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Quick Start

This guide explains how to bring up a Code Review GPT GitLab demo stack with a single docker-compose.yml. The backend image is built from docker/backend/Dockerfile, so system dependencies are preinstalled.

Prerequisites

  • Docker 20.10+
  • Docker Compose v2 (bundled with Docker Desktop)
  • At least 2 GB of free memory and 3 GB of disk space

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository and configure environment variables

git clone https://github.com/your-username/Code-Review-GPT-Gitlab.git
cd Code-Review-GPT-Gitlab
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add the required GitLab credentials (LLM/notification channels are configured inside the app)

2. Start the services

# The first start installs Python/Node dependencies and may take a few minutes
docker compose up -d

# Check status
docker compose ps

# Tail logs
docker compose logs -f backend

After the services are up: - Frontend: http://localhost:3000 (Vite dev server) - Backend: http://localhost:8000 (Gunicorn) - Admin console: http://localhost:8000/admin/

Shut everything down with docker compose down.

Service Overview

Service Image Description
backend Custom image (based on python:3.11-slim) Built via docker/backend/Dockerfile; installs system deps and Python packages, mounts backend/, runs migrations, then starts Gunicorn
frontend node:18-alpine Mounts frontend/; runs npm install and npm run dev on startup
redis redis:7.2-alpine Runs in-memory without persistence

The named volume frontend-node-modules caches front-end dependencies to avoid reinstalling them on every boot.

LLM credentials and notification channels are managed within the running system via LLMConfig / NotificationChannel, so no environment variables are required for them.

Common Operations

# View logs
docker compose logs -f frontend

# Enter containers
docker compose exec backend bash
docker compose exec frontend sh

# Run Django management commands
docker compose exec backend python manage.py createsuperuser

# Install new front-end dependencies
docker compose exec frontend npm install <pkg>

Troubleshooting

  1. Container fails to start 

    docker compose logs backend
docker compose restart backend

  2. Port conflicts 

    lsof -i :3000
lsof -i :8000
lsof -i :6379

  3. Slow or failed dependency installation

  4. Switch to a local npm/pip mirror.

  5. Re-run docker compose up --force-recreate.

  6. Environment variables not applied 

    docker compose up -d --force-recreate

Production Recommendations

The provided Compose setup is designed for local evaluation: - If you plan to keep Docker in production, extend docker/backend/Dockerfile with any extra dependencies, or craft a dedicated Dockerfile/Compose setup with persistence and HTTPS. - If you prefer to run without Docker, follow the source-based workflow (pip + npm) directly.

After you finish testing, run docker compose down to free resources.