This directory contains the complete Docker-based development environment configuration for the Looking project. The DevContainer provides a consistent, isolated development environment with all necessary tools and dependencies pre-installed.

📋 Table of Contents

Overview
What's Included
Architecture
Services
Port Mappings
Volume Mounts
Installation Process
VS Code Integration
Environment Variables
Troubleshooting

🎯 Overview

The DevContainer setup provides:

Consistent Environment: Same Node 14, Python 2.7, and build tools across all developers
Isolated Dependencies: No conflicts with your local system packages
Auto-Configuration: Automatic dependency installation and VS Code extensions
Multi-Service Stack: Frontend, backend, database, and admin UI all running together
Volume Optimization: Fast performance with node_modules isolation

Technologies: Docker Compose, VS Code Remote - Containers, Node 14, MongoDB 4.4

📦 What's Included

Base Container

Image: Custom Dockerfile based on node:14-bullseye

System Packages:

Git (version control)
curl & wget (HTTP clients)
vim (text editor)
Python 2.7 (required for legacy node-sass)
build-essential (C++ compiler for native modules)

Global NPM Packages:

@ionic/cli - Ionic framework CLI
@angular/cli - Angular CLI (though project uses ionic-app-scripts)
nodemon - Auto-restart development server
concurrently - Run multiple commands in parallel
eslint - JavaScript linting
prettier - Code formatting

VS Code Extensions (Auto-Installed)

Extension	Purpose
ms-vscode.vscode-json	JSON language support
bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss	Tailwind CSS IntelliSense
esbenp.prettier-vscode	Code formatting
dbaeumer.vscode-eslint	JavaScript linting
ms-vscode.vscode-typescript-next	TypeScript support
formulahendry.auto-rename-tag	HTML/XML tag rename
christian-kohler.path-intellisense	Autocomplete file paths
mongodb.mongodb-vscode	MongoDB database management

Editor Settings (Auto-Configured)

Format on Save: Enabled
Default Formatter: Prettier
ESLint Auto-Fix: Runs on save
Emmet: Enabled for JavaScript (React/JSX)

🏗️ Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      DevContainer Stack                      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                               │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ App Container (node:14-bullseye)                     │  │
│  │ - VS Code Remote Server                              │  │
│  │ - Node.js 14.x + npm                                 │  │
│  │ - Python 2.7 (for node-sass)                         │  │
│  │ - Ionic/Angular Dev Server (port 8100)              │  │
│  │ - Express API Server (port 3069)                     │  │
│  │ - Development tools (nodemon, eslint, prettier)     │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                            ↓↑                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ MongoDB 4.4 (mongo:4.4)                              │  │
│  │ - Database: urge                                     │  │
│  │ - Port: 27017                                        │  │
│  │ - Credentials: admin/password                        │  │
│  │ - Health Check: ping command every 30s              │  │
│  │ - Seed Data: /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d            │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                            ↓↑                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ Mongo Express (mongo-express:latest)                 │  │
│  │ - Web-based MongoDB admin UI                         │  │
│  │ - Port: 8081                                         │  │
│  │ - Login: admin/password                              │  │
│  │ - Browse collections, run queries                    │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                                               │
│  Network: dev-network (bridge driver)                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         ↓                   ↓                    ↓
    Port 8100           Port 3069            Port 27017
  (Frontend Dev)      (Backend API)         (MongoDB)

🔌 Services

1. App Service (Development Container)

File: docker-compose.yml

Configuration:

service: app
build:
  context: ..
  dockerfile: .devcontainer/Dockerfile
command: sleep infinity
volumes:
  - ../..:/workspaces:cached
  - /workspaces/PfosiLooking-monorepo/app/node_modules
  - /workspaces/PfosiLooking-monorepo/backend/node_modules
depends_on:
  mongo:
    condition: service_healthy

Purpose:

Main development container where you write code
Runs VS Code Remote Server
Hosts Ionic dev server (port 8100) and Express API (port 3069)
Waits for MongoDB health check before starting

