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Docker Deployment

Deploy SmarterAvatar using Docker for self-hosted environments.

Prerequisites​

  • Docker and Docker Compose installed
  • PostgreSQL database
  • All API keys ready

Quick Start​

1. Clone Repository​

git clone https://github.com/fictiontribe/smarteravatar.git
cd smarteravatar

2. Configure Environment​

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configuration

3. Build and Run​

docker-compose up -d

The application will be available at http://localhost:3000.

Docker Compose Configuration​

version: '3.8'

services:
  app:
    build:
      context: .
      dockerfile: Dockerfile
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - DATABASE_URL=${DATABASE_URL}
      - GEMINI_API_KEY=${GEMINI_API_KEY}
      - OPENAI_API_KEY=${OPENAI_API_KEY}
      - LIVEAVATAR_API_KEY=${LIVEAVATAR_API_KEY}
    depends_on:
      - db
    restart: unless-stopped

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: smarteravatar
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
      POSTGRES_DB: smarteravatar
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  postgres_data:

Dockerfile​

The included Dockerfile uses multi-stage builds:

# Stage 1: Dependencies
FROM node:20-alpine AS deps
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json pnpm-lock.yaml ./
RUN corepack enable pnpm && pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

# Stage 2: Builder
FROM node:20-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=deps /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY . .
RUN corepack enable pnpm && pnpm build

# Stage 3: Runner
FROM node:20-alpine AS runner
WORKDIR /app
ENV NODE_ENV production

RUN addgroup --system --gid 1001 nodejs
RUN adduser --system --uid 1001 nextjs

COPY --from=builder /app/public ./public
COPY --from=builder /app/.next/standalone ./
COPY --from=builder /app/.next/static ./.next/static

USER nextjs
EXPOSE 3000
ENV PORT 3000

CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Database Migrations​

Run migrations after the container starts:

# Run migrations
docker-compose exec app npx prisma migrate deploy

# Or as part of startup (add to entrypoint)
npx prisma migrate deploy && node server.js

Health Checks​

Configure health checks in Docker Compose:

services:
  app:
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:3000/api/health"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3

Production Considerations​

Environment Variables​

Never commit .env files. Use:

  • Docker secrets
  • Environment variable injection
  • Cloud provider secret management

Scaling​

For horizontal scaling:

  • Use external PostgreSQL
  • Configure shared session storage
  • Use a load balancer

Logging​

Configure log aggregation:

services:
  app:
    logging:
      driver: "json-file"
      options:
        max-size: "10m"
        max-file: "3"

Troubleshooting​

Container Won't Start​

# Check logs
docker-compose logs app

# Check if port is available
lsof -i :3000

Database Connection Issues​

# Test database connectivity
docker-compose exec app npx prisma db push --dry-run