Docker Compose

Snapp can be deployed using Docker Compose. This setup runs the application and a PostgreSQL database with persistent storage.

Requirements

• Docker
• Docker Compose
• PostgreSQL 14+

Basic setup

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  db:
    image: postgres:16
    container_name: snapp-db
    restart: always
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: root
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: password
      POSTGRES_DB: local
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ['CMD-SHELL', 'pg_isready -U root -d local']
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 3s
      retries: 10
      start_period: 5s

  snapp:
    image: uraniadev/snapp:beta
    container_name: snapp
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    volumes:
      - ./data/settings.yaml:/app/config/settings.yaml
      # optional – uploaded user avatars
      - ./data/avatars:/app/config/avatars
      # optional – uploaded organization logos
      - ./data/logos:/app/config/logos
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: postgres://root:password@db:5432/local
    depends_on:
      database:
        condition: service_healthy
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  pgdata:

Why this matters

• PostgreSQL exposes a health state via pg_isready
• Snapp starts only after the database is reachable
• Prevents race conditions during first boot and restarts
• No custom wait scripts, no polling loops

Application configuration

Snapp requires a configuration file at: /app/config/settings.yaml

This file is optional. The application will generate a fallback.

Minimal settings.yaml

appname: Snapp

admin:
  - email: admin@example.org
    username: admin

hosts:
  - origin: https://example.org
    options:
      customRedirect: /dashboard

Configuration notes

• admin

  • Admin users are bootstrapped at first startup
  • Passwords are auto-generated once

• hosts

  • Defines allowed public origins
  • Each host can have independent options and behaviors

A full configuration reference is available in the Configuration section.

First startup

From the project directory:

docker compose up -d

On first run, Snapp will:

1. Connect to PostgreSQL
2. Run database migrations
3. Bootstrap internal data
4. Generate an admin password

The generated admin password is printed once in the container logs.

Retrieve it with:

docker logs snapp

Password recovery

After first startup, passwords are not regenerated, nor stored.

To enable password recovery:

• Configure an SMTP provider in settings.yaml
• Restart the container

Without SMTP configured, the email will be rendered as logs.

Updating Snapp

To update to a newer image:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Database migrations are applied automatically if required.

Notes

• Snapp is self-hosted and stateful

• Back up:

  • PostgreSQL volume
  • settings.yaml
  • uploaded assets (avatars, logos)

• The beta image may introduce breaking changes