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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chattermate.chat/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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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
  1. Create environment files:
# Frontend environment
cp frontend/.env.example frontend/.env

# Backend environment
cp backend/.env.example backend/.env
  1. Start the development environment:
docker-compose up --build
Services will be available at:

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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
  1. Configure Firebase (Optional):
# Place your Firebase credentials in
./config/firebase-credentials.json
  1. 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
  1. Backend migrations failing:
# Check backend logs
docker-compose logs backend

# Manual migration
docker-compose exec backend alembic upgrade head
  1. Database connection issues:
# Check database logs
docker-compose logs db

# Verify database health
docker-compose exec db pg_isready -U postgres
  1. Redis connection issues:
# Check Redis logs
docker-compose logs redis

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