comprehensive Docker development tools and documentation

[Mide69]

Docker Development Contribution

Overview

I created a comprehensive Docker development improvement package for the FastAPI Full Stack Template that addresses common developer pain points and streamlines the development workflow.

What I Built

Documentation & Troubleshooting

• DOCKER_TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Complete troubleshooting guide covering:   - Database connection issues   - Port conflicts   - Build failures   - Environment variable problems   - Step-by-step solutions with actual commands

Cross-Platform Helper Scripts

• docker-dev.sh (Linux/Mac) and `docker-dev.bat (Windows)   - Single script handling setup, service management, health checks, and debugging   - Commands: setup, start, stop, restart, rebuild, reset, status, logs, db-reset, shell
• docker-health.sh - Quick visual health check for all services

Build Optimizations

• .dockerignore - Root-level ignore file to exclude unnecessary files and speed up builds
• docker-compose.dev.yml - Development-specific configuration with hot reload

Key Features

One-Command Setup

./scripts/docker-dev.sh setup

Handles environment file creation, secret generation, and service startup automatically.

Visual Health Monitoring Color-coded status checks for database, API, and frontend with clear success/failure indicators.

Cross-Platform Compatibility Works identically on Windows, Mac, and Linux with platform-specific scripts.

Complete Service Management

• Start, stop, restart, rebuild, reset operations
• Individual service targeting
• Database reset functionality
• Container shell access

Developer-Friendly Output

• Colored messages for better visibility
• Clear error reporting
• Helpful usage examples

Problem Solved

Before My Contribution

• Manual Docker commands required
• No centralized troubleshooting documentation
• Repetitive setup tasks
• Unclear error resolution paths
• Platform-specific command differences

After My Contribution

• One-command setup and management
• Comprehensive troubleshooting guide with real solutions
• Automated health checks
• Cross-platform compatibility
• Streamlined daily workflow

Impact

For New Contributors

• Faster onboarding with automated setup
• Clear troubleshooting when issues arise
• Reduced barrier to entry

For Existing Developers

• Streamlined daily workflow
• Less time debugging Docker issues
• Consistent development environment

For Maintainers

• Fewer Docker-related support requests
• Standardized development setup
• Better issue reporting with health checks

Usage Examples

 Complete setup from scratch
./scripts/docker-dev.sh setup

 Quick health check
./scripts/docker-health.sh

 View specific service logs
./scripts/docker-dev.sh logs backend

 Reset everything when things go wrong
./scripts/docker-dev.sh reset

 Access container shell for debugging
./scripts/docker-dev.sh shell backend

Files Created

• DOCKER_TROUBLESHOOTING.md     Comprehensive troubleshooting guide
• scripts/docker-dev.sh         Linux/Mac helper script
• scripts/docker-dev.bat         Windows helper script
• scripts/docker-health.sh       Quick health check
• scripts/README.md             Script documentation
• .dockerignore                 Build optimization
• docker-compose.dev.yml         Development configuration ~ README.md                     Updated with Docker section

Technical Implementation

• Shell scripting with error handling and colored output
• Cross-platform compatibility using both bash and batch files
• Docker optimization through proper ignore files
• Health monitoring with HTTP checks and database connectivity tests
• Secret generation using Python's secrets module
• Service management through docker-compose operations

This contribution eliminates the most common Docker setup frustrations and provides a professional development experience that scales from individual developers to large teams.