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Overview

camelAI uses Docker Compose to manage multiple services:
  • camel: The main application (hosted on Amazon ECR)
  • nginx: Reverse proxy
  • pgvector: PostgreSQL with pgvector extension
  • memcached: Caching layer

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Prerequisites

Before setting up Docker Compose, ensure you have:
  1. Docker and Docker Compose installed
  2. AWS CLI installed and configured
  3. AWS ECR authentication set up: 
    aws ecr get-login-password --region us-west-2 | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin 904534089871.dkr.ecr.us-west-2.amazonaws.com
  4. Required IAM permissions:
    • AmazonEC2ContainerRegistryReadOnly policy
    • Or custom policy with ecr:GetAuthorizationToken and ecr:BatchCheckLayerAvailability permissions

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Installation Steps

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1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/qaml-ai/camelAI-docker-compose.git
cd camelAI-docker-compose

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2. Review the Docker Compose File

The main Docker Compose configuration is in docker-compose.prod.yml. Here’s a breakdown of the services: 
services:
  camel:
    image: 904534089871.dkr.ecr.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/camel-app:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - media_volume:/app/media
      - static_volume:/app/staticfiles
    env_file:
      - .env.docker
    environment:
      - DB_HOST=pgvector
      - DB_USER=postgres
      - MEDIA_ROOT=/app/media
      - REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
    depends_on:
      - redis
      - pgvector

  huey:
    image: 904534089871.dkr.ecr.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/camel-app:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: python manage.py run_huey
    volumes:
      - media_volume:/app/media
      - static_volume:/app/staticfiles
    env_file:
      - .env.docker
    environment:
      - DB_HOST=pgvector
      - DB_USER=postgres
      - MEDIA_ROOT=/app/media
      - REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
    depends_on:
      - redis
      - pgvector
      - camel

  nginx:
    image: nginx:alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8000:80"
    volumes:
      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf
      - media_volume:/app/media
      - static_volume:/app/staticfiles
    depends_on:
      - camel

  redis:
    image: redis:latest
    restart: unless-stopped

  pgvector:
    image: pgvector/pgvector:pg17
    restart: unless-stopped
    env_file:
      - .env.docker
    volumes:
      - pgvector_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  media_volume:
  static_volume:
  pgvector_data:

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3. Environment Variables

The repository includes a .env.docker template file. Copy it and update the values: 
cp .env.docker .env.docker.local
Edit .env.docker.local with your configuration:
  • Set a secure DJANGO_SECRET_KEY
  • Update POSTGRES_PASSWORD with a secure password
  • Configure at least one LLM provider:
    • OpenAI API key
    • Anthropic API key
    • AWS Bedrock credentials
    • Azure OpenAI credentials
See our Environment Variables guide for details.

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4. Start the Services

Run the following command to start all services: 
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d

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5. Verify Installation

Check that all services are running: 
docker compose ps
You should see all services with a status of “running”.

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Common Issues

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ECR Authentication

If you see errors related to ECR authentication:
  1. Verify AWS CLI is configured correctly: 
    aws configure list
  2. Check ECR authentication: 
    aws ecr get-login-password --region us-west-2 | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin 904534089871.dkr.ecr.us-west-2.amazonaws.com
  3. Verify IAM permissions:
    • Check if you have the AmazonEC2ContainerRegistryReadOnly policy
    • Or verify custom policy permissions

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Port Conflicts

If you see port conflicts, make sure:
  • Port 8000 is not in use by another application

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Volume Permissions

If you encounter permission issues with volumes: 
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER .

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Service Health Checks

You can check the health of individual services: 
docker compose logs camel
docker compose logs nginx
docker compose logs pgvector
docker compose logs redis

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Next Steps

After setting up Docker Compose:
  1. Create a Superuser
  2. Configure Your Environment
  3. Start Using camelAI