Docker Deployment

This guide covers production-grade deployment of the Argus Agentic SOC Platform using Docker Compose, including service architecture, production hardening, operational management, and troubleshooting.

For a minimal quick-start, see Installation.

Service Architecture

The platform runs as three containerized services:

┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│   Frontend   │────▶│   Backend    │────▶│  PostgreSQL  │
│  (Next.js)   │     │  (Django)    │     │   Database   │
│  Port 3000   │     │  Port 8000   │     │  Port 5432   │
└──────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────────┘

Development vs. Production

Production Deployment

Start Services

docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up --build -d

Service Ports (Production)

View Logs

docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml logs -f

Stop Services

docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml down

Production Hardening Checklist

Before exposing the platform to production traffic:

• Set DEBUG=False in .env
• Generate a strong SECRET_KEY:

  python -c "from django.core.management.utils import get_random_secret_key; print(get_random_secret_key())"
  

• Restrict ALLOWED_HOSTS to your actual domain names (e.g., siem.example.com)
• Set CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS with your production domain
• Remove port 5432 exposure from docker-compose.prod.yml if external DB access is not required
• Place a TLS-terminating reverse proxy (Nginx, Traefik) in front of the frontend container
• Rotate all default passwords in .env before first deployment
• Confirm that .env is not committed to version control (check .gitignore)

Environment Configuration

All runtime settings are controlled via .env. Copy the example and fill in your values:

cp env.example .env

Required Variables

Operational Management

Makefile Quick Reference

Restart a Single Service

docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml restart backend

Rebuild a Single Service

docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up --build -d backend

Run Django Management Commands

# Create an admin superuser
docker exec -it backend python manage.py createsuperuser

# Apply database migrations manually
docker exec -it backend python manage.py migrate

# Collect static files
docker exec -it backend python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

Access Container Shells

docker exec -it backend sh
docker exec -it frontend sh
docker exec -it postgres bash

Database Management

Backup

docker exec postgres pg_dump -U siem_user siem_db > backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Restore

docker exec -i postgres psql -U siem_user siem_db < backup_20260704.sql

Data Persistence

PostgreSQL data is stored in a named Docker volume (postgres_data). It persists across docker-compose down restarts but is removed with docker-compose down --volumes.

Maintain regular off-host backups before running any down --volumes or clean commands.

Automatic Startup Behavior

On every container start, the backend entrypoint script automatically:

1. Runs makemigrations and migrate to apply any pending schema changes
2. Runs collectstatic --noinput to collect frontend static assets

Disable static collection with DJANGO_COLLECTSTATIC=0 in .env if needed.

Reverse Proxy (HTTPS)

For production HTTPS, place a reverse proxy in front of the frontend container. Example Nginx server block:

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name siem.yourdomain.com;

    ssl_certificate     /etc/ssl/certs/yourdomain.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/yourdomain.key;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        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;
    }
}

Troubleshooting

Container fails to start

docker logs <container-name>

Check: .env exists and contains all required variables; no port conflicts on the host.

Database connection refused

• Confirm POSTGRES_HOST=db in .env (not localhost)
• PostgreSQL container may still be initializing — wait a few seconds and retry, or add a health check to docker-compose.yml

Frontend cannot reach backend

• Confirm BACKEND_ORIGIN=http://backend:8000
• Confirm both containers are on the same Docker network (handled by Compose automatically)

Port already in use

# macOS / Linux
lsof -i :8000

# Windows
netstat -ano | findstr :8000

Full clean rebuild

make clean-rebuild-prod
# or manually:
docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml down --volumes --rmi all
docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up --build -d