DockSTARTer

DockSTARTer is a self‑hosted orchestration helper built on top of Docker. Its core mission is to abstract the repetitive boilerplate involved in spinning up complex multi‑container stacks, allowing developers to focus on application logic rather than container plumbing. Internally it operates as a command‑line utility that reads a declarative YAML manifest, resolves environment variables from a user‑supplied .env file, and delegates the heavy lifting to Docker Compose. The result is a deterministic, repeatable deployment pipeline that can be executed on any platform supported by Docker Engine.

Key Features

• Declarative stack definition – A single docker-compose.yml per application, enriched with custom templating tags that resolve variables at runtime.
• Interactive CLI – The tool offers a menu‑driven interface for selecting apps, editing variables, and launching containers without writing shell scripts.
• Cross‑platform support – Works on Linux distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, Alpine, Fedora, Arch), macOS, and even embedded systems like Raspberry Pi.
• Extensible architecture – New applications can be added by dropping a folder with its own docker-compose.yml and optional scripts into the /apps/ directory; DockSTARTer auto‑detects them.

Technical Stack

• Language & Runtime – Written in Go, compiled to a single static binary for maximum portability.
• Container Engine – Relies on Docker CE/EE; uses the Compose v2 plugin under the hood for orchestration.
• Configuration – YAML for stack manifests; .env files for environment variables; optional JSON/YAML overrides for advanced use cases.
• Persistence – No external database; state is stored in the Docker volumes defined by each Compose stack.

Core Capabilities

• Variable interpolation – Supports ${VAR} syntax with default values and validation rules.
• Pre‑/post‑deployment hooks – Shell scripts that run before or after docker compose up, useful for database migrations or cache warming.
• Health‑check aggregation – Exposes a lightweight HTTP endpoint that aggregates container health statuses for monitoring tools.
• API surface – While primarily CLI‑centric, the tool exposes a local REST endpoint (/api/v1/status) that can be consumed by CI/CD pipelines or custom dashboards.

Deployment & Infrastructure

• Containerization – DockSTARTer itself can be run inside a container, enabling nested Docker setups (e.g., Docker‑in‑Docker for CI environments).
• Scalability – Each application stack is isolated; scaling is handled by Docker Compose (--scale) or by replacing services with Kubernetes manifests if needed.
• Resource isolation – Leverages Docker’s cgroup limits; developers can specify CPU/memory constraints per service in the Compose file.
• Self‑hosting requirements – Requires Docker Engine, Docker Compose v2 plugin, and a non‑root user with sudo privileges; minimal RAM (~512 MiB) is sufficient for lightweight stacks.

Integration & Extensibility

• Plugin system – Custom Go plugins can be compiled and placed in /plugins/; the CLI automatically loads them at startup.
• Webhooks – Supports outbound HTTP callbacks after deployment events, enabling integration with GitHub Actions or Slack notifications.
• Custom scripts – Users can hook into the deployment lifecycle with pre-deploy.sh and post-deploy.sh scripts located in each app’s directory.
• Community‑contributed apps – A growing catalog of pre‑configured stacks (Nextcloud, Home Assistant, Grafana) is available on the official website and GitHub repository.

Developer Experience

• Configuration simplicity – The CLI wizard guides users through variable selection, reducing the chance of misconfiguration.
• Documentation quality – Comprehensive Markdown docs cover every flag, variable type, and hook, with examples for common scenarios.
• Community support – Active Discord channel, open‑source GitHub repository with issue tracking, and a patron‑supported Open Collective for ongoing development.
• Testing & CI – The project includes unit tests and a GitHub Actions workflow that validates Compose files against Docker’s schema.

Use Cases

1. Rapid prototyping – Spin up a full LAMP stack with a single command for local development.
2. Home automation – Deploy Home Assistant, MQTT brokers, and reverse proxies on a Raspberry Pi with minimal manual setup.
3. CI/CD pipelines – Use DockSTARTer as a step in GitHub Actions to provision test environments that mirror production.
4. Learning Docker – New developers can experiment with containerized services without writing complex Compose files.

Advantages

• Performance – Lightweight Go binary, no runtime dependencies beyond Docker; fast start‑up times (<2 s for most stacks).
• Flexibility – Declarative manifests can be versioned in Git, enabling IaC practices without a full‑blown Kubernetes setup.
• Licensing – MIT license allows commercial use and internal modification without legal overhead.
• Community‑driven innovation – Regular contributions from hobbyists and professionals keep the app stack catalog fresh and relevant.

In summary, DockSTARTer offers developers a streamlined, extensible gateway into Docker‑based deployments. Its blend of declarative configuration, interactive tooling, and robust integration points makes it an attractive choice for both hobbyists and production‑grade environments.