opnform-host-nginx/docs/deployment/docker-development.mdx

---
title: "Docker Development Setup"
description: "Set up OpnForm locally for development using Docker"
---

import CloudVersion from "/snippets/cloud-version.mdx";

<CloudVersion/>

## Overview

OpnForm provides a Docker-based development environment that offers:
- Hot-reload for both frontend and backend
- Xdebug support for PHP debugging
- Automatic dependency management
- PostgreSQL database and Redis setup
- Nginx reverse proxy configuration

This is the recommended way to get started with OpnForm development.

## Prerequisites

- Docker and Docker Compose installed on your machine
- Git installed
- Basic understanding of Docker concepts

## Quick Start

1. Clone the repository:
   ```bash
   git clone https://github.com/JhumanJ/OpnForm.git
   cd OpnForm
   ```

2. Create environment files:
   ```bash
   ./scripts/setup-env.sh
   ```
   This will create the necessary `.env` files for both the API and client. See our [Environment Variables](/configuration/environment-variables) guide for configuration details.

3. Start the development environment:
   ```bash
   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d
   ```

4. Access your development environment:
   - Frontend: http://localhost:3000
   - API: http://localhost/api

### Initial Login

After starting the development environment, use these credentials to access the app:

-   Email: `admin@opnform.com`
-   Password: `password`

You will be prompted to change your email and password after your first login.

<Note>Public registration is disabled in the self-hosted version. Use the admin account to invite additional users.</Note>

## Development Features

### Hot Reload

The development setup includes hot reload capabilities:
- Frontend (Nuxt.js): Changes to files in the `client` directory trigger automatic rebuilds
- Backend (Laravel): Changes to files in the `api` directory are immediately reflected, except for queued jobs which require restarting the api-worker container (`docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml restart api-worker`)

### File Structure

The development setup mounts your local directories into the containers:
- `./api`: Mounted to the API container with vendor directory preserved
- `./client`: Mounted to the UI container with node_modules preserved
- Database and Redis data are persisted through Docker volumes

### Container Services

The development environment includes:
- `api`: Laravel API service with hot reload
- `ui`: Nuxt.js frontend with HMR
- `api-worker`: Laravel queue worker
- `db`: PostgreSQL database
- `redis`: Redis server
- `ingress`: Nginx reverse proxy

## Common Tasks

### Running Commands

To run commands in the containers:

```bash
# Laravel Artisan commands
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml exec api php artisan [command]

# NPM commands
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml exec ui npm [command]
```

### Accessing Logs

View container logs:

```bash
# All containers
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml logs -f

# Specific container
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml logs -f [service]
```

### Database Management

The PostgreSQL database is accessible:
- From containers: `host=db`
- From your machine: `localhost:5432`
- Default credentials: username=forge, password=forge, database=forge

## Troubleshooting

### Container Issues
If containers aren't starting properly:
```bash
# Remove all containers and volumes
docker compose down -v

# Rebuild and start
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d --build
```

### Permission Issues
If you encounter permission issues with storage or vendor directories:
```bash
# Fix storage permissions
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml exec api chmod -R 775 storage

# Fix vendor permissions
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml exec api chmod -R 775 vendor
```