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Overview

Simple Invoice includes a Dockerfile that packages the application with PHP 5.6.29 on a Debian-based image. This guide covers building and running the application in a containerized environment.

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Prerequisites

  • Docker installed on your system
  • Docker Machine (optional, for non-Linux systems)
  • Database server (MySQL/MariaDB)

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Dockerfile Configuration

The application uses the following base configuration: 
FROM gcr.io/stacksmith-images/minideb-buildpack:jessie-r7

ENV STACKSMITH_STACK_ID="zgv4q78" \
    STACKSMITH_STACK_NAME="PHP for joaquinobed/simple-invoice" \
    STACKSMITH_STACK_PRIVATE="1"

ENV PATH=/opt/bitnami/php/bin:$PATH

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Installed Components

  • Base Image: Debian Jessie (minideb-buildpack)
  • PHP Version: 5.6.29
  • Runtime: Bitnami PHP stack

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Building the Docker Image

1

Navigate to project directory

cd /path/to/simple-invoice
2

Build the image

docker build -t php-simple-invoice .
This creates an image tagged as php-simple-invoice using the Dockerfile in the project root.
3

Verify the image

docker images | grep php-simple-invoice

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Running the Container

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Basic Run Command

docker run -p 9000:9000 php-simple-invoice

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Production Configuration

For a production deployment, you’ll need to:
1

Create a Docker network

docker network create invoice-network
2

Run MySQL container

docker run -d \
  --name invoice-mysql \
  --network invoice-network \
  -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=your_secure_password \
  -e MYSQL_DATABASE=simple_invoice \
  -e MYSQL_USER=invoice_user \
  -e MYSQL_PASSWORD=secure_password \
  -v invoice-data:/var/lib/mysql \
  mysql:5.7
3

Run the application container

docker run -d \
  --name simple-invoice \
  --network invoice-network \
  -p 80:80 \
  -v $(pwd):/app \
  -v invoice-uploads:/app/img \
  php-simple-invoice

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Environment Variables

Configure the following environment variables for your deployment:
VariableDefaultDescription
DB_HOSTlocalhostDatabase host (use container name in Docker network)
DB_USERrootDatabase username
DB_PASS(empty)Database password
DB_NAMEsimple_invoiceDatabase name
The default configuration in config/db.php uses root with an empty password. You must change these values before deploying to production.

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Volume Mounts

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Persistent Data

Mount the following directories to persist data across container restarts: 
docker run -d \
  -v $(pwd)/img:/app/img \
  -v $(pwd)/pdf/documentos:/app/pdf/documentos \
  php-simple-invoice
Important directories:
  • /app/img - Stores uploaded company logos (max 1MB per image)
  • /app/pdf/documentos - Stores generated invoice PDFs
  • /app/config - Configuration files (database credentials)
Logo uploads are limited to JPG, JPEG, PNG, and GIF formats with a maximum size of 1MB. See ajax/imagen_ajax.php:19 for upload validation logic.

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Docker Compose

Create a docker-compose.yml file for easier management: 
version: '3.8'

services:
  mysql:
    image: mysql:5.7
    container_name: invoice-mysql
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${DB_ROOT_PASSWORD}
      MYSQL_DATABASE: simple_invoice
      MYSQL_USER: ${DB_USER}
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASS}
    volumes:
      - mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql
      - ./simple_invoice.sql:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/init.sql
    networks:
      - invoice-net

  web:
    build: .
    container_name: simple-invoice
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    volumes:
      - ./img:/app/img
      - ./pdf/documentos:/app/pdf/documentos
      - ./config:/app/config
    depends_on:
      - mysql
    networks:
      - invoice-net

volumes:
  mysql-data:

networks:
  invoice-net:

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Using Docker Compose

# Start services
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Stop services
docker-compose down

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Database Initialization

Import the database schema on first run: 
docker exec -i invoice-mysql mysql -u root -p simple_invoice < simple_invoice.sql
Or use Docker Compose volume mount (shown in the example above) to auto-initialize.

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Connecting to the Container

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Finding the Container IP

If using Docker Machine: 
docker-machine ip $(docker-machine active)

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Accessing the Application

Connect to the container at: 
http://DOCKER_IP:9000
Replace DOCKER_IP with your Docker host IP address.

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Health Checks

Add health checks to your Docker configuration: 
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s --start-period=5s --retries=3 \
  CMD curl -f http://localhost/ || exit 1

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Troubleshooting

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Container Won’t Start

Check the logs: 
docker logs simple-invoice

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Database Connection Failed

Verify the database container is running and accessible: 
docker exec -it simple-invoice ping invoice-mysql

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Permission Issues

Ensure the web server has write permissions: 
docker exec -it simple-invoice chmod -R 755 /app/img /app/pdf/documentos
The Dockerfile copies all files to /app with COPY . /app. Ensure sensitive files like .env or local configuration are excluded via .dockerignore.

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Next Steps

  • Configure database credentials in config/db.php
  • Set up SSL/HTTPS with a reverse proxy
  • Review Production Deployment for security best practices
  • Configure automated backups for volumes

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