Command: sleep infinity keeps container running indefinitely

Node Modules Isolation:

Anonymous volumes for app/node_modules and backend/node_modules
Prevents host filesystem performance issues (especially on Mac/Windows)
Each workspace has its own isolated dependencies

2. MongoDB Service

Configuration:

service: mongo
image: mongo:4.4
environment:
  - MONGO_INITDB_DATABASE=urge
  - MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME=admin
  - MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD=password
ports:
  - "27017:27017"
volumes:
  - mongo_data:/data/db
  - ../backend/data:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d:ro
healthcheck:
  test: echo 'db.runCommand("ping").ok' | mongo localhost:27017/urge --quiet
  interval: 30s
  timeout: 10s
  retries: 3
  start_period: 40s

Purpose:

NoSQL database for profiles, users, and messages
Persistent storage via mongo_data volume
Auto-loads seed data from backend/data/ on first run

Credentials:

Admin User: admin
Admin Password: password
Database: urge

Health Check:

Runs every 30 seconds
Pings database to verify it's responsive
App container waits for healthy status before starting

Seed Data:

Files in backend/data/ are mounted to /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d
MongoDB automatically executes .js and .sh files in that directory
Used for initial database population (if scripts exist)

3. Mongo Express Service

Configuration:

service: mongo-express
image: mongo-express:latest
environment:
  - ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_SERVER=mongo
  - ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_PORT=27017
  - ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_ADMINUSERNAME=admin
  - ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_ADMINPASSWORD=password
  - ME_CONFIG_BASICAUTH_USERNAME=admin
  - ME_CONFIG_BASICAUTH_PASSWORD=password
ports:
  - "8081:8081"
depends_on:
  - mongo

Purpose:

Web-based database administration tool
View/edit collections without command-line mongo shell
Useful for debugging data issues

Access: http://localhost:8081

Login: admin / password

Features:

Browse collections visually
Run MongoDB queries
Create/edit/delete documents
View indexes and stats

🔌 Port Mappings

Port	Service	Purpose	Access
8100	Ionic Dev Server	Frontend application	http://localhost:8100
3069	Express API	Backend REST API	http://localhost:3069
27017	MongoDB	Database server	mongodb://localhost:27017
8081	Mongo Express	Database admin UI	http://localhost:8081

Port Forwarding Configuration

File: devcontainer.json

"forwardPorts": [8100, 3069, 27017, 8081],
"portsAttributes": {
  "8100": {
    "label": "Frontend (Ionic)",
    "onAutoForward": "notify"
  },
  "3069": {
    "label": "Backend API",
    "onAutoForward": "notify"
  },
  "27017": {
    "label": "MongoDB",
    "onAutoForward": "silent"
  },
  "8081": {
    "label": "Mongo Express",
    "onAutoForward": "notify"
  }
}

Notifications:

notify: VS Code shows notification when port is forwarded
silent: No notification (database port)

💾 Volume Mounts

Workspace Volume

volumes:
  - ../..:/workspaces:cached

Purpose:

Mounts parent directory (entire monorepo) into container
:cached flag optimizes for read-heavy operations
Enables live code changes to reflect immediately

Path Inside Container: /workspaces/PfosiLooking-monorepo/

Node Modules Isolation

volumes:
  - /workspaces/PfosiLooking-monorepo/app/node_modules
  - /workspaces/PfosiLooking-monorepo/backend/node_modules

Purpose:

Creates anonymous Docker volumes for node_modules directories
Isolates dependencies from host filesystem
Solves performance issues on Mac/Windows (Docker Desktop)

Why?:

node_modules can have 100,000+ files
Host filesystem sync is slow for that many files
Volume isolation provides native container filesystem performance

MongoDB Data Volume

volumes: mongo_data:/data/db

Purpose:

Persistent storage for MongoDB data
Survives container restarts
Named volume managed by Docker

