Deploy FlexIt

This repository provides everything needed to deploy FlexIt using Docker.

For Windows Installation see this guide

Prerequisites

Ensure you have sudo access and the following are installed on your machine:

Deployment Options

This repository allows for the following deployment options:

  • With all containers: FlexIt Frontend, PostgreSQL backend, and Nginx for reverse proxy management.
  • Without PostgreSQL: Use an external content database while deploying the FlexIt Frontend (and optionally Nginx).
  • Without Nginx: Directly expose the FlexIt Frontend without a reverse proxy (with or without a content database).

Required Containers

The FlexIt Analytics (flexit-analytics) container is the only mandatory container. All other containers are optional based on your setup.

Installation Instructions

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/flexanalytics/flexit-docker-linux.git
cd flexit-docker-linux

2. Configure Environment Variables

Rename the .env.template file to .env and update the following:

backend database credentials:

## --backend database credentials-- ##
DB_USER=
DB_PASSWORD=
DB_NAME=
DB_PORT=5432

frontend app configuration (optional, defaults are provided):

## --frontend app port number-- ##
FLEXIT_PORT=3030
FLEXIT_VERSION=latest

webserver setup (optional if using Nginx and ssl for external access):

## -- nginx setup -- ##
USE_NGINX=true
# domain where your site will be available
PUBLIC_DNS='<your_public_dns>'
# should certs be managed automatically?
AUTO_MANAGE_CERTS=false
# path where .crt and .key files are stored
CERT_PATH=/etc/nginx/ssl
# email for certificate authority
CERT_EMAIL='<your_email>''
# https port (443 is default and standard)
NGINX_HTTPS_PORT=443
# http port (80 is default and standard)
NGINX_HTTP_PORT=80

Note:

  • If you are using an external content database, you will be prompted to set up the database credentials upon creating your account.

Installation and Setup

Installing for the first time

Run the following command in an Administrator PowerShell:

./install.sh

This command will prompt you to configure your content database, build the images, and start the container(s).

Access FlexIt

Visit the application at:

Managing the Docker Containers

Stopping the Application

To stop the application:

./scripts/stop_server.sh

Starting the Application

To start the application:

./scripts/start_server.sh

Restarting the Application

To pull the latest changes from an upstream repo and restart the application:

./scripts/restart_server.sh

Deploying the Application

To deploy the application with custom files in the volumes directory, including pulling changes and restarting, run:

./scripts/deploy_server.sh

Cleaning up artifacts to free up space

This section provides commands to clean up Docker artifacts, including containers and images.

stop all containers

sudo docker stop $(sudo docker ps -aq)

This command will stop all running containers in your local Docker environment. Be cautious, as this will stop all containers, including those not related to this project.

delete all containers

sudo docker rm $(sudo docker ps -aq)

This command will remove all containers from your local Docker environment. Be cautious, as this will delete all containers, including those not related to this project.

delete all images

sudo docker rmi $(sudo docker images -q)

This command will remove all images from your local Docker environment. Be cautious, as this will delete all images, including those not related to this project.

prune to clear up space

sudo docker system prune -af

This command will remove all stopped containers, unused networks, dangling images, and build cache.

To remove only unused images:

sudo docker image prune -a

To remove unused containers:

sudo docker container prune

To remove unused networks:

sudo docker network prune

To remove unused build cache:

sudo docker builder prune

Working with Volumes

The docker-compose.yml file uses named volumes to persist data. These volumes are created automatically when you run the application and will persist between container restarts.

For example:

volumes:
- flexit_webcontent:/opt/flexit/webcontent

This creates a named volume called flexit_webcontent that is used by the flexit-analytics service and is mapped to the /opt/flexit/webcontent directory in the container. This volume is owned by root and is not accessible by the user running the container. If you need to access or modify the data in this volume, you can use the docker cp command to copy files to the container from your local machine (or vice/versa). Further documentation from Docker here

For example, to copy a file.txt file from your local machine to the flexit_webcontent volume in the flexit-analytics container:

sudo docker cp file.txt flexit-analytics:/opt/flexit/webcontent/file.txt

You can also get into the container's shell directly to move around the filesystem if needed:

run bash from within the container (linux):

sudo docker exec -it flexit-analytics /bin/bash

To view the volumes:

sudo docker volume ls

To inspect a specific volume:

sudo docker volume inspect <volume_name>

Additional Notes

Viewing Logs

To view logs for the FlexIt Frontend:

sudo docker logs <container_name>

Troubleshooting

1. PostgreSQL Connection Issues

  • Ensure the DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_NAME in .env match the values expected by the PostgreSQL server.

2. Nginx Not Forwarding Requests

  • Check that the PUBLIC_DNS in .env matches your actual DNS or hostname.
  • Ensure no other service is using the Nginx port (default: 80 or NGINX_PORT).

3. FlexIt Frontend Not Starting

  • Review logs:

    docker logs flexit-analytics

4. Docker Daemon Issues

  • Ensure the Docker daemon is running. You can check the status with:

    sudo systemctl status docker

  • If the daemon is not running, start it with:

    sudo systemctl start docker

5. Viewing Running Containers

  • A complete list of running containers can be viewed with:

    sudo docker ps
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