Docker Deployment

NewLoom can be deployed using Docker and Docker Compose. This guide explains the Docker setup, including how static files are handled in a containerized environment.

Docker Setup

The project includes several Docker-related files:

  • Dockerfile: Main container configuration

  • docker-compose.yml: Multi-container orchestration

  • dev-nginx.conf: Nginx configuration for development

  • nginx_ecs.conf: Nginx configuration for production (AWS ECS)

  • supervisord.docker.conf: Supervisor configuration for process management

Static Files in Docker

Static files in Docker are handled in three stages:

1. Build Time

During container build, static files are collected automatically:

# Create directories for static and media files
RUN mkdir -p /app/staticfiles /app/mediafiles

# Collect static files
RUN python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

2. Runtime

Static and media files are managed through Docker volumes:

volumes:
  - static_volume:/app/staticfiles
  - media_volume:/app/mediafiles

This ensures: - Static files persist between container restarts - Multiple containers can share the same files - Files survive container updates

3. Serving

Nginx serves static files directly:

# Serve static files
location /static/ {
    alias /app/newsloom/static/;
    expires 30d;
    add_header Cache-Control "public, no-transform";
}

# Serve media files
location /media/ {
    alias /app/mediafiles/;
    expires 30d;
    add_header Cache-Control "public, no-transform";
}

Development vs Production

Development

In development: - Static files are mounted from local directory - Nginx has autoindex enabled - More verbose error logging - CSRF and security settings are relaxed

volumes:
  - ./newsloom:/app/newsloom
  - ./docs:/app/docs
  - static_volume:/app/staticfiles
  - media_volume:/app/mediafiles

Production

In production: - Use production Nginx configuration - Disable autoindex and debug settings - Enable SSL/TLS - Proper security headers - Consider using CDN for static files

Running with Docker Compose

  1. Build and start services:

    docker-compose up -d --build

  2. Verify static files:

    docker-compose exec web ls /app/staticfiles

  3. Check Nginx configuration:

    docker-compose exec web nginx -t

  4. View logs:

    docker-compose logs -f web

Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

  1. Static files not appearing: - Verify collectstatic ran during build - Check volume mounts - Inspect Nginx configuration - Check file permissions

  2. Media upload issues: - Verify media volume is mounted - Check directory permissions - Ensure proper Nginx configuration

  3. Performance issues: - Enable Nginx caching - Consider using CDN - Optimize static files - Use compression

Best Practices

  1. Volume Management: - Use named volumes for persistence - Regular backups of media files - Clean up unused volumes

  2. Security: - Proper file permissions - Secure headers in Nginx - Regular security updates - Environment-specific configurations

  3. Performance: - Enable Nginx caching - Use compression - Consider CDN for production - Optimize static files