Docker Setup Guide

System Preparation

Docker Installation and Configuration

Install Docker and Docker Compose:

sudo pacman -S docker

What this does: Installs Docker container runtime on Arch Linux
Why this matters: Docker provides isolated environments for running Supabase services

sudo pacman -S docker-compose

What this does: Installs Docker Compose for multi-container orchestration
Why this matters: Supabase requires multiple interconnected services (PostgreSQL, Auth, API, etc.)

Enable Docker Service:

sudo systemctl enable docker

What this does: Enables Docker to start automatically at boot
Why this matters: Ensures containers restart after system reboots

sudo systemctl start docker

What this does: Starts Docker service immediately
Why this matters: Makes Docker available for immediate use

Add User to Docker Group (Optional):

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

What this does: Allows running Docker commands without sudo
Why this matters: Improves workflow convenience
Gotcha: Requires logout/login to take effect

System Resource Configuration

Check Available Resources:

free -h

What this does: Shows available memory
Why this matters: Supabase requires at least 2GB RAM for optimal performance

df -h

What this does: Shows available disk space
Why this matters: Docker images and PostgreSQL data require significant storage

Verify Docker Installation:

docker --version
docker-compose --version

What this does: Confirms Docker installation
Why this matters: Ensures we have compatible versions

sudo docker run hello-world

What this does: Tests Docker functionality with a simple container
Why this matters: Validates Docker is working correctly

Service Management

Create Systemd Service for Supabase

Create Systemd Service for Supabase:

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/supabase.service << EOF
[Unit]
Description=Supabase Local Development
Requires=docker.service
After=docker.service

[Service]
Type=forking
User=<your-username>
WorkingDirectory=<path-to-supabase-project>
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/supabase start
ExecStop=/usr/local/bin/supabase stop
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

What this does: Creates a systemd service for automatic Supabase startup
Why this matters: Ensures Supabase starts automatically after system boot
Gotcha: Replace placeholders with actual username and path

Enable Supabase Service:

sudo systemctl enable supabase.service
sudo systemctl start supabase.service

What this does: Enables and starts the Supabase service
Why this matters: Makes Supabase management part of system service management