Location: Docker volume mongo_data (not visible in project directory)

Seed Data Volume

volumes:
  - ../backend/data:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d:ro

Purpose:

Mounts seed data directory into MongoDB initialization location
:ro = read-only (MongoDB can't modify host files)
Scripts run automatically on first database creation

🔄 Installation Process

Automatic Setup (postCreateCommand)

File: postCreateCommand.sh

The script runs automatically after the container is created:

#!/bin/bash
set -e  # Exit on any error

# 1. Install root dependencies
npm install

# 2. Install backend dependencies
cd backend && npm install

# 3. Install app dependencies with legacy support
cd app && npm install --legacy-peer-deps

Execution Time: 5-10 minutes (first time only)

What Happens:

Root workspace (package.json):
- Installs concurrently, npm-run-all
- Enables npm run dev:all script
Backend (backend/package.json):
- Installs Express, Mongoose, JWT, etc.
- Standard npm install (no special flags)
Frontend (app/package.json):
- Installs Ionic 3, Angular 5, TypeScript 2.4
- Uses --legacy-peer-deps flag
- Required for old Ionic 3 packages with npm 7+
- Falls back to --force if legacy deps fail

Progress Visibility:

VS Code shows "Running postCreateCommand" notification
View detailed output: Terminal → "postCreateCommand" tab

Manual Installation

If automatic setup fails:

# 1. Open VS Code terminal inside DevContainer
# Terminal → New Terminal (or Ctrl + `)

# 2. Install dependencies manually
npm install
cd backend && npm install && cd ..
cd app && npm install --legacy-peer-deps && cd ..

# 3. Verify installation
npm run dev:all

🎨 VS Code Integration

DevContainer Configuration

File: devcontainer.json

Key Settings:

{
  "name": "PfosiLooking Full Stack",
  "dockerComposeFile": "docker-compose.yml",
  "service": "app",
  "workspaceFolder": "/workspaces/PfosiLooking-monorepo",
  "shutdownAction": "stopCompose"
}

Shutdown Behavior:

"stopCompose" - Stops all services when closing VS Code
Preserves data in volumes (MongoDB data, node_modules)
Fast restart on next open (no rebuild needed)

Features

Auto-Installed:

{
  "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": {
    "version": "14"
  },
  "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/git:1": {},
  "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/github-cli:1": {}
}

Provides:

Node.js 14.x (managed version)
Git (latest stable)
GitHub CLI (gh command)

Post-Start Message

"postStartCommand": "echo 'DevContainer ready! Run npm run dev:all to start development.'"

Displays helpful message after container starts.

🔐 Environment Variables

Development Environment File

File: dev.env

Contains (example values):

NODE_ENV=development
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://mongo:27017/urge
REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:3069
PORT=3069
IONIC_PORT=8100
JWT_SECRET=dev-secret-change-in-production

Usage:

env_file:
  - dev.env

⚠️ Security Note:

dev.env may contain secrets
DO NOT commit real credentials
Use dev.env.example for templates
Add dev.env to .gitignore

Inline Environment Variables

In docker-compose.yml:

environment:
  - NODE_ENV=development
  - MONGODB_URI=mongodb://mongo:27017/urge
  - PORT=3069

These override values from dev.env if both are present.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Container Won't Start

Problem: DevContainer fails to start or build

Solutions:

Rebuild without cache:

F1 → "Dev Containers: Rebuild Container Without Cache"

Check Docker Desktop is running:
```
docker ps
```
Free up disk space:
```
docker system prune -a
```

View build logs:

F1 → "Dev Containers: Show Container Log"

Python 2.7 Errors

Problem: node-sass or node-gyp errors about Python

Check Python symlinks:

# Inside container
which python
python --version  # Should show Python 2.7.x

Dockerfile installs:

RUN apt-get install -y python2.7 python2.7-dev \
    && ln -sf /usr/bin/python2.7 /usr/bin/python

Why?: node-sass (used by Ionic 3) requires Python 2.7 to build native modules.

