Docker Starter

Docker starter project for ASP.NET Core app with a JS SPA frontend served by nginx and a PostgreSQL database.

Quickstart

Install docker then run this on the host machine:

(don't forget to update BACKEND-REPO-URL & FRONTEND-REPO-URL)

apt-get -y update && apt-get -y install git \
&& git clone https://github.com/Biarity/DockerStarter.git /app/source \
&& backend-repo="BACKEND-REPO-URL" \ 
&& frontend-repo="FRONTEND-REPO-URL" \
&& cd /app/source && docker-compose build && docker-compose up -d

Usage

• [OPTIONAL] Update backend/Dockerfile to build/run backend correctly (& wait for db connection)

  • currently set up to build & run .NET Core projects (dotnet build + dotnet run)

• [OPTIONAL] Update frontend/Dockerfile to build frontend source solution into /app/dist correctly

  • currently set up to build npm run build to /dist

• [OPTIONAL] Ensure DB connection string is set up in your backend source correctly

  • eg. User Id=postgres; Database=postgres; Password=supersecretpassword; Host=db; Port=5432;
  • database can't be accessed externally so no need to change password

1. Setup on host machine (ie. DigitalOcean machine)

   • SSH into host machine
   • install docker
   • move this entire folder to host machine into /app/source
     • Using git apt-get -y update && apt-get -y install git && git clone https://github.com/Biarity/DockerStarter.git /app/source

2. Update repositories to pull form (via env vars)

   • these are the repos that will be cloned when you rebuild the images as below
   • backend-repo="BACKEND-REPO-URL" ; frontend-repo="FRONTEND-REPO-URL"

3. Start compose server (ie. to update all)

   • cd /app/source && docker-compose build && docker-compose up -d

• To only update backend

  • cd /app/source && docker-compose build backend && docker-compose up --no-deps -d backend

• To only update frontend

  • cd /app/source && docker-compose build frontend && docker-compose up --no-deps -d frontend

• To only update nginx default file

  • nano /app/source/nginx/default
  • cd /app/source && docker-compose build nginx && docker-compose up --no-deps -d nginx

• Get postgres data

  • will be at /app/pg-vols

Commands In More Detail

• Windows: Via docker quickstart terminal in directory containing docker-compose.yml

• Linux: just use terminal in directory containing docker-compose.yml

• When updating entire thing

  • docker-compose build
    • builds images out of all the Dockerfiles mentioned in docker-compose.yml
  • docker-compose images
    • see list of built images
  • docker-compose up
    • starts running containers from all relevant images and coordinating them
    • -d run detached in the background
  • docker-compose ps
    • see list of running containers
  • docker-compose stop
    • stop containers from running
  • docker-compose down
    • stop & delete containers, delete images
  • docker-compose logs

• When updating only a specific services

  • First, upload the updated code for that specific service
    • Best way to do this is via Git to only update the parts that need changing
    • Don't forget, backend's Dockerfile is set up to build so you only need to update the source code
  • docker-compose build [service name]
    • build images of specific service, use when updating only that one
  • docker-compose up --no-deps -d [service name]
    • recreate and restart only a specific service

Misc

• PostgreSQL config

  • See postgres/Dockerfile to set up default db name, username, and password
    • Note database is not exposed on the outside so don't complicate too much
  • Connection string to use User Id=postgres; Database=postgres; Password=supersecretpassword; Host=db; Port=5432;

• PostgreSQL volumes

  • the volumes contain postgresql's data, config, and logs
  • they are sync'd from the docker container to the local host machine
  • should persist even if container delete
  • @ /app/pg-vols @ local machine (host)

• PostgreSQL auto backups

  • TODO: use this command with cron do generate auto backups, also make rotating so dumps don't accumulate
    • pg_dumpall -c | gzip > /app/pg_backups/dump_`date +%d-%m-%Y"_"%H_%M_%S`.gz

TODO

• create a better nginx file @ nginx/default
• postgresql auto backups