From d10449f678579fd5da8f4b938702b8b23cc6e658 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Arjun (OpenClaw)" <openclaw-agent@local>
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2026 15:59:16 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] docs: add deployment/self-host guide

Adds docs/deployment/README.md with compose overview, canonical commands, env strategy, security notes, and troubleshooting.
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 docs/deployment/README.md | 176 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 create mode 100644 docs/deployment/README.md

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+# Deployment / Self-hosting (Docker Compose)
+
+This guide covers how to self-host **OpenClaw Mission Control** using the repository’s `compose.yml`.
+
+> Scope
+> - This is a **dev-friendly self-host** setup intended for local or single-host deployments.
+> - For production hardening (TLS, backups, external Postgres/Redis, observability), see **Production notes** below.
+
+## What you get
+
+When running Compose, you get:
+
+- **Postgres** database (persistent volume)
+- **Redis** (persistent volume)
+- **Backend API** (FastAPI) on `http://localhost:${BACKEND_PORT:-8000}`
+  - Health check: `GET /healthz`
+- **Frontend UI** (Next.js) on `http://localhost:${FRONTEND_PORT:-3000}`
+
+Auth (Clerk) is **optional**. If you don’t configure Clerk, the UI should behave as “auth disabled”.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Docker Engine
+- Docker Compose **v2** (`docker compose ...`)
+- Recommended: **4GB+ RAM** (frontend build can be memory/CPU intensive)
+
+## Quick start (self-host)
+
+From repo root:
+
+```bash
+cp .env.example .env
+
+docker compose -f compose.yml --env-file .env up -d --build
+```
+
+Check containers:
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f compose.yml ps
+```
+
+## Sanity checks
+
+Backend health:
+
+```bash
+curl -f http://localhost:${BACKEND_PORT:-8000}/healthz
+```
+
+Frontend serving:
+
+```bash
+curl -I http://localhost:${FRONTEND_PORT:-3000}/
+```
+
+## Compose overview
+
+### Services
+
+`compose.yml` defines:
+
+- `db` (Postgres 16)
+- `redis` (Redis 7)
+- `backend` (FastAPI)
+- `frontend` (Next.js)
+
+### Ports
+
+By default:
+
+- Postgres: `5432` (`POSTGRES_PORT`)
+- Redis: `6379` (`REDIS_PORT`)
+- Backend: `8000` (`BACKEND_PORT`)
+- Frontend: `3000` (`FRONTEND_PORT`)
+
+Ports are sourced from `.env` (passed via `--env-file .env`) and wired into `compose.yml`.
+
+### Volumes (data persistence)
+
+Compose creates named volumes:
+
+- `postgres_data` → Postgres data directory
+- `redis_data` → Redis data directory
+
+These persist across `docker compose down`.
+
+## Environment strategy
+
+### Root `.env` (Compose)
+
+- Copy the template: `cp .env.example .env`
+- Edit values as needed (ports, Clerk URLs/keys, etc.)
+
+Compose is invoked with:
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f compose.yml --env-file .env ...
+```
+
+### Backend env
+
+The backend container loads `./backend/.env.example` via `env_file` and then overrides DB/Redis URLs for container networking.
+
+If you need backend customization, prefer creating a real `backend/.env` and updating compose to use it (optional improvement).
+
+### Frontend env
+
+`compose.yml` intentionally **does not** load `frontend/.env.example` at runtime, because it may contain non-empty placeholders.
+
+Instead, it supports an optional user-managed env file:
+
+- `frontend/.env` (not committed)
+
+If present, Compose will load it.
+
+## Clerk (auth) notes
+
+Mission Control can be configured with Clerk by setting env vars.
+
+Common env vars (names may vary by deployment tooling):
+
+- `MISSION_CONTROL_CLERK_SECRET_KEY`
+- `MISSION_CONTROL_NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY`
+- `MISSION_CONTROL_CLERK_JWKS_URL`
+
+**Security:** treat the secret key like a password. Do not commit it.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### 1) Check container status
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f compose.yml ps
+```
+
+### 2) Tail logs
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f compose.yml --env-file .env logs -f --tail=200
+```
+
+### 3) Common issues
+
+- **Docker permission denied** (`/var/run/docker.sock`)
+  - Ensure your user is in the `docker` group and your session picked it up (re-login), or use a root/sudo-capable host.
+- **Frontend build fails because of missing `public/`**
+  - If the repo doesn’t have `frontend/public`, the Dockerfile should not `COPY public/`.
+- **Backend build fails looking for `uv.lock`**
+  - If backend build context is repo root, Dockerfile must copy `backend/uv.lock` not `uv.lock`.
+- **Redis warning about `vm.overcommit_memory`**
+  - Usually non-fatal for dev; for stability under load, set `vm.overcommit_memory=1` on the host.
+
+## Reset / start fresh
+
+Safe (keeps volumes/data):
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f compose.yml --env-file .env down
+```
+
+Destructive (removes volumes; deletes Postgres/Redis data):
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f compose.yml --env-file .env down -v
+```
+
+## Production notes (future)
+
+If you’re running this beyond local dev, consider:
+
+- Run Postgres and Redis as managed services (or on separate hosts)
+- Add TLS termination (reverse proxy)
+- Configure backups for Postgres volume
+- Set explicit resource limits and healthchecks
+- Pin image versions/tags and consider multi-arch builds