MinecraftUpdates/DOCKER.md

Running with Docker Compose

This project includes Docker and Docker Compose configuration for easy deployment.

Prerequisites

• Docker installed
• Docker Compose installed

Quick Start

1. Copy Environment File

copy .env.example .env

2. Edit .env

Open .env and fill in 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. (Optional) Set Up Wiki Configuration

Create a wiki page on your subreddit named minecraft_update_bot with your post templates in YAML format. This allows different posts for releases, snapshots, etc.

See WIKI_CONFIG.md for detailed instructions and examples.

4. Start the Bot

docker-compose up -d

This will:

• Build the Docker image
• Start the bot in a container
• Persist data in a Docker volume named minecraft-bot-db
• Auto-restart the container if it crashes

5. View Logs

# Watch logs in real-time
docker-compose logs -f

# Or check status
docker-compose ps

5. Stop the Bot

docker-compose down

Configuration

All configuration is done via the .env file. The following variables are available:

Variable	Required	Default	Description
REDDIT_CLIENT_ID	✓	-	Your Reddit app client ID
REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET	✓	-	Your Reddit app secret
REDDIT_USERNAME	✓	-	Your Reddit username
REDDIT_PASSWORD	✓	-	Your Reddit password
SUBREDDIT	✓	-	Subreddit to post to
RELEASE_TYPES		release	Comma-separated: release,snapshot
CHECK_INTERVAL		3600	Seconds between checks
REDDIT_USER_AGENT		MinecraftUpdateBot/1.0	API user agent

Examples

Check for both releases and snapshots:

RELEASE_TYPES=release,snapshot

Check every 10 minutes (for testing):

CHECK_INTERVAL=600

Data Persistence

The bot's database (list of posted versions) is stored in a Docker volume called minecraft-bot-db. This persists between container restarts.

To view the data:

docker volume inspect minecraft-bot-db

To reset the database (post all versions again):

docker volume rm minecraft-bot-db

Building

To rebuild the image after code changes:

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

Troubleshooting

Container won't start

docker-compose logs

Check for configuration errors or missing credentials.

Reddit authentication error

• Verify your credentials in .env
• Check that your Reddit app still exists at https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps
• Make sure your account can post to the subreddit

No posts being made

• Check the logs: docker-compose logs -f
• Verify the subreddit name in .env
• Check docker exec minecraft-bot cat /app/DB/posted_versions.json to see what's been posted

Advanced Options

Custom Post Template

Mount your config file to customize the post format:

Edit docker-compose.yml:

volumes:
  - minecraft-bot-db:/app/DB
  - ./config.py:/app/config.py  # Uncomment this line

Then edit config.py locally to customize POST_TEMPLATE.

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