Setting Up Peppermint with Docker Compose¶

Introduction to Peppermint¶

Peppermint is a self-hosted application designed to streamline support ticketing and knowledge management, providing a simple, efficient solution for customer support teams. This guide details how to set up Peppermint using Docker Compose for easy deployment.

Prerequisites¶

• Docker and Docker Compose installed on your system.
• Basic familiarity with Docker Compose configurations.

Docker Compose Configuration for Peppermint¶

Docker Compose File (docker-compose.yml)¶

services:
  peppermint_postgres:
    container_name: peppermint_postgres
    image: postgres:latest
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: peppermint
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: securepassword
      POSTGRES_DB: peppermint

  peppermint:
    container_name: peppermint
    image: pepperlabs/peppermint:latest
    ports:
      - 3000:3000
      - 5003:5003
    restart: always
    depends_on:
      - peppermint_postgres
    environment:
      DB_USERNAME: "peppermint"
      DB_PASSWORD: "securepassword"
      DB_HOST: "peppermint_postgres"
      SECRET: "YourSecureSecretKey"

volumes:
  pgdata:

Environment Variables Explained¶

• POSTGRES_USER: Database username (set securely).
• POSTGRES_PASSWORD: Secure password for the PostgreSQL database.
• POSTGRES_DB: Database name used by Peppermint.
• DB_USERNAME/DB_PASSWORD/DB_HOST: Connection details for Peppermint to communicate with PostgreSQL.
• SECRET: Secure key used by Peppermint for encryption and security purposes. Generate a strong random key. Generate a secure value with: openssl rand -hex 32

Deployment Steps¶

Step 1: Prepare Your Docker Compose File¶

• Create a directory for Peppermint deployment.
• Save the provided docker-compose.yml file within this directory.

Step 2: Customize Your Environment Variables¶

• Replace securepassword and YourSecureSecretKey with securely generated credentials.

Step 3: Deploy Peppermint¶

Run the following command in your deployment directory to start the containers:

docker compose up -d

Accessing Peppermint¶

• Once running, Peppermint will be accessible via:

http://yourdomain.com:3000

Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name or IP address.

Post-Deployment Recommendations¶

• Secure Your Deployment: Implement HTTPS using a reverse proxy like Nginx or Traefik for secure, encrypted communication.
• Regular Backups: Ensure regular backups of your database (pgdata volume) to avoid data loss.

Troubleshooting Common Issues¶

• Database Connection Issues: Confirm database credentials (DB_USERNAME, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST) match in both the PostgreSQL and Peppermint configurations.
• Containers Not Starting: Verify volume permissions and environment variable configurations are correct.

Updating Peppermint¶

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

If there is an issue with this guide or you wish to suggest changes, please raise an issue on GitHub.