MinecraftUpdates/DOCKER.md

Docker Deployment Guide

Prerequisites

• Docker installed
• Docker Compose installed

Quick Start

1. Copy environment template:

   copy .env.example .env
   

2. Edit .env with your Reddit credentials:

   REDDIT_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
   REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
   REDDIT_USERNAME=your_username
   REDDIT_PASSWORD=your_password
   SUBREDDIT=your_subreddit
   

3. Start the bot:

   docker-compose up -d
   

4. Verify it's running:

   docker-compose ps
   

5. View logs:

   docker-compose logs -f
   

Environment Variables

Required variables (in .env):

• REDDIT_CLIENT_ID - OAuth client ID from Reddit app
• REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET - OAuth client secret
• REDDIT_USERNAME - Your Reddit account username
• REDDIT_PASSWORD - Your Reddit account password
• SUBREDDIT - Target subreddit name

Optional variables:

• REDDIT_RELEASE_TYPES - Comma-separated types (default: release)
  • Examples: "release", "release,snapshot"
• REDDIT_CHECK_BEDROCK - Enable Bedrock Edition detection (default: false)
  • Set to "true" or "false"
• REDDIT_CHECK_INTERVAL - Seconds between checks (default: 3600)
  • Example: 600 for 10-minute checks
• REDDIT_WIKI_PAGE_NAME - Post template wiki page name (default: minecraft_update_bot)
• REDDIT_USER_AGENT - API user agent (default: MinecraftUpdateBot/1.0)

Configuration File

Edit .env to control all behavior. Example with all options:

REDDIT_CLIENT_ID=abc123
REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET=xyz789
REDDIT_USERNAME=mybot
REDDIT_PASSWORD=botpass
SUBREDDIT=mysubreddit
REDDIT_RELEASE_TYPES=release,snapshot
REDDIT_CHECK_BEDROCK=true
REDDIT_CHECK_INTERVAL=3600
REDDIT_WIKI_PAGE_NAME=minecraft_update_bot
REDDIT_USER_AGENT=MinecraftUpdateBot/1.0

Container Management

Start the bot:

docker-compose up -d

Stop the bot:

docker-compose down

Restart the bot:

docker-compose restart

Rebuild after code changes:

docker-compose build --no-cache
docker-compose up -d

View logs:

docker-compose logs -f minecraftupdatebot

View specific log entries:

docker-compose logs minecraftupdatebot | grep "[BOT]"

Data Persistence

The bot's version database persists in a Docker volume named minecraft-bot-db.

View volume details:

docker volume inspect minecraft-bot-db

The database file is located at /app/DB/posted_versions.json inside the container.

Reset the database (allows reposting all versions):

docker-compose down
docker volume rm minecraft-bot-db
docker-compose up -d

Check database contents from host:

docker run --rm -v minecraft-bot-db:/data alpine cat /data/posted_versions.json

Wiki Configuration

The bot loads post templates from a subreddit wiki page (default name: minecraft_update_bot).

Create the wiki page on your subreddit with YAML configuration:

release:
  title: "Minecraft {version} Released"
  body: |
    New version available!
    Version: {version}
    Released: {release_date}

snapshot:
  title: "Minecraft {version} Snapshot"
  body: |
    Test build available
    Released: {release_date}

bedrock-windows:
  title: "Bedrock Edition {version} Available"
  body: |
    Bedrock update available
    Released: {release_date}

See WIKI_CONFIG.md for complete documentation.

Monitoring

Check bot status:

docker-compose ps

Monitor logs in real-time:

docker-compose logs -f

Look for these status messages:

• [BOT] Successfully connected to Reddit
• [BOT] Started update checker
• [BOT] New Java release found
• [BOT] New Bedrock release found
• [BOT] Posted Minecraft

For errors, look for:

• [BOT] Error messages
• [BEDROCK_CHECKER] Error messages
• [CHAT] Error messages

Troubleshooting

Container won't start:

docker-compose logs

Check for missing credentials or configuration errors.

Reddit authentication fails:

• Verify credentials in .env are correct
• Check Reddit app still exists at https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps
• Ensure the bot account has permission to post to the subreddit

No posts being made:

1. Check logs: docker-compose logs -f
2. Verify subreddit name in REDDIT_SUBREDDIT env var
3. Check database: docker run --rm -v minecraft-bot-db:/data alpine cat /data/posted_versions.json
4. Verify wiki configuration loaded: Look for "[WIKI_CONFIG] Loaded" in logs

Bedrock detection not working:

• Ensure REDDIT_CHECK_BEDROCK is set to "true" in .env
• Check logs for minecraft.wiki scraping errors
• Bedrock detection requires internet access to minecraft.wiki

Chat commands not working:

• Only subreddit moderators can send commands
• Send messages containing "reload-config" or "repost-latest"
• Check logs for [CHAT] messages

Network Access

The bot requires:

• Reddit API connectivity (PRAW library)
• Minecraft launcher manifest (launchermeta.mojang.com)
• minecraft.wiki (for Bedrock detection if enabled)
• Update server (updts.slfhstd.uk for bot version checking)

If behind a proxy, configure Docker networking accordingly.

Performance

Default settings:

• Checks every 3600 seconds (1 hour)
• Allows 86400 seconds (24 hours) between update notifications
• Wiki config refreshes on each check (cached for 5 minutes)

For testing with faster checks:

REDDIT_CHECK_INTERVAL=300

For production (less frequent):

REDDIT_CHECK_INTERVAL=7200

Security

Best practices:

• Never commit .env file with real credentials to version control
• .env is listed in .gitignore by default
• Use Reddit app credentials, not your personal account password if possible
• Restrict subreddit moderator permissions for bot accounts
• Review logs regularly for unauthorized access attempts

Resource Limits

Uncomment and adjust in docker-compose.yml:

deploy:
  resources:
    limits:
      cpus: '0.5'
      memory: 256M

Running Multiple Instances

Create separate directories with different .env files and run:

docker-compose -p instance1 up -d
docker-compose -p instance2 up -d

Getting Reddit Credentials

1. Go to https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps
2. Click "Create an app" or "Create another app"
3. Choose "Script" application type
4. Fill in the form:
   • Name: MinecraftUpdateBot
   • Redirect URI: http://localhost:8080
5. Copy Client ID and Client Secret from the app page
6. Use your Reddit username and password

Docker Commands Reference

# Start the bot
docker-compose up -d

# Stop the bot
docker-compose down

# Restart the bot
docker-compose restart

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Check status
docker-compose ps

# Execute a command in the container
docker exec minecraft-bot python test_setup.py

# Remove everything (including volumes)
docker-compose down -v