Docker Compose Service Setup Prompt

Context

Use this prompt when deploying a new service using Docker Compose on Pacing Agency's Hetzner infrastructure. Common use cases include:

Deploying self-hosted applications (n8n, TwentyCRM, Notifuse, Remark42)
Setting up databases (PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB)
Running web services with reverse proxy (Nginx, Caddy)
Multi-container applications
Development environments

This prompt will help you:

Create a production-ready docker-compose.yml file
Configure volumes, networks, and environment variables
Set up proper security and resource limits
Implement health checks and restart policies
Document the deployment

Prerequisites

Server access - SSH access to Hetzner server
Docker installed - Docker Engine and Docker Compose V2
Service requirements - Know what the service needs (ports, volumes, databases)
Environment variables - Credentials, API keys, configuration values
Domain/subdomain - If web service, DNS should be configured

See Hetzner Tool Documentation for server details and Docker best practices.

Prompt Template

I need to deploy a new service using Docker Compose on a Hetzner server with the following requirements:

**Service Information:**
- Service name: [SERVICE_NAME]
- Purpose: [SERVICE_PURPOSE]
- Docker image: [DOCKER_IMAGE] (and version/tag)
- Server: [SERVER_NAME] (from Hetzner documentation)

**Service Requirements:**
- Exposed ports: [PORT_LIST] (e.g., 80, 443, 5678)
- Volumes/storage: [VOLUME_REQUIREMENTS]
- Database: [DATABASE_REQUIREMENTS] (if needed)
- Memory limit: [MEMORY_LIMIT]
- CPU limit: [CPU_LIMIT]
- Reverse proxy: [PROXY_REQUIREMENTS] (Nginx/Caddy/Traefik/None)

**Environment Variables:**
- Required env vars: [ENV_VAR_LIST]
- Secrets: [SECRET_LIST] (passwords, API keys, tokens)
- Configuration: [CONFIG_LIST]

**Network Configuration:**
- Public/private: [NETWORK_TYPE]
- Custom domain: [DOMAIN] (if applicable)
- SSL certificate: [SSL_REQUIREMENTS]

**Data Persistence:**
- Volumes to create: [VOLUME_LIST]
- Backup requirements: [BACKUP_REQUIREMENTS]
- Data location: [DATA_PATH]

Please provide:

1. **Complete docker-compose.yml file**:
   - Service definitions
   - Volume configurations
   - Network setup
   - Environment variables
   - Health checks
   - Restart policies
   - Resource limits
2. **Environment file (.env) template**:
   - All required variables
   - Example values
   - Security notes
3. **Deployment script**:
   - Pre-deployment checks
   - Service startup commands
   - Verification steps
   - Rollback procedure
4. **Reverse proxy configuration** (if applicable):
   - Nginx/Caddy config
   - SSL certificate setup
   - Domain routing
5. **Health check and monitoring setup**:
   - Container health checks
   - Logging configuration
   - Restart policies
6. **Documentation template** for adding to service tool doc

Include:
- Security best practices
- Performance optimizations
- Backup procedures
- Update/upgrade process
- Troubleshooting guide

Format with clear sections and code blocks.

