# Lichen Docker Compose Deployment

Deploy lichen to any VPS with Docker.

## Quick start

1. Copy this directory to your server
2. Create `.env` from the example:
   ```bash
   cp .env.example .env
   # edit .env — set DOMAIN and ADMIN_PASSWORD
   ```
3. Point your domain's DNS A record to the server IP
4. Start:
   ```bash
   docker compose up -d
   ```
5. Caddy automatically obtains a TLS certificate via Let's Encrypt

## Custom binary (optional)

To run a custom-built lichen instead of the image default:

```bash
mkdir -p bin
# build locally and copy, or scp from your dev machine:
scp your-machine:path/to/target/release/lichen bin/
docker compose restart app
```

The entrypoint checks for `bin/lichen` and uses it for both admin commands and
hosted startup (`lichen server --multi --root-dir /data run`). Update
`entrypoint.sh` together with the binary; the image fallback must also supply `lichen`.
Remove the file and restart to revert to the standard image.

## tmpfs for preview builds (optional)

Lichen uses `/tmp` for temporary preview builds. You can mount it as tmpfs (RAM-backed) for faster previews and reduced SSD wear:

```bash
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.tmpfs.yml up -d
```

Set `LICHEN_TMPFS_SIZE` in `.env` to adjust the size (default: 512m):

```
LICHEN_TMPFS_SIZE=1g
```

Verify it's working inside the container:

```bash
docker compose exec app mount | grep /tmp
# should show: tmpfs on /tmp type tmpfs ...
```

## Files

- `docker-compose.yml` — service definitions (app + caddy)
- `docker-compose.tmpfs.yml` — optional override to mount /tmp as tmpfs
- `entrypoint.sh` — startup script (admin user, custom binary check)
- `Caddyfile` — HTTPS with on-demand TLS via Let's Encrypt
- `.env.example` — configuration template
- `bin/` — drop a custom lichen binary here (gitignored)