Operator path for self-hosted Externa: pull a published image (or build once), set a small .env, docker compose up, healthy stack. Mirrors the Directus-style friction goal.

Deployment (bare metal + full Docker notes) · Installation — Docker local · Reverse proxy · Environment variables

Quick deploy (pull GHCR)

Published multi-arch image: ghcr.io/qiick-io/externa-core (linux/amd64 + linux/arm64). CI pushes on version tags (v*) and optional workflow dispatch.

# From an externa-core checkout (Compose + env sample live in the repo)
cp .env.docker.quick.example .env

# Required: APP_KEY, strong DB_PASSWORD, APP_URL
php -r "copy('.env', '.env.bak'); file_put_contents('.env', preg_replace('/^APP_KEY=.*/m', 'APP_KEY=base64:'.base64_encode(random_bytes(32)), file_get_contents('.env')));"

# First boot only — create roles + super admin (then set RUN_SEED=false)
# RUN_SEED=true
# INITIAL_SUPER_ADMIN_EMAIL=you@example.com
# INITIAL_SUPER_ADMIN_PASSWORD='…strong…'

docker compose -f compose.quick.yaml up -d

Open http://localhost:8080 (host APP_PORT, default 8080→80). Reverb publishes on host 8081.

Piece	Default
Image	`ghcr.io/qiick-io/externa-core:latest` (`EXTERNA_IMAGE` override)
Services	`app`, `horizon`, `reverb`, `scheduler`, `pulse`, `pgsql`, `redis`
Volumes	`externa_quick_storage`, `externa_quick_pgsql`, `externa_quick_redis`
Healthcheck	`GET /health/ready` on `app` (`start_period: 90s`)

Pin a release:

EXTERNA_IMAGE=ghcr.io/qiick-io/externa-core:1.0.0-beta.4 \
  docker compose -f compose.quick.yaml up -d

Local smoke without GHCR pull (bake once, then quick Compose):

docker build --target production -t externa:prod .
EXTERNA_IMAGE=externa:prod docker compose -f compose.quick.yaml up -d

Minimal `.env`

Variable	Required	Notes
`APP_KEY`	yes	`base64:…` from `key:generate` / random 32 bytes
`APP_URL`	yes	Public URL browsers hit (match proxy / port)
`DB_PASSWORD`	yes	Shared with Compose `pgsql`
`DB_*`	defaults	`pgsql` / `externa` / host `pgsql` inside Compose
`INITIAL_SUPER_ADMIN_*`	when seeding	Email + strong password before `RUN_SEED=true`
`RUN_MIGRATIONS`	sample `true`	Entrypoint runs `migrate --force` only when `true`
`RUN_SEED`	sample `false`	Opt-in `db:seed --force` (roles + super admin)
`REVERB_*`	sample	Change app key/secret for anything beyond laptop demos
`TRUSTED_PROXIES`	behind TLS proxy	`*` or CIDRs — see Reverse proxy

Full catalog: Environment variables — Docker Compose knobs.

First boot (gated)

Entrypoint defaults RUN_MIGRATIONS=false and RUN_SEED=false — restarts do not surprise-mutate the database unless Compose/env opts in.

First bring-up: keep RUN_MIGRATIONS=true (quick/prod samples).
Optional admin bootstrap: set strong INITIAL_SUPER_ADMIN_*, then RUN_SEED=true for one start.
After login works: set RUN_SEED=false (and optionally RUN_MIGRATIONS=false once schema is stable).
Seeders are idempotent on permissions/roles/super-admin email — still treat seed-on-boot as a bootstrap flag, not a forever default.

No automatic destructive wipe. migrate --force only applies pending migrations.

Healthchecks

Compose app probes GET /health/ready (DB + required Redis). Also available:

Endpoint	Role
`GET /up`	Laravel liveness
`GET /health/live`	Process up
`GET /health/ready`	Ready for traffic (503 when checks fail)

Details: Deployment — Health probes.

Publish / multi-arch path

# Bake amd64+arm64 (no push)
docker buildx bake -f docker-bake.hcl production
# or
./scripts/docker-buildx.sh production

# Push to GHCR (needs docker login ghcr.io)
VERSION=1.0.0-beta.4 PUSH=1 ./scripts/docker-buildx.sh production

CI: workflow docker — compose-config (includes compose.quick.yaml), single-arch image-build, multiarch-bake on PR/push, ghcr-publish on v* tags (+ workflow_dispatch).

Build-from-source production

When you need to bake assets yourself (custom Vite Reverb public URL, patches):

cp .env.docker.prod.example .env
# APP_KEY, secrets, APP_URL, TRUSTED_PROXIES, browser-facing REVERB_*
docker compose -f compose.prod.yaml up --build -d

Same healthchecks and gated RUN_MIGRATIONS / RUN_SEED as quick deploy.

Follow-through checklist

Path	When	Link
Managed DB / Redis	Postgres/Redis outside Compose (RDS, Upstash, …)	`compose.prod.yaml` + `compose.prod.managed.yaml` — Deployment — Managed · core #15
Reverse proxy / TLS	Public HTTPS + WebSocket Upgrade to Reverb	Reverse proxy cookbook · core #17
Local full stack	Dev with Vite/Mailpit/MinIO	Installation — Docker
Bare metal	No Compose	Deployment

Smoke after `up`

curl -fsS http://localhost:8080/health/ready → "status":"ok".
Login with INITIAL_SUPER_ADMIN_* (if seeded) or your provisioned admin.
Confirm Horizon/scheduler containers are up; trigger a small queued job if useful.

Core README Docker sections · samples: .env.docker.quick.example, .env.docker.prod.example, .env.docker.prod.managed.example
Upgrade · Backup & restore · Operations