Variables to Customize

Variable	Description	Example
`[SERVICE_NAME]`	Service/application name	"n8n", "twentycrm", "notifuse"
`[SERVICE_PURPOSE]`	What the service does	"Workflow automation for client integrations"
`[DOCKER_IMAGE]`	Docker image to use	"n8nio/n8n:latest", "twentycrm/twenty:latest"
`[SERVER_NAME]`	Hetzner server name	"n8n2", "twenty-crm-prod-2", "remark42"
`[PORT_LIST]`	Ports to expose	"5678" (n8n), "3000" (TwentyCRM), "80, 443" (web)
`[VOLUME_REQUIREMENTS]`	Storage needs	"10GB for data", "5GB for PostgreSQL"
`[DATABASE_REQUIREMENTS]`	Database needs	"PostgreSQL 15", "Redis 7", "None"
`[MEMORY_LIMIT]`	RAM limit	"2GB", "4GB", "None"
`[CPU_LIMIT]`	CPU limit	"2 cores", "50% of one core", "None"
`[PROXY_REQUIREMENTS]`	Reverse proxy	"Nginx with SSL", "Caddy", "None (direct)"
`[ENV_VAR_LIST]`	Environment variables	"N8N_HOST, N8N_PORT, DB_CONNECTION_URL"
`[SECRET_LIST]`	Sensitive data	"Database password, API keys, JWT secret"
`[CONFIG_LIST]`	Configuration	"Webhook URL, timezone, language"
`[NETWORK_TYPE]`	Network visibility	"Public (80/443)", "Private (internal only)"
`[DOMAIN]`	Custom domain	"n8n.pacing.agency", "crm.pacing.agency"
`[SSL_REQUIREMENTS]`	SSL setup	"Let's Encrypt auto", "Cloudflare proxy"
`[VOLUME_LIST]`	Volume names	"n8n_data", "postgres_data"
`[BACKUP_REQUIREMENTS]`	Backup needs	"Daily database backup", "Weekly volume snapshot"
`[DATA_PATH]`	Where data is stored	"/var/lib/docker/volumes", "/data/service-name"

Expected Output

The AI should provide:

1. docker-compose.yml File

# Example: n8n with PostgreSQL
version: '3.8'

services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    container_name: n8n
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=${N8N_HOST}
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=${N8N_PROTOCOL}
      - DB_TYPE=postgresdb
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PORT=5432
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=${DB_NAME}
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=${DB_USER}
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
      - WEBHOOK_URL=${WEBHOOK_URL}
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=${TIMEZONE}
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
    depends_on:
      postgres:
        condition: service_healthy
    networks:
      - n8n_network
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "wget", "--spider", "-q", "http://localhost:5678/healthz"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 40s
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '2.0'
          memory: 2G
        reservations:
          cpus: '0.5'
          memory: 512M

  postgres:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    container_name: n8n_postgres
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=${DB_NAME}
      - POSTGRES_USER=${DB_USER}
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
      - POSTGRES_NON_ROOT_USER=${DB_USER}
      - POSTGRES_NON_ROOT_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    networks:
      - n8n_network
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${DB_USER}"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  n8n_data:
    name: n8n_data
  postgres_data:
    name: n8n_postgres_data

networks:
  n8n_network:
    name: n8n_network
    driver: bridge

2. .env File Template

# n8n Configuration
N8N_HOST=n8n.pacing.agency
N8N_PROTOCOL=https
N8N_PORT=5678
WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.pacing.agency/
GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Europe/London

# Database Configuration
DB_NAME=n8n
DB_USER=n8n_user
DB_PASSWORD=CHANGE_THIS_SECURE_PASSWORD_123

# Security - Generate secure passwords
# You can use: openssl rand -base64 32

3. Deployment Script

#!/bin/bash
# deploy.sh - Deploy n8n service

set -e  # Exit on error

echo "🚀 Deploying n8n service..."

# Check prerequisites
echo "✅ Checking prerequisites..."
command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "❌ Docker is required"; exit 1; }
command -v docker compose >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "❌ Docker Compose V2 is required"; exit 1; }

# Check .env file exists
if [ ! -f .env ]; then
    echo "❌ .env file not found"
    echo "📝 Please create .env file from .env.example"
    exit 1
fi

# Backup existing data (if updating)
if [ "$(docker ps -q -f name=n8n)" ]; then
    echo "📦 Backing up existing data..."
    docker compose exec -T n8n sh -c 'tar czf /tmp/n8n_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).tar.gz /home/node/.n8n'
fi

# Pull latest images
echo "📥 Pulling latest images..."
docker compose pull

# Stop and remove old containers
echo "🛑 Stopping existing containers..."
docker compose down

# Start services
echo "▶️  Starting services..."
docker compose up -d

# Wait for services to be healthy
echo "⏳ Waiting for services to be healthy..."
sleep 10
docker compose ps

# Verify services are running
echo "✅ Verifying services..."
if [ "$(docker compose ps -q n8n | xargs docker inspect -f '{{.State.Health.Status}}')" == "healthy" ]; then
    echo "✅ n8n is healthy"
else
    echo "❌ n8n is not healthy"
    docker compose logs n8n
    exit 1
fi

# Show logs
echo "📋 Recent logs:"
docker compose logs --tail=20

echo "✅ Deployment complete!"
echo "🌐 Access n8n at: https://n8n.pacing.agency"

4. Nginx Reverse Proxy Config (if needed)

# /etc/nginx/sites-available/n8n.conf

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name n8n.pacing.agency;
    
    # Redirect to HTTPS
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    listen [::]:443 ssl http2;
    server_name n8n.pacing.agency;
    
    # SSL Configuration (Let's Encrypt)
    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/n8n.pacing.agency/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/n8n.pacing.agency/privkey.pem;
    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_ciphers HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5;
    
    # Security headers
    add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains" always;
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
    
    # Proxy to n8n
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:5678;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        
        # Timeouts for long-running workflows
        proxy_connect_timeout 300s;
        proxy_send_timeout 300s;
        proxy_read_timeout 300s;
    }
}

5. Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
# backup.sh - Backup n8n data and database

BACKUP_DIR="/backups/n8n"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

echo "📦 Backing up n8n data..."
docker compose exec -T n8n tar czf - /home/node/.n8n > "$BACKUP_DIR/n8n_data_$DATE.tar.gz"

echo "📦 Backing up PostgreSQL database..."
docker compose exec -T postgres pg_dump -U n8n_user n8n | gzip > "$BACKUP_DIR/n8n_db_$DATE.sql.gz"

# Keep only last 7 days of backups
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "*.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "✅ Backup complete: $BACKUP_DIR"

Follow-up Actions

After deploying the service:

1. Document in Service Tool Doc

Add deployment details to the appropriate tool doc (e.g., tools/n8n.md):

## Deployment

**Server**: [SERVER_NAME]
**Docker Compose**: `/opt/[service-name]/docker-compose.yml`
**Data volumes**: [VOLUME_LIST]
**Access**: https://[DOMAIN]

**Deployment**:
```bash
cd /opt/[service-name]
docker compose up -d

Update:

cd /opt/[service-name]
./deploy.sh

### 2. Set Up Automated Backups

Configure cron job for regular backups:
```bash
# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add backup job (daily at 2 AM)
0 2 * * * /opt/[service-name]/backup.sh >> /var/log/backup.log 2>&1

3. Configure Monitoring

Set up monitoring:

Docker container health checks
Disk space monitoring
Service uptime monitoring
Log rotation

4. Test Disaster Recovery

Verify backups work:

# Test restore to a new server/container
# 1. Copy backup files
# 2. Deploy fresh instance
# 3. Restore data
# 4. Verify service works

5. Document Team Access

Update team documentation:

Who has SSH access
Where credentials are stored
How to access logs
Emergency procedures

Hetzner Tool Documentation - Server details
Docker Best Practices - Container management
n8n Documentation - Example deployment
Architecture - Infrastructure overview

Success Criteria

Before considering deployment complete, verify:

✅ Service is running and accessible
✅ Health checks are passing
✅ Data is persisting across restarts
✅ Backups are configured and tested
✅ Logs are accessible and rotated
✅ Resource limits are appropriate
✅ Security is configured (SSL, firewall)
✅ Monitoring is set up
✅ Documentation is updated
✅ Team has access and knows how to operate

Common Issues

Issue: Container keeps restarting

Symptoms: Container status shows "Restarting"

Solutions:

Check container logs:
```
docker compose logs [service-name]
```
Common causes:
- Port already in use
- Missing environment variables
- Volume permission issues
- Memory limit too low
Check resource usage:
```
docker stats
```
Verify dependencies are healthy:
```
docker compose ps
```

Issue: Cannot connect to database

Symptoms: Service logs show database connection errors

Solutions:

