Getting Started
Quickstart Guide
Deploy CaseBender locally in minutes
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed on your system:
- Docker Engine (20.10.0 or higher)
- Docker Compose (v2.0.0 or higher)
- OpenSSL (for generating SSL certificates)
Installing Docker
For macOS:
- Download and install Docker Desktop from Docker Hub
- Follow the installation wizard
- Verify installation:
For Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):
For Windows:
- Download and install Docker Desktop from Docker Hub
- Enable WSL 2 following Docker’s documentation
- Follow the installation wizard
- Verify installation in PowerShell:
Step 1: Create Project Directory
Create a new directory for your CaseBender deployment and navigate into it:
Step 2: Configure Environment Variables
Create a .env
file with the following content:
Step 3: Generate SSL Certificates
For local development, generate self-signed SSL certificates:
Step 4: Configure Nginx
Create nginx.conf
with the following content:
Step 5: Create Docker Compose Configuration
Create docker-compose.yml
with the following content:
Step 6: Configure Local DNS
Add the following entry to your hosts file:
For macOS and Linux:
For Windows:
Add the following line to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
:
Step 7: Start the Application
- Pull the required images:
- Start all services:
- Monitor the logs:
- Access the application at
https://local.casebender.com
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
-
Certificate Warnings:
- The browser will show a security warning because we’re using a self-signed certificate
- Click “Advanced” and proceed to the website
- For development purposes, this is expected and safe
-
Port Conflicts:
- Ensure ports 80, 443, 3000-3002, 5433, 6379, 9000, and 9090 are not in use
- If needed, modify the port mappings in docker-compose.yml
-
Database Connection:
- Check PostgreSQL logs:
docker-compose logs db
- Verify database credentials in .env
- Ensure the database is running:
docker-compose ps db
- Check PostgreSQL logs:
-
Service Dependencies:
- If services fail to start, check their dependencies:
Checking Logs
View logs for specific services:
Service Management
Next Steps
Now that you have CaseBender running locally, you might want to: