API with Docker

This page focuses on the Docker side of the API.

Overview

For a clean separate API deployment:

• one militant-api container
• the same Docker network as militant-web
• the same SQL database as the main app
• shared uploads

Recommended method

Use the dedicated installer:

mkdir -p militant-api-install
cd militant-api-install
curl -fsSLO https://gitlab.com/militant1/api-installer/-/raw/main/militant-api
chmod +x militant-api
./militant-api

Manual method

You can also start from docker-compose.casaos.yml:

cp docker-compose.casaos.yml docker-compose.api.yml
docker compose -f docker-compose.api.yml up -d

Important configuration

Network

The API should join an existing external network, for example:

networks:
  militant_external:
    external: true
    name: militant_militant_network

SQL database

The image currently accepts both DB_ and API_DB_ variables. If you write Compose manually, the safest option is to provide both.

environment:
  API_DB_HOST: militant-db
  API_DB_NAME: militant
  API_DB_USER: militant
  API_DB_PASS: your_password
  DB_HOST: militant-db
  DB_NAME: militant
  DB_USER: militant
  DB_PASSWORD: your_password

Uploads

Two valid strategies:

1. shared external Docker volume 2. bind mount to the host uploads directory

Volume example:

volumes:
  - militant_militant_uploads:/var/www/uploads

Bind mount example:

volumes:
  - /srv/militant/uploads:/var/www/uploads

Useful commands

docker compose -f docker-compose.api.yml pull
docker compose -f docker-compose.api.yml up -d
docker compose -f docker-compose.api.yml logs -f api
docker compose -f docker-compose.api.yml ps
docker compose -f docker-compose.api.yml down

Reverse proxy

Expose the API behind HTTPS, for example on api.example.org, then enable:

• API_REQUIRE_HTTPS=true
• API_CORS_ORIGINS=https://your-client.example.org

For the rest, see README.md.

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