Check database container is running:
```
docker compose ps postgres
```
Verify database credentials in .env:
```
cat .env | grep DB_
```

Check network connectivity:

docker compose exec [service] ping postgres

Check database logs:
```
docker compose logs postgres
```
Verify database is ready:
```
docker compose exec postgres pg_isready
```

Issue: Out of disk space

Symptoms: Containers fail, "no space left on device" errors

Solutions:

Check disk usage:
```
df -h
du -sh /var/lib/docker/*
```

Clean up Docker resources:

docker system prune -a --volumes
# WARNING: This removes unused data

Check volume sizes:
```
docker system df -v
```
Consider adding additional Hetzner volume

Issue: Service accessible locally but not from internet

Symptoms: Can access via localhost but not via domain

Solutions:

Check firewall rules:

ufw status
# Ensure ports 80, 443 are open

Verify DNS is configured:
```
dig [DOMAIN]
```
Check Nginx/proxy is running:
```
systemctl status nginx
```
Test from server:
```
curl http://localhost:[PORT]
```
Check SSL certificate:
```
certbot certificates
```

Examples

Example 1: n8n with PostgreSQL

See full example in Expected Output section above.

Purpose: Workflow automation server
Services: n8n + PostgreSQL
Ports: 5678
Domain: n8n.pacing.agency

Example 2: TwentyCRM

version: '3.8'

services:
  twentycrm:
    image: twentycrm/twenty:latest
    container_name: twentycrm
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - PORT=3000
      - SERVER_URL=https://crm.pacing.agency
      - PG_DATABASE_URL=postgresql://twenty:password@postgres:5432/twenty
    volumes:
      - twenty_data:/app/.local-storage
    depends_on:
      - postgres
    networks:
      - twenty_network

  postgres:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    container_name: twenty_postgres
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=twenty
      - POSTGRES_USER=twenty
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=CHANGE_ME
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    networks:
      - twenty_network

volumes:
  twenty_data:
  postgres_data:

networks:
  twenty_network:

Example 3: Remark42 Comments

version: '3.8'

services:
  remark42:
    image: umputun/remark42:latest
    container_name: remark42
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - REMARK_URL=https://comments.pacing.agency
      - SECRET=${SECRET}
      - ADMIN_SHARED_ID=${ADMIN_ID}
      - SITE=pacing
      - AUTH_GOOGLE_CID=${GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID}
      - AUTH_GOOGLE_CSEC=${GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET}
    volumes:
      - remark42_data:/srv/var

volumes:
  remark42_data:

Last updated: 2026-01-07
Tested on: Docker Engine 24.0, Docker Compose V2
Estimated time: 25 minutes (setup + testing)

Context​

Prerequisites​

Prompt Template​

Variables to Customize​

Expected Output​

1. docker-compose.yml File​

2. .env File Template​

3. Deployment Script​

4. Nginx Reverse Proxy Config (if needed)​

5. Backup Script​

Follow-up Actions​

1. Document in Service Tool Doc​

3. Configure Monitoring​

4. Test Disaster Recovery​

5. Document Team Access​

Related Documentation​

Success Criteria​

Common Issues​

Issue: Container keeps restarting​

Issue: Cannot connect to database​

Issue: Out of disk space​

Issue: Service accessible locally but not from internet​

Examples​

Example 1: n8n with PostgreSQL​

Example 2: TwentyCRM​

Example 3: Remark42 Comments​

Context

Prerequisites

Prompt Template

Variables to Customize

Expected Output

1. docker-compose.yml File

2. .env File Template

3. Deployment Script

4. Nginx Reverse Proxy Config (if needed)

5. Backup Script

Follow-up Actions

1. Document in Service Tool Doc

3. Configure Monitoring

4. Test Disaster Recovery

5. Document Team Access

Related Documentation

Success Criteria

Common Issues

Issue: Container keeps restarting

Issue: Cannot connect to database

Issue: Out of disk space

Issue: Service accessible locally but not from internet

Examples

Example 1: n8n with PostgreSQL

Example 2: TwentyCRM

Example 3: Remark42 Comments