Deploy FlexIt

This repository provides everything needed to deploy FlexIt using Docker.

For Linux Installation see this guide

System Requirements

Ensure you are able to run PowerShell as Administrator, as Docker needs elevated privileges to run Windows containers. Windows containers only run on Windows 10 or Windows Server 2022 and later.

Note FlexIt via Docker does not support SQL Server database connections using Windows Domain authentication. If you need to connect to SQL Server, you must use SQL authentication. If you need to connect to SQL Server using Windows authentication, please follow the on-premise installation instructions.

Prerequisites

Git or GitHub Desktop in order to clone the repository and install FlexIt. Docker and Docker Compose will be automatically installed via the install script if not already on your system.

Deployment Options

This repository allows for the following deployment options:

  • With all containers: FlexIt Frontend and PostgreSQL backend.
  • Without PostgreSQL: Use an external content database while deploying the FlexIt Frontend.

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-windows.git
cd flexit-docker-windows

2. Configure Environment Variables

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

frontend app configuration (modification in optional, the below defaults are provided):

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

backend database configuration (add credentials for the containerized PostgreSQL database):

If you are using an external content database, set the USE_CONTENT_DB_CONTAINER variable to false.

## --backend database credentials-- ##
USE_CONTENT_DB_CONTAINER=true
CONTENT_DB_VERSION=latest
DB_USER=''
DB_PASSWORD=''
DB_NAME=''
DB_PORT=5432

Ensure the image tag in the Dockerfile matches the version of Windows you are using. The default is windows-ltsc2022.

Note:

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

Installation and Setup

Installing for the first time

Run the following command in an Administrator PowerShell:

.\install.ps1

This command will install docker and docker-compose if not already installed, build the images, and start the container(s).

Due to the inherent nature and size of Windows containers, the installation process may take a while to complete. Please be patient.

Access FlexIt

Visit the application at:

http://localhost:<FLEXIT_PORT>

See here for how to configure your DNS.

Managing the Docker Containers

Stopping the Application

To stop the application:

.\scripts\stop_server.bat

Starting the Application

To start the application:

.\scripts\start_server.bat

Restarting the Application

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

.\scripts\restart_server.ps1

Cleaning up artifacts to free up space

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

stop all containers (PowerShell)

docker stop (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 (PowerShell)

docker rm (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 (PowerShell)

docker rmi (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

docker system prune -af

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

To remove only unused images:

docker image prune -a

To remove unused containers:

docker container prune

To remove unused networks:

docker network prune

To remove unused build cache:

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:

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):

docker exec -it flexit-analytics /bin/bash

To view the volumes:

docker volume ls

To inspect a specific volume:

docker volume inspect <volume_name>

Additional Notes

Viewing Logs

To view logs for the a container:

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. FlexIt Frontend Not Starting

  • Review logs:

    docker logs flexit-analytics

3. Viewing Running Containers

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

    sudo docker ps
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