# Docker Deployment

Run the OpenSquilla gateway as a container on a machine that stays on — a home
server, a NAS, or a small VPS. This page uses Debian 12 as the worked example,
but any host with Docker Engine works the same way, on both `amd64` and `arm64`.

Docker is the right install path when:

- the host has no Python 3.12+ toolchain (or you do not want one),
- you want the gateway to survive reboots and upgrade by pulling a new image,
- you deploy on a NAS or headless server and use the Web UI from another device.

For a desktop machine, the [quickstart](quickstart.md) installs are simpler.

## Prerequisites

Install Docker Engine with the Compose plugin. On Debian 12, follow the
[official Docker instructions](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/),
then verify:

```sh
docker --version
docker compose version
```

Nothing else is required on the host for the prebuilt-image path — no
Python, no Git, no build tools.

## Quick Start with the Prebuilt Image

Prebuilt multi-arch images are published to
[`ghcr.io/opensquilla/opensquilla`](https://github.com/opensquilla/opensquilla/pkgs/container/opensquilla)
for each release tag. The immutable `v0.5.0rc3` tag identifies Preview 3, while
`latest` follows the most recently pushed release tag, including previews and
backports. If a backport moves `latest`, the newest release workflow is rerun to
restore the intended ordering. If the release you want predates image
publishing, use
[Build the Image Yourself](#build-the-image-yourself) instead. A pull that
fails with `denied` or `manifest unknown` means the image for that tag has
not been published (or the package is not public yet) — check the package
page for available tags, or build from source.

Create a directory for the deployment and write this `compose.yaml`:

```yaml
services:
  gateway:
    # Pin v0.5.0rc3 for reproducibility; latest follows the most recent tag push.
    image: ghcr.io/opensquilla/opensquilla:latest
    environment:
      # In-container bind. Keep it 0.0.0.0 — what the network can reach is
      # decided by `ports` below, not by this value.
      OPENSQUILLA_LISTEN: "0.0.0.0"
      # Token auth is required to administer a containerized gateway through
      # the Web UI, even from the same host. Generate a token with:
      #   openssl rand -hex 32
      OPENSQUILLA_AUTH_MODE: token
      OPENSQUILLA_AUTH_TOKEN: ${OPENSQUILLA_AUTH_TOKEN:?generate one with openssl rand -hex 32}
      OPENROUTER_API_KEY: ${OPENROUTER_API_KEY:-}
      TZ: ${TZ:-UTC}
    volumes:
      # All state — config, session DBs, memory, logs, workspace — lives under
      # /var/lib/opensquilla. The named volume makes it survive recreates.
      - opensquilla-state:/var/lib/opensquilla
    ports:
      # Loopback-only: reachable from this host, invisible to the network.
      # For NAS/LAN access see "Reach the Web UI from Your LAN" below.
      - "127.0.0.1:18791:18791"
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  opensquilla-state:
```

Put the two secrets in a `.env` file next to `compose.yaml` (Compose reads it
automatically; keep it out of version control and private: `chmod 600 .env`):

```sh
OPENSQUILLA_AUTH_TOKEN=<output of: openssl rand -hex 32>
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=<your provider key>
```

Start it:

```sh
docker compose up -d
docker compose logs -f gateway
```

Then open the Web UI with the token in the URL:

```text
http://127.0.0.1:18791/control/?token=<your OPENSQUILLA_AUTH_TOKEN>
```

The token is consumed once and stored for the browser session. The first
request also writes the token into the gateway access log, so treat
`docker compose logs` output as sensitive — or open `/control/` without the
query parameter and paste the token into the connection panel instead. From
there, finish provider onboarding and configuration in the Web UI — provider
changes apply immediately and persist in the state volume.

Why token auth is not optional here: the container binds a wildcard address,
so the gateway treats every browser — including one on the same host — as a
remote operator. Remote operators without a token can chat but cannot
administer configuration or onboarding (only a small allowlist of safe
runtime toggles stays writable). With `OPENSQUILLA_AUTH_MODE=token` the token
grants the operator scopes that Web UI administration needs. Use `token` mode
specifically; `password` and `trusted-proxy` modes do not support the Web UI
connection.

## Reach the Web UI from Your LAN

On a headless NAS you will use the Web UI from another device. Two rules:

1. Publish the port on all interfaces by changing the `ports` entry — do
   **not** change `OPENSQUILLA_LISTEN`:

   ```yaml
   ports:
     - "18791:18791"
   ```

2. Keep token auth configured (already true if you followed the quick start).
   The gateway warns, but does not refuse, when it is network-reachable —
   exposure is your call, auth is not.

