Docker Testing Skill

Use this skill whenever you need to run the project’s test suite or diagnose issues inside Docker containers. It provides a summary of common commands and troubleshooting steps.

Running the test suite

• Build and start services: Use docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml up --build to build all images and start the services in development mode.
• Run backend tests: Execute docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml exec backend python -m pytest to run the backend test suite.
• Run frontend tests: For frontend unit tests, run docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml exec frontend npm run test or use the appropriate Vitest command.
• Check logs: View logs for all services with docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml logs -f or for a specific service with docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml logs -f backend or frontend.
• Stop services: Shut down all running containers with docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml down. Include the -v flag to remove volumes for a clean start.

Troubleshooting tips

• Port conflicts: If services fail to start, check that the default ports (backend 8000, frontend 8080) are free. Modify port mappings in the compose file if necessary.
• Database issues: Ensure that the database service is healthy by running docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml ps and looking for the “(healthy)” status. Check docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml logs db for errors.
• API connection errors: Test the backend directly with curl http://localhost:8000/docs to confirm it’s running. Verify the Nginx configuration in client/nginx.conf if the frontend cannot reach /api/* endpoints.

Best practices

• Run tests in a clean environment. Stop containers and remove volumes if you suspect stale state.
• Use relative paths and environment variables. Avoid hard‑coded host dependencies so your setup is portable.
• When debugging, read container logs before rerunning tests. This saves time and surfaces issues like missing migrations or syntax errors.