Docker Containerization Guide

Overview

This inventory management system has been containerized with Docker for easy deployment and scaling. The setup includes:

Backend PHP service with Apache
Frontend Vue.js service with Nginx
External database connectivity (MySQL/PostgreSQL/etc.)
Redis cache (optional)
External volume mounts for uploads

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed
At least 2GB RAM available
Sufficient disk space for uploads
External database server (MySQL 8.0+ recommended)

1. Environment Configuration

For external database setup, use the external database template:

cp .env.external .env

Edit the .env file with your external database configuration:

# External Database Configuration
DB_HOST=your-external-db-host
DB_PORT=3306
DB_NAME=inventory_db
DB_USER=your-db-username
DB_PASS=your-db-password

# Company Information
COMPANY_NAME=Your Company Name
COMPANY_ADDRESS=123 Business Street
COMPANY_CITY=Helsinki
COMPANY_POSTAL_CODE=00100
COMPANY_COUNTRY=Finland
COMPANY_PHONE=+358 123 456 789
COMPANY_EMAIL=info@yourcompany.com
COMPANY_Y_TUNNUS=1234567-8

# File Upload Configuration
UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE=10M
ALLOWED_FILE_TYPES=pdf,doc,docx,xls,xlsx,jpg,jpeg,png,gif
UPLOADS_PATH=./uploads

# Frontend Configuration
VUE_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:8080

# Port Configuration
BACKEND_PORT=8080
FRONTEND_PORT=3000
REDIS_PORT=6379

2. Database Setup

Before starting the containers, ensure your external database is ready:

-- Create database and user (MySQL example)
CREATE DATABASE inventory_db;
CREATE USER 'your-db-username'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'your-db-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON inventory_db.* TO 'your-db-username'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Import the database schema:

mysql -h your-external-db-host -u your-db-username -p inventory_db < database/init.sql

3. Build and Start Containers

docker-compose up -d --build

4. Access the Application

Frontend: http://localhost:${FRONTEND_PORT:-3000}
Backend API: http://localhost:${BACKEND_PORT:-8080}
Database: your-external-db-host:3306 (with your configured credentials)
Redis: localhost:${REDIS_PORT:-6379} (if enabled)

Configuration Details

Environment Variables

Database Configuration

DB_HOST: External database server hostname (required)
DB_PORT: Database port (default: 3306)
DB_NAME: Database name (default: inventory_db)
DB_USER: Database username (required)
DB_PASS: Database password (required)

Port Configuration

BACKEND_PORT: Backend service port (default: 8080)
FRONTEND_PORT: Frontend service port (default: 3000)
REDIS_PORT: Redis service port (default: 6379)

File Upload Configuration

UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE: Maximum file upload size (default: 10M)
ALLOWED_FILE_TYPES: Allowed file extensions
UPLOADS_PATH: External path for uploads volume mount

Frontend Configuration

VUE_APP_API_URL: Backend API URL for frontend

Volume Mounts

Uploads Directory

The uploads directory is mounted as an external volume to persist file uploads across container restarts:

volumes:
  uploads_data:
    driver: local
    driver_opts:
      type: none
      o: bind
      device: ${UPLOADS_PATH:-./uploads}

Database Data

MySQL data is persisted in a Docker volume:

volumes:
  mysql_data:
    driver: local

Network Configuration

All services communicate through a dedicated Docker network:

networks:
  inventory-network:
    driver: bridge

Production Deployment

Security Considerations

Change all default passwords
Use HTTPS in production (configure SSL certificates)
Restrict database access to internal network only
Regularly update containers and dependencies
Implement proper backup strategy for database and uploads

Scaling

The architecture supports horizontal scaling:

Frontend can be scaled by adding more Nginx containers behind a load balancer
Backend can be scaled by adding more PHP containers
Database can be moved to external managed service

Monitoring

Consider adding:

Health checks for all services
Log aggregation
Performance monitoring
Backup automation

Development

Local Development

For development, you can run services individually:

# Start only database
docker-compose up -d mysql

# Start backend with live reload
docker-compose up -d --build backend

# Start frontend with live reload
cd frontend && npm run serve

Debugging

View logs for specific services:

# Backend logs
docker-compose logs -f backend

# Frontend logs
docker-compose logs -f frontend

# Database logs
docker-compose logs -f mysql

Database Management

Connect to the database:

docker-compose exec mysql mysql -u inventory_user -p inventory_db

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Database Connection Failed

Check if MySQL container is running: docker-compose ps
Verify database credentials in .env file
Check database logs: docker-compose logs mysql

Upload Directory Not Working

Ensure uploads directory exists on host
Check permissions: ls -la uploads/
Verify volume mount in docker-compose.yml

Frontend Not Loading

Check if backend is accessible: curl http://localhost:8080/api/company.php
Verify API URL configuration
Check frontend logs: docker-compose logs frontend

Performance Optimization

Enable Redis caching for frequently accessed data
Configure PHP OPcache for better performance
Use CDN for static assets
Implement database connection pooling

Maintenance

Updates

To update the application:

# Pull latest changes
git pull

# Rebuild and restart containers
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d --build

Backups

Regular backups should include:

Database dump: docker-compose exec mysql mysqldump -u root -p inventory_db
Uploads directory: tar -czf uploads_backup.tar.gz uploads/

Cleanup

Remove unused containers and images:

docker system prune -a
docker volume prune

Support

For issues and questions, refer to the application logs or contact your system administrator.

DOCKER_README.md 6.4 KB Verlauf Originalformat