Recreate the container (`docker compose up -d`) and open
`http://<server-address>:18791/control/?token=<token>` from your device.
If the host runs a firewall, allow inbound TCP 18791 from your LAN only.
LAN traffic to the gateway is plain HTTP, so the token is visible to anyone
who can observe that network — if your LAN is not fully trusted, put the
gateway behind a TLS reverse proxy or use the VPN option below.

Do not forward the gateway port to the internet. For remote access away from
home, use a VPN (WireGuard, Tailscale) or a reverse proxy with TLS and its own
authentication in front. See the safety defaults in [`gateway.md`](gateway.md).

## Keep State on Your Own Storage (Bind Mount)

The named volume is the safest default. If you prefer a directory you manage
(RAID storage, backup tooling), bind-mount it — but the container runs as
non-root UID 10001, so give it ownership first or the gateway fails at boot:

```sh
sudo mkdir -p /srv/opensquilla
sudo chown -R 10001:10001 /srv/opensquilla
```

```yaml
volumes:
  - /srv/opensquilla:/var/lib/opensquilla
```

Everything worth backing up is under that one directory: `config.toml`,
`state/` (session and scheduler databases), `logs/`, `workspace/`, `media/`,
and an optional `.env`.

## Configure Providers and Secrets

Three ways, in order of preference:

1. **Web UI** — provider onboarding and most config changes at `/control/`
   hot-apply and persist to `config.toml` in the state volume. Channel,
   memory-embedding, and sandbox-posture changes need a restart — the Web UI
   marks these, and `docker compose restart gateway` applies them.
2. **Compose `environment`** — pass provider keys by env-var name, as in the
   quick start. Environment values always win over `.env` files.
3. **A `.env` inside the state volume** — the gateway loads
   `/var/lib/opensquilla/.env` at startup, so keys survive image upgrades
   without appearing in `compose.yaml`. On a bind mount, keep it owned by the
   container user and private: `chown 10001:10001 .env && chmod 600 .env`.
   Caveat: a key listed under `environment:` in `compose.yaml` shadows the
   state-volume `.env` even when the host variable is unset (Compose passes
   an empty value through) — remove it from `environment:` if you manage it
   in the state volume.

One precedence caveat for auth: values saved to `config.toml` — for example
by the Web UI — take precedence over environment variables at boot. If the
`OPENSQUILLA_AUTH_*` variables stop taking effect after configuring through
the Web UI, `config.toml` now owns the `[auth]` settings; rotate the token
there (or in the Web UI) and restart.

Hand-edits to `/var/lib/opensquilla/config.toml` are read at boot only —
restart to apply them:

```sh
docker compose restart gateway
```

## Change the Published Port

Change the host side of the mapping and keep the container side at 18791:

```yaml
ports:
  - "127.0.0.1:8080:18791"
```

Setting `OPENSQUILLA_GATEWAY_PORT` does **not** change the listen port of the
container entrypoint — the port lives in the mapping above.

## Health and CLI Access

`/healthz` answers liveness without auth, and `/readyz` returns 503 until the
gateway is fully ready. The image ships a healthcheck; inspect it with:

```sh
docker inspect --format '{{.State.Health.Status}}' $(docker compose ps -q gateway)
```

The full CLI is available inside the container:

```sh
docker compose exec gateway opensquilla doctor
docker compose exec gateway opensquilla gateway status
```

## Upgrade and Roll Back

State lives in the volume, so containers are disposable:

```sh
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d
```

To roll back, pin the previous release tag in `image:` and `docker compose up
-d` again. Pinned tags plus a state backup make both directions routine.

## Build the Image Yourself

The source checkout ships the same `Dockerfile` and a `compose.yaml` that
defaults to a self-built `opensquilla:local` image (override with
`OPENSQUILLA_GATEWAY_IMAGE` to use the GHCR image instead). Building needs
`git`, `git-lfs`, and the Git LFS router assets:

```sh
sudo apt install -y git git-lfs
git clone https://github.com/opensquilla/opensquilla.git
cd opensquilla
git lfs pull --include="src/opensquilla/squilla_router/models/**"
docker build -t opensquilla:local .
docker compose up -d
```

On a low-power or `arm64` NAS this build is slow; prefer the prebuilt image
and keep source builds for development machines.

## If Something Fails

- `docker compose logs gateway` shows boot errors, including an unwritable
  state directory (fix ownership as above).
- `docker compose exec gateway opensquilla doctor` reports readiness and
  recovery steps.
- The Docker sections in [`troubleshooting.md`](troubleshooting.md) cover the
  common failures: unreachable Web UI, rejected configuration changes,
  bind-mount permissions, and LFS-related build errors.

---

[Docs index](README.md) · [Product guide](../README.product.md) · [Improve this page](contributing-docs.md) · [Report a docs issue](https://github.com/opensquilla/opensquilla/issues/new?template=docs_report.yml)