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Docker Deployment

ChatterMate can be deployed using Docker in both development and production environments.

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Development Setup

For local development, we use docker-compose.yml which sets up:

• Frontend (Vue.js) with hot-reloading
• Backend (FastAPI) with auto-reload
• PostgreSQL with pgvector extension
• Redis for caching and rate limiting

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Prerequisites

• Docker
• Docker Compose
• Git

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Quick Start

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/chattermate/chattermate.chat
cd chattermate.chat

2. Create environment files:

# Frontend environment
cp frontend/.env.example frontend/.env

# Backend environment
cp backend/.env.example backend/.env

3. Start the development environment:

docker-compose up --build

Services will be available at:

• Frontend: http://localhost:3000
• Backend API: http://localhost:8000
• Backend Docs: http://localhost:8000/docs
• PostgreSQL: localhost:5432
• Redis: localhost:6379

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Development Features

• Hot-reloading for frontend changes
• Auto-reload for backend changes
• Volume mounts for live code updates
• Development-mode Firebase credentials
• Automatic database migrations
• Health checks for all services

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Production Deployment

For production deployment, we use docker-compose.prod.yml which provides:

• Optimized multi-stage builds
• Nginx for frontend serving
• Gunicorn for backend serving
• Production-grade configurations
• Health monitoring
• Automatic restarts

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Production Setup

1. Set up environment files:

# Frontend production environment
cp frontend/.env.prod.example frontend/.env

# Backend production environment
cp backend/.env.prod.example backend/.env

2. Configure Firebase (Optional):

# Place your Firebase credentials in
./config/firebase-credentials.json

3. Start production services:

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

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Production Features

• Multi-stage builds for smaller images
• Nginx configuration for frontend
• Gunicorn with multiple workers
• Redis persistence
• Database backups
• Automatic health checks
• Container restart policies

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Docker Images

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Frontend Images

• Development: Dockerfile.frontend

  • Node.js development server
  • Hot-reloading enabled
  • Volume mounts for live updates

• Production: Dockerfile.frontend.prod

  • Multi-stage build
  • Nginx for static file serving
  • Optimized build size
  • Health monitoring

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Backend Images

• Development: Dockerfile

  • Python development server
  • Auto-reload enabled
  • Debug mode

• Production: Dockerfile.backend.prod

  • Multi-stage build
  • Gunicorn server
  • Optimized dependencies
  • Worker configuration

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Database Image

• Custom PostgreSQL image with pgvector
• Vector similarity search support
• Automatic initialization
• Health checks

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Environment Variables

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Frontend Variables

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:8000
VITE_WS_URL=ws://localhost:8000

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Backend Variables

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@db:5432/chattermate
CORS_ORIGINS=["http://localhost:3000"]
FIREBASE_CREDENTIALS=/app/config/firebase-credentials.json

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Production Additional Variables

REDIS_ENABLED=true
REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379/0
WORKERS=4
TIMEOUT=120
LOG_LEVEL=info

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Health Checks

All services include health checks:

• Frontend: Checks HTTP endpoint
• Backend: Monitors API health
• PostgreSQL: Verifies database connection
• Redis: Ensures cache availability

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Volumes

Persistent data is managed through Docker volumes:

• postgres_data: Database files
• redis_data: Cache data
• backend_data: Uploaded files
• frontend_node_modules: NPM packages

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Networks

Services communicate through Docker networks:

• Development: app-network
• Production: chattermate-network

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Monitoring

Monitor your deployment using Docker commands:

# View all logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Service-specific logs
docker-compose logs -f frontend
docker-compose logs -f backend
docker-compose logs -f db
docker-compose logs -f redis

# Container health
docker ps

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Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions:

1. Frontend not starting:

# Check frontend logs
docker-compose logs frontend

# Rebuild frontend
docker-compose build --no-cache frontend

2. Backend migrations failing:

# Check backend logs
docker-compose logs backend

# Manual migration
docker-compose exec backend alembic upgrade head

3. Database connection issues:

# Check database logs
docker-compose logs db

# Verify database health
docker-compose exec db pg_isready -U postgres

4. Redis connection issues:

# Check Redis logs
docker-compose logs redis

# Verify Redis connection
docker-compose exec redis redis-cli ping