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Deploy Evidence apps using Docker for consistent, containerized deployments across any infrastructure.

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Overview

Docker deployment allows you to:
  • Package your Evidence app with all dependencies
  • Deploy to any Docker-compatible platform
  • Ensure consistent builds across environments
  • Scale horizontally with container orchestration

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Creating a Dockerfile

Create a Dockerfile in your Evidence project root: 
# Build stage
FROM node:18-alpine AS builder

# Set working directory
WORKDIR /app

# Copy package files
COPY package*.json ./

# Install dependencies
RUN npm ci

# Copy project files
COPY . .

# Build data sources
RUN npm run sources

# Build the app
RUN npm run build

# Production stage
FROM node:18-alpine

WORKDIR /app

# Install serve to host static files
RUN npm install -g serve

# Copy built files from builder
COPY --from=builder /app/build ./build

# Expose port
EXPOSE 3000

# Start the server
CMD ["serve", "-s", "build", "-l", "3000"]

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Docker Ignore File

Create a .dockerignore file to exclude unnecessary files: 
node_modules
.git
.github
.vscode
.evidence
build
npm-debug.log
.env
.env.local
.DS_Store
*.md
!README.md

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Building the Docker Image

1
Build the Image
2
docker build -t evidence-app:latest .
3
Run the Container Locally
4
docker run -p 3000:3000 evidence-app:latest
5
Access your app at http://localhost:3000
6
Build with Environment Variables
7
Pass environment variables during build:
8
docker build \
  --build-arg EVIDENCE_SOURCE__mydb__host=db.example.com \
  --build-arg EVIDENCE_SOURCE__mydb__database=mydb \
  -t evidence-app:latest .

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Docker Compose

For more complex setups with databases, use Docker Compose: 
version: '3.8'

services:
  evidence:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - EVIDENCE_SOURCE__postgres__host=postgres
      - EVIDENCE_SOURCE__postgres__port=5432
      - EVIDENCE_SOURCE__postgres__database=mydb
      - EVIDENCE_SOURCE__postgres__user=user
      - EVIDENCE_SOURCE__postgres__password=password
    depends_on:
      - postgres

  postgres:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=mydb
      - POSTGRES_USER=user
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=password
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  postgres_data:
Run with Docker Compose: 
docker-compose up -d

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Environment Variables

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Build-Time Variables

Pass secrets during the build phase: 
FROM node:18-alpine AS builder

WORKDIR /app

# Declare build arguments
ARG EVIDENCE_SOURCE__mydb__host
ARG EVIDENCE_SOURCE__mydb__password

# Set as environment variables
ENV EVIDENCE_SOURCE__mydb__host=$EVIDENCE_SOURCE__mydb__host
ENV EVIDENCE_SOURCE__mydb__password=$EVIDENCE_SOURCE__mydb__password

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

COPY . .
RUN npm run sources
RUN npm run build

FROM nginx:alpine
COPY --from=builder /app/build /usr/share/nginx/html
EXPOSE 80
CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"]

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Using .env Files

docker run --env-file .env.production -p 3000:3000 evidence-app:latest

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Deployment Platforms

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AWS ECS

  1. Push image to ECR:
aws ecr get-login-password --region us-east-1 | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin <account-id>.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
docker tag evidence-app:latest <account-id>.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/evidence-app:latest
docker push <account-id>.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/evidence-app:latest
  1. Create ECS task definition and service

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Google Cloud Run

# Build and push to Google Container Registry
gcloud builds submit --tag gcr.io/PROJECT_ID/evidence-app

# Deploy to Cloud Run
gcloud run deploy evidence-app \
  --image gcr.io/PROJECT_ID/evidence-app \
  --platform managed \
  --region us-central1 \
  --allow-unauthenticated

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Azure Container Instances

# Push to Azure Container Registry
az acr build --registry myregistry --image evidence-app:latest .

# Create container instance
az container create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name evidence-app \
  --image myregistry.azurecr.io/evidence-app:latest \
  --dns-name-label evidence-app \
  --ports 3000

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Kubernetes

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: evidence-app
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: evidence
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: evidence
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: evidence
        image: evidence-app:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 3000
        env:
        - name: NODE_ENV
          value: "production"
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: evidence-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: evidence
  ports:
  - protocol: TCP
    port: 80
    targetPort: 3000
  type: LoadBalancer
Apply the configuration: 
kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

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Optimization Tips

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Multi-Stage Builds

Use multi-stage builds to reduce final image size:
  • Build stage includes all build dependencies
  • Production stage only includes runtime dependencies and built files

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Layer Caching

Optimize build times by ordering Dockerfile commands:
  1. Copy package files first
  2. Install dependencies
  3. Copy source code last
This ensures dependency layers are cached when only source code changes.

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Smaller Base Images

Use Alpine-based images for smaller sizes:
  • node:18-alpine instead of node:18
  • nginx:alpine instead of nginx

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Troubleshooting

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Build Fails with Memory Error

Increase Docker memory limit or add to Dockerfile: 
ENV NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=4096"

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Container Exits Immediately

Check logs: 
docker logs <container-id>

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Can’t Connect to Database

  • Verify network connectivity between containers
  • Use service names (not localhost) in Docker Compose
  • Check firewall rules for external databases

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Files Not Updating

Clear Docker cache: 
docker build --no-cache -t evidence-app:latest .

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Next Steps

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