Configuration¶

Learn how to configure Docker Pilot for your specific needs.

Configuration File¶

Docker Pilot uses a docker-pilot.config.json file to store project-specific settings. This file is automatically created when you first run Docker Pilot in a directory.

Location¶

The configuration file is created in your project root directory:

your-project/
├── docker-compose.yml
├── docker-pilot.config.json  ← Configuration file
└── ...

Basic Configuration¶

Here's a basic configuration file:

{
  "projectName": "my-awesome-app",
  "dockerCompose": "docker compose",
  "language": "en",
  "configVersion": "2.0",
  "services": {
    "web": {
      "port": 8080,
      "healthCheck": true,
      "priority": 1
    },
    "api": {
      "port": 3000,
      "healthCheck": true,
      "priority": 2
    },
    "database": {
      "port": 5432,
      "healthCheck": true,
      "priority": 3
    }
  }
}

Configuration Options¶

Core Settings¶

Option	Type	Description	Default
`projectName`	string	Display name for your project	Directory name
`dockerCompose`	string	Docker Compose command to use	`"docker compose"`
`language`	string	Interface language (`en` or `pt-br`)	System language
`configVersion`	string	Configuration file version	`"2.0"`

Service Configuration¶

Each service in your Docker Compose file can have specific settings:

{
  "services": {
    "service-name": {
      "port": 8080,
      "healthCheck": true,
      "priority": 1,
      "autoStart": true,
      "environment": {
        "NODE_ENV": "development"
      },
      "volumes": ["./data:/app/data"],
      "scaling": {
        "min": 1,
        "max": 5,
        "default": 1
      }
    }
  }
}

Service Options¶

Option	Type	Description	Default
`port`	number	Main port for the service	Auto-detected
`healthCheck`	boolean	Enable health monitoring	`true`
`priority`	number	Startup priority (lower = first)	Order in compose file
`autoStart`	boolean	Start with "start all" command	`true`
`environment`	object	Additional environment variables	`{}`
`volumes`	array	Additional volume mappings	`[]`
`scaling`	object	Scaling configuration	Auto-detected

Advanced Configuration¶

CLI Settings¶

{
  "cli": {
    "defaultCommand": "interactive",
    "logLevel": "info",
    "colorOutput": true,
    "showTimestamps": true,
    "confirmDestructive": true
  }
}

Monitoring Settings¶

{
  "monitoring": {
    "enabled": true,
    "refreshInterval": 5,
    "alerts": {
      "enabled": true,
      "thresholds": {
        "cpu": 80,
        "memory": 85,
        "disk": 90
      }
    },
    "healthCheck": {
      "interval": 30,
      "timeout": 10,
      "retries": 3
    }
  }
}

Backup Settings¶

{
  "backup": {
    "enabled": false,
    "path": "./backups",
    "retention": 7,
    "schedule": "0 2 * * *",
    "compression": true,
    "exclude": ["node_modules", "*.log"]
  }
}

Development Settings¶

{
  "development": {
    "hotReload": true,
    "debugMode": false,
    "profileMemory": false,
    "watchFiles": ["src/**/*", "public/**/*"],
    "ignoreFiles": ["**/*.log", "**/node_modules/**"]
  }
}

Environment-Specific Configuration¶

You can have different configurations for different environments:

docker-pilot.config.development.json¶

{
  "extends": "./docker-pilot.config.json",
  "development": {
    "hotReload": true,
    "debugMode": true
  },
  "services": {
    "web": {
      "environment": {
        "NODE_ENV": "development",
        "DEBUG": "*"
      }
    }
  }
}

docker-pilot.config.production.json¶

{
  "extends": "./docker-pilot.config.json",
  "monitoring": {
    "enabled": true,
    "alerts": {
      "enabled": true
    }
  },
  "services": {
    "web": {
      "scaling": {
        "default": 3,
        "max": 10
      }
    }
  }
}

Use specific configurations:

# Development environment
docker-pilot --config docker-pilot.config.development.json

# Production environment
docker-pilot --config docker-pilot.config.production.json

Configuration Management¶

View Current Configuration¶

# Show current configuration
docker-pilot config --show

# Show configuration for specific service
docker-pilot config --show --service web

# Show configuration in different formats
docker-pilot config --show --format yaml
docker-pilot config --show --format table

Validate Configuration¶

# Validate configuration file
docker-pilot config --validate

# Validate specific configuration file
docker-pilot config --validate --config custom.config.json

Reset Configuration¶

# Reset to default configuration
docker-pilot config --reset

# Reset specific service configuration
docker-pilot config --reset --service web

Interactive Configuration¶

Use the interactive menu to configure settings:

Start Docker Pilot: docker-pilot
Navigate to Advanced settings (option 15)
Choose Configuration management
Select the setting you want to modify

Language Configuration¶

Change language in the interactive menu:

Go to Advanced settings
Select Change language
Choose your preferred language
Configuration is automatically saved

Configuration Best Practices¶

1. Version Control¶

Add configuration to version control but exclude sensitive data:

# Include base configuration
!docker-pilot.config.json

# Exclude environment-specific configs with secrets
docker-pilot.config.local.json
docker-pilot.config.*.local.json

2. Environment Variables¶

Use environment variables for sensitive data:

{
  "services": {
    "database": {
      "environment": {
        "POSTGRES_PASSWORD": "${DATABASE_PASSWORD}"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Service Priorities¶

Set startup priorities for dependent services:

{
  "services": {
    "database": { "priority": 1 },
    "redis": { "priority": 2 },
    "api": { "priority": 3 },
    "web": { "priority": 4 }
  }
}

4. Health Checks¶

Configure appropriate health checks:

{
  "services": {
    "web": {
      "healthCheck": true,
      "healthCheckUrl": "http://localhost:8080/health"
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting Configuration¶

Common Issues¶

Configuration file not found: - Run docker-pilot in your project directory - Configuration will be auto-generated

Invalid JSON syntax:

# Validate configuration
docker-pilot config --validate

Service not recognized: - Make sure service name matches your docker-compose.yml - Check spelling and case sensitivity

Port conflicts: - Use different ports for each service - Check for system processes using the same ports

Migration from v1.x¶

If you have an old configuration file:

# Migrate configuration
docker-pilot config --migrate

# Or start fresh
docker-pilot config --reset

What's Next?¶

🚀 Learn about First Steps
🎮 Explore the Interactive Menu
🔧 Try Advanced Features

Pro Tip

Start with the basic configuration and gradually add advanced features as needed. The interactive menu can help you configure most settings without editing JSON files manually!