env.example)
2. Set environment variables directly in your shell before running Docker Compose

The following environment variables are available:

# Frontend Configuration
FRONTEND_PORT=3000
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://backend:8000

# Backend Configuration
BACKEND_PORT=8000

# Database Configuration
POSTGRES_USER=postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres
POSTGRES_DB=surfsense
POSTGRES_PORT=5432

# pgAdmin Configuration
PGADMIN_PORT=5050
PGADMIN_DEFAULT_EMAIL=admin@surfsense.com
PGADMIN_DEFAULT_PASSWORD=surfsense

Deployment Options

SurfSense uses a flexible Docker Compose setup that allows you to choose between different deployment modes:

Option 1: Full-Stack Deployment (Development Mode)

Includes frontend, backend, database, and pgAdmin. This is the default when running docker compose up.

Option 2: Core Services Only (Production Mode)

Includes only database and pgAdmin, suitable for production environments where you might deploy frontend/backend separately.

Our setup uses two files:

• docker-compose.yml: Contains core services (database and pgAdmin)
• docker-compose.override.yml: Contains application services (frontend and backend)

Setup

1. Make sure you have all the necessary environment variables set up:

   • Copy surfsense_backend/.env.example to surfsense_backend/.env and fill in the required values
   • Copy surfsense_web/.env.example to surfsense_web/.env and fill in the required values
   • Optionally: Copy .env.example to .env in the project root to customize Docker settings

2. Deploy based on your needs:

   Full Stack (Development Mode):

   # Both files are automatically used
   docker compose up --build
   

   Core Services Only (Production Mode):

   # Explicitly use only the main file
   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up --build
   

3. To run in detached mode (in the background):

   # Full stack
   docker compose up -d
   
   # Core services only
   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d
   

4. Access the applications:

   • Frontend: http://localhost:3000 (when using full stack)
   • Backend API: http://localhost:8000 (when using full stack)
   • API Documentation: http://localhost:8000/docs (when using full stack)
   • pgAdmin: http://localhost:5050

Customizing the Deployment

If you need to make temporary changes to either full stack or core services deployment, you can:

1. Temporarily disable override file:

   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d
   

2. Use a custom override file:

   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f custom-override.yml up -d
   

3. Temporarily modify which services start:

   docker compose up -d db pgadmin
   

Useful Commands

• Stop the containers:

  docker compose down
  

• View logs:

  # All services
  docker compose logs -f
  
  # Specific service
  docker compose logs -f backend
  docker compose logs -f frontend
  docker compose logs -f db
  docker compose logs -f pgadmin
  

• Restart a specific service:

  docker compose restart backend
  

• Execute commands in a running container:

  # Backend
  docker compose exec backend python -m pytest
  
  # Frontend
  docker compose exec frontend pnpm lint
  

Database

The PostgreSQL database with pgvector extensions is available at:

• Host: localhost
• Port: 5432 (configurable via POSTGRES_PORT)
• Username: postgres (configurable via POSTGRES_USER)
• Password: postgres (configurable via POSTGRES_PASSWORD)
• Database: surfsense (configurable via POSTGRES_DB)

You can connect to it using any PostgreSQL client or the included pgAdmin.

pgAdmin

pgAdmin is a web-based administration tool for PostgreSQL. It is included in the Docker setup for easier database management.

• URL: http://localhost:5050 (configurable via PGADMIN_PORT)
• Default Email: admin@surfsense.com (configurable via PGADMIN_DEFAULT_EMAIL)
• Default Password: surfsense (configurable via PGADMIN_DEFAULT_PASSWORD)

Connecting to the Database in pgAdmin

1. Log in to pgAdmin using the credentials above
2. Right-click on "Servers" in the left sidebar and select "Create" > "Server"
3. In the "General" tab, give your connection a name (e.g., "SurfSense DB")
4. In the "Connection" tab, enter the following:
   • Host: db
   • Port: 5432
   • Maintenance database: surfsense
   • Username: postgres
   • Password: postgres
5. Click "Save" to establish the connection

Troubleshooting

• If you encounter permission errors, you may need to run the docker commands with sudo.
• If ports are already in use, modify the port mappings in the .env file or directly in the docker-compose.yml file.
• For backend dependency issues, you may need to modify the Dockerfile in the backend directory.
• If you encounter frontend dependency errors, adjust the frontend's Dockerfile accordingly.
• If pgAdmin doesn't connect to the database, ensure you're using db as the hostname, not localhost, as that's the Docker network name.
• If you need only specific services, you can explicitly name them: docker compose up db pgadmin

Understanding Docker Compose File Structure

The project uses Docker's default override mechanism:

1. docker-compose.yml: Contains essential services (database and pgAdmin)
2. docker-compose.override.yml: Contains development services (frontend and backend)

When you run docker compose up without additional flags, Docker automatically merges both files. When you run docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up, only the specified file is used.

This approach lets you maintain a cleaner codebase without manually commenting/uncommenting services in your configuration files.