MongoDB Connection Failed

Problem: Backend can't connect to MongoDB

1. Check MongoDB is healthy:

docker ps
# Look for "healthy" status on mongo container

2. Test connection manually:

docker exec -it <mongo-container-id> mongo --eval "db.runCommand('ping')"

3. Verify connection string:

echo $MONGODB_URI
# Should be: mongodb://mongo:27017/urge

4. Wait for health check:

Health check runs every 30s
Container may need 40s start period
App service waits for service_healthy condition

Port Already in Use

Problem: Port 8100, 3069, or 27017 already in use on host

Find conflicting process:

# Mac/Linux
lsof -i :8100
lsof -i :3069
lsof -i :27017

# Kill process
kill -9 <PID>

Or change ports in docker-compose.yml:

ports:
  - "8101:8100" # Changed from 8100

Node Modules Issues

Problem: Module not found, peer dependency warnings, or version conflicts

Solution 1 - Reinstall:

# Remove all node_modules
rm -rf node_modules app/node_modules backend/node_modules

# Reinstall
npm run install:all

Solution 2 - Clear volume:

# Exit container, then from host
docker-compose -f .devcontainer/docker-compose.yml down -v
# This deletes ALL volumes including node_modules and MongoDB data

# Rebuild container
F1 → "Dev Containers: Rebuild Container"

Slow Performance

Problem: File watching or compilation is slow

Causes:

Docker Desktop on Mac/Windows has filesystem sync overhead
Large node_modules directories

Solutions:

Verify node_modules isolation:

# These volumes should exist in docker-compose.yml
- /workspaces/PfosiLooking-monorepo/app/node_modules
- /workspaces/PfosiLooking-monorepo/backend/node_modules

Increase Docker resources:
- Docker Desktop → Settings → Resources
- Increase CPU: 4+ cores
- Increase Memory: 8+ GB
Use :cached mount flag (already configured):
```
- ../..:/workspaces:cached
```

Database Permissions

Problem: Can't write to MongoDB or access Mongo Express

Check credentials:

# MongoDB
MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME=admin
MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD=password

# Mongo Express
ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_ADMINUSERNAME=admin
ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_ADMINPASSWORD=password
ME_CONFIG_BASICAUTH_USERNAME=admin
ME_CONFIG_BASICAUTH_PASSWORD=password

Access Mongo Express:

URL: http://localhost:8081
Login: admin / password (HTTP Basic Auth)

VS Code Extensions Not Installing

Problem: Extensions listed in devcontainer.json don't install

Manual install:

F1 → "Extensions: Install Extensions"
Search for extension ID (e.g., "esbenp.prettier-vscode")

Rebuild to retry auto-install:

F1 → "Dev Containers: Rebuild Container"

Root README - Project overview and quick start
Backend README - API server setup
Frontend README - Ionic app setup
Deployment Guide - Production deployment

Need Help? Check the root troubleshooting section for additional solutions.

README.md

Looking - DevContainer Configuration

📋 Table of Contents

🎯 Overview

📦 What's Included

Base Container

VS Code Extensions (Auto-Installed)

Editor Settings (Auto-Configured)

🏗️ Architecture

🔌 Services

1. App Service (Development Container)

2. MongoDB Service

3. Mongo Express Service

🔌 Port Mappings

Port Forwarding Configuration

💾 Volume Mounts

Workspace Volume

Node Modules Isolation

MongoDB Data Volume

Seed Data Volume

🔄 Installation Process

Automatic Setup (postCreateCommand)

Manual Installation

🎨 VS Code Integration

DevContainer Configuration

Features

Post-Start Message

🔐 Environment Variables

Development Environment File

Inline Environment Variables

🔧 Troubleshooting

Container Won't Start

Python 2.7 Errors

MongoDB Connection Failed

Port Already in Use

Node Modules Issues

Slow Performance

Database Permissions

VS Code Extensions Not Installing

📚 Related Documentation