Docker-Compose Setup for Express-URL-Shortener

This project uses Docker and Docker Compose to manage and run the backend, frontend, reverse proxy, and MongoDB services in isolated containers. HTTPS is supported via a self-signed certificate, and Nginx caching can be reset using Docker volumes.

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Services

Reverse Proxy

• Built from ./ReverseProxy folder (for local build) or pulled from GitHub Container Registry.
• Handles HTTPS termination for frontend and backend.
• Routes / to frontend and /api/ to backend.
• Supports self-signed certificate creation for local development.

Backend

• Built from ./Backend folder (for local build) or pulled from GitHub Container Registry.
• Exposes port 3333 internally.
• Connects to MongoDB using the internal Docker network.
• For detailed backend documentation, see Backend.

Frontend

• Built from ./Frontend folder (for local build) or pulled from GitHub Container Registry.
• Exposes port 80 internally.
• For detailed frontend documentation, see Frontend.

MongoDB

• Uses the official mongo:7 image.
• Stores data in a Docker volume (mongo_data).
• Accessible only by the backend container via the internal network.

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Docker Compose Network

• Services communicate internally through Docker networks.
• MongoDB is internal-only, enhancing security.
• Reverse proxy allows external HTTPS access to frontend and backend.

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Docker Compose Modes

This project supports two ways to run the services:

1. Pull prebuilt images from GitHub Container Registry

This mode uses images pushed to GHCR and does not require building locally. It's faster and useful to show registry/CI-CD workflow.

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d

• Pulls images:

  • ghcr.io/mostafaosmanfathi/express-url-shortener-reverse-proxy:v1.1
  • ghcr.io/mostafaosmanfathi/express-url-shortener-frontend:v1.1
  • ghcr.io/mostafaosmanfathi/express-url-shortener-backend:v1.1

2. Build images locally

This mode builds the Docker images from the project folders. It’s useful to demonstrate Dockerfile knowledge or test local changes.

docker compose -f docker-compose.build.yml up -d --build

• Builds images from ./ReverseProxy, ./Frontend, and ./Backend folders.

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Setup & Usage

1. Ensure Docker and Docker Compose are installed.
2. Run one of the Compose modes (see above) depending on whether you want to pull images or build locally.
3. Check running containers:

docker compose ps

4. To stop and remove containers:

docker compose down

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HTTPS Support

The reverse proxy supports HTTPS connections. A dummy self-signed certificate is provided for testing purposes, but it is recommended to generate and use your own certificate for development or production.

To generate a self-signed certificate for local testing:

openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 \
  -newkey rsa:2048 \
  -keyout ./ReverseProxy/certs/key.pem \
  -out ./ReverseProxy/certs/cert.pem \
  -subj "/CN=localhost" \
  -addext "subjectAltName=DNS:localhost,IP:127.0.0.1"

Access the frontend at https://localhost and backend APIs via https://localhost/api/....

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Resetting Nginx Cache

The reverse proxy uses a Docker volume (express-url-shortener_reverse-proxy-cache) for caching. To reset the cache:

docker volume rm express-url-shortener_reverse-proxy-cache

This ensures the reverse proxy serves fresh content and updated configuration.

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Resetting Mongo Database

The mongo database uses a Docker volume (express-url-shortener_mongo_data) for data. To reset the data:

docker volume rm express-url-shortener_mongo_data

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Notes

• Backend connects to MongoDB at mongodb://mongo:27017/BackendProject.
• Frontend should use relative API paths (/api/...) to work through the reverse proxy and avoid CORS issues.
• All services are isolated using Docker networks; MongoDB is not exposed to the host.
• Use pull mode to demonstrate GHCR usage, and build mode to demonstrate Dockerfile and local build skills.

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This setup provides a ready-to-use development environment with HTTPS support, easy cache management, isolated containers for each service, and the flexibility to run either prebuilt registry images or local builds.