How to Install Komodo Cluster Management with Docker and MongoDB

Komodo is a powerful cluster manager that promises to revolutionize your development experience. This detailed guide will walk you through the installation and configuration of Komodo, leveraging the efficiency of Docker and the reliability of MongoDB.

Before diving into the specifics, let's clarify a crucial point: Komodo’s strength lies in its adaptability. While this guide focuses on MongoDB, Komodo also supports PostgreSQL and SQLite through the FerretDB Mongo Adapter. This flexibility ensures compatibility with your existing infrastructure and allows you to choose the database that best suits your project's needs.

Getting Started: The Prerequisites

Before we begin, you need to have Docker installed on your system. If you haven't already, refer to the official Docker installation documentation for your operating system. This is the foundation upon which Komodo will be built. Once Docker is up and running, we can proceed to the exciting part: deploying Komodo using Docker Compose.

Deploying Komodo with Docker Compose: A Step-by-Step Approach

Docker Compose provides a simplified way to define and manage multi-container applications. We'll use it to orchestrate the deployment of Komodo, MongoDB, and any other necessary services. The process is remarkably straightforward, regardless of your chosen database.

For this guide, we will focus on MongoDB, demonstrating a robust and scalable setup. The principles remain the same for PostgreSQL and SQLite, with only minor configuration changes.

1. Setting the Stage: Downloading Necessary Files

The first step involves retrieving the essential configuration files. Use the following commands to download the mongo.compose.yaml and compose.env files to a directory named komodo on your system. These files contain the instructions for Docker Compose.

mkdir komodo
wget -P komodo https://raw.githubusercontent.com/moghtech/komodo/main/compose/mongo.compose.yaml
wget -P komodo https://raw.githubusercontent.com/moghtech/komodo/main/compose/compose.env
    

These commands use wget, a command-line tool for retrieving content from the web. -P komodo specifies the download directory, ensuring a clean and organized project structure. The URLs point to the necessary configuration files within the Komodo repository on GitHub.

2. Configuration is Key: Customizing compose.env

Now, open the komodo/compose.env file in a text editor. This file holds crucial environment variables that control various aspects of your Komodo deployment. Pay close attention to the following variables:

• KOMODO_DB_USERNAME: This is the username for your MongoDB database. Choose a strong and secure password.

• KOMODO_DB_PASSWORD: This is the password for your MongoDB database. Security is paramount; create a complex and unique password.

• COMPOSE_KOMODO_IMAGE_TAG: This variable specifies the version of Komodo to deploy. Leaving it as latest will use the most recent version, but it's recommended to specify a particular tag for stability and reproducibility in production environments.

• COMPOSE_LOGGING_DRIVER: This variable sets the logging driver used by Docker. The default is local, suitable for development and testing, but you'll likely want to configure a more robust logging solution for production environments.

Carefully adjust these variables according to your preferences and security best practices. Remember, weak passwords can severely compromise your system's security.

3. Launching Komodo: The Deployment Process

With the configuration complete, it's time to deploy Komodo. Navigate to your komodo directory using the command line and execute the following command:

      docker compose -p komodo -f komodo/mongo.compose.yaml --env-file komodo/compose.env up -d
    

This command uses Docker Compose to start your Komodo cluster in detached mode (-d), meaning it will run in the background. -p komodo sets the project name, -f komodo/mongo.compose.yaml specifies the Compose file, and --env-file komodo/compose.env loads the environment variables.

4. Deep Dive into mongo.compose.yaml

Let's dissect the mongo.compose.yaml file to understand its structure and functionalities. This file defines the services that make up your Komodo cluster:

################################
# 🦎 KOMODO COMPOSE - MONGO 🦎 #
################################

# This compose file defines the services for a Komodo cluster using MongoDB.

services:
  mongo: # Define the MongoDB service
    image: mongo # Use the official MongoDB Docker image
    labels:
      komodo.skip: # Prevent Komodo from automatically stopping this container
    command: --quiet --wiredTigerCacheSizeGB 0.25 # Configure MongoDB settings
    restart: unless-stopped # Automatically restart the MongoDB container unless manually stopped
    logging:
      driver: ${COMPOSE_LOGGING_DRIVER:-local} # Configure logging driver (default: local)
    networks:
      - default # Network configuration
    volumes: # Define volumes for persistent data storage
      - mongo-data:/data/db
      - mongo-config:/data/configdb
    environment: # MongoDB environment variables
      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME: ${KOMODO_DB_USERNAME}
      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${KOMODO_DB_PASSWORD}

  core: # Define the Komodo Core service
    image: ghcr.io/mbecker20/komodo:${COMPOSE_KOMODO_IMAGE_TAG:-latest} # Use the Komodo Core image
    labels:
      komodo.skip: # Prevent Komodo from automatically stopping this container
    restart: unless-stopped # Automatically restart the container unless manually stopped
    depends_on:
      - mongo # Ensure MongoDB is running before starting Komodo Core
    logging:
      driver: ${COMPOSE_LOGGING_DRIVER:-local} # Configure logging driver (default: local)
    networks:
      - default # Network configuration
    ports:
      - 9120:9120 # Map port 9120 on the host to port 9120 in the container
    env_file: ./compose.env # Load environment variables from compose.env
    environment: # Environment variables for Komodo Core
      KOMODO_DATABASE_ADDRESS: mongo:27017 # MongoDB connection string
      KOMODO_DATABASE_USERNAME: ${KOMODO_DB_USERNAME} # MongoDB username
      KOMODO_DATABASE_PASSWORD: ${KOMODO_DB_PASSWORD} # MongoDB password
    volumes: # Define volumes for persistent data storage
      - repo-cache:/repo-cache # Cache for repositories

  periphery: # Define the Komodo Periphery service
    # ... [Similar configuration as for the Core service] ...
    

This file meticulously outlines each service, specifying the Docker image to use, dependencies, environment variables, and port mappings. The use of environment variables ensures flexibility and maintainability, allowing you to easily adapt the configuration without modifying the YAML file directly. The volumes section is crucial for data persistence, ensuring that your data isn't lost if the containers are restarted.

5. Accessing Komodo: The First Login

Once the deployment completes, Komodo Core should be accessible via HTTP at http://<address>:<port>, where <address> is the IP address of your server and <port> is 9120 (as defined in mongo.compose.yaml). Navigate to this address in your web browser. You'll be greeted by the login page.

Crucially, to create your administrator account, click "Sign Up," not "Log In." Any subsequent users you create will be disabled by default, requiring administrator privileges to enable them.

6. Securing Komodo: Enabling HTTPS

Komodo Core only supports HTTP by default. For a production environment, it’s essential to implement HTTPS for enhanced security. A reverse proxy server like Caddy is highly recommended for this purpose. Configuring Caddy is beyond the scope of this guide, but ample documentation is available online.

Conclusion: Embracing the Komodo Ecosystem

This comprehensive guide provided a detailed walkthrough of installing and configuring Komodo, using Docker Compose and MongoDB. Komodo's adaptability, combined with the power of Docker, provides a flexible and scalable solution for managing your applications. Remember to carefully review and customize the configuration files to fit your specific needs and prioritize security throughout the process. By following these steps, you can unleash the full potential of Komodo and streamline your application management.