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Quick Start

Get Trajectory up and running in minutes using Docker Compose.

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • Docker and Docker Compose installed
  • A server or machine to host the application
  • Basic knowledge of Docker and command line
  • (Recommended) A reverse proxy for HTTPS (Nginx, Caddy, Nginx Proxy Manager)

Installation Steps​

1. Download Configuration Files​

Download the production Docker Compose file and environment template:

# Create a directory for Trajectory
mkdir trajectory && cd trajectory

# Download docker-compose.prod.yml
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dodgerbluee/trajectory/main/example/docker-compose.prod.yml

# Download .env.prod.example
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dodgerbluee/trajectory/main/example/.env.prod.example

Before starting, update the local volume paths in docker-compose.prod.yml to match your host filesystem. These paths should exist and be writable on your server. The first block is for the trajectory app container, and the second block is for the trajectory-db database container:

services:
	trajectory:
		volumes:
			- /docker/trajectory/uploads_data:/app/uploads
			- /docker/trajectory/avatars_data:/app/avatars
	trajectory-db:
		volumes:
			- /docker/trajectory/data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

2. Configure Environment​

Copy the environment template:

cp .env.prod.example .env

Edit .env and set the following required values:

# Strong database password
DB_PASSWORD=your_secure_password_here

# JWT secrets (generate strong random strings)
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_here
JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=your_jwt_refresh_secret_here

# Your app image (e.g., from GitHub Container Registry)
IMAGE=ghcr.io/dodgerbluee/trajectory:latest
Security Warning

NEVER use placeholder or example secrets in production. The application will not start in production mode with default/placeholder secrets. Generate strong, unique secrets for each deployment.

3. Start the Application​

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

This will start:

  • PostgreSQL database
  • Backend API server
  • Frontend web application

4. Access the Application​

  1. Put the app behind HTTPS using a reverse proxy (see Security → Deployment)
  2. Open your browser to your domain
  3. Register the first user (this becomes the admin)
  4. Start adding children and tracking health data!

5. Stop the Application​

When needed, you can stop Trajectory with:

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

Next Steps​

Now that you have Trajectory running:

  • 📖 Read the Operations Guide for production backups and updates
  • 🔐 Review the Security guide for best practices
  • 🛠️ Check out the Development guide if you want to contribute

Getting Help​