Docker Operations Skill

This skill covers SSH-based or local Docker container management for the project.

When to use this skill

•Checking container status and logs
•Restarting or rebuilding services
•Running database queries
•Managing backup and rollback procedures

Connection

bash

# Local Docker
docker ps

# Remote (via SSH)
ssh {{SSH_ALIAS}} "docker ps"

Services

Service	Directory	Purpose
`example-api`	`/path/to/service/`	API service
`database`	`/path/to/db/`	Database

Common Commands

Check container status

bash

docker ps
docker logs <container-name> --tail 100

Database queries

bash

docker exec <db-container> psql -U <user> -d <database> -c '<query>'

Rebuild a service

bash

# 1. BACKUP first (mandatory before changes)
# Run your backup procedure

# 2. Make changes to service files

# 3. Rebuild (ALWAYS use --build to pick up code changes)
cd /path/to/service && docker compose up -d --build --force-recreate

# 4. Sync to version control
git add . && git commit -m "description" && git push

Backup & Rollback

Before any change

Take a snapshot of the current working state (git commit, Docker image tag, or database dump).

Rollback via Docker image (instant, no rebuild)

bash

docker tag <image>:backup-tag <image>:latest
docker compose up -d

Rollback via code (requires rebuild)

bash

git checkout HEAD~1 .
docker compose up -d --build

Safety rules

•Always backup before making changes
•Always use --build flag when rebuilding after code changes
•Sync VPS/remote edits back to local workspace for version control
•Never store credentials in Docker compose files (use .env or secrets manager)