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Docker Single Node

AlexClaw runs as a Docker Compose stack with three services.

Services

Service Container Name Image Port Description
alexclaw-prod alexclaw-prod Custom (Elixir release) 5001 Main application
db-prod alexclaw-db-prod PostgreSQL 17 + pgvector 5432 Database
web-automator — Custom (Python/Playwright) 8000 Browser automation sidecar (optional)

Starting

docker compose up -d

Rebuilding

After code changes, rebuild only the app container:

docker compose up --build --no-deps -d alexclaw-prod

Always use --no-deps

This prevents recreating the database container and losing data.

Stopping

docker compose down        # Stop containers (data preserved in volumes)

Never use -v flag

docker compose down -v destroys volumes including the database. All data will be lost.

Volumes

Volume Purpose
pgdata PostgreSQL data directory
skills Dynamic skill .ex files
backups Database backup files (host bind mount)

Logs

docker compose logs -f alexclaw-prod       # Follow app logs
docker compose logs --tail=50 alexclaw-prod  # Last 50 lines

Health Check

curl http://localhost:5001/health
# {"status":"ok","version":"0.3.13","db":"connected","mcp":"running"}

Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env and configure. See Environment Variables for the full list.

Database Migrations

Migrations run automatically on container start via the release entrypoint. No manual mix ecto.migrate needed.