Getting Started¶

Welcome to Changemaker Lite! This guide will help you get up and running quickly.

Prerequisites¶

Before starting, ensure you have:

Docker installed
Docker Compose installed
Git for cloning the repository
Basic familiarity with terminal/command line

Installation¶

1. Clone Repository¶

git clone https://gitea.bnkops.com/admin/Changemaker.git
cd changemaker.lite

2. Configuration¶

Run the configuration script to set up environment variables:

./config.sh

This creates a .env file with default settings. You can edit this file to customize: - Service ports - Database credentials - User/group IDs - Domain settings

3. Start Services¶

Launch all services with Docker Compose:

docker compose up -d

Wait a few minutes for all services to start, especially on first run as Docker images need to be downloaded.

4. Verify Installation¶

Check that services are running:

docker compose ps

All services should show as "Up" status.

First Steps¶

Access Documentation¶

Development Server: http://localhost:4000
Live preview with auto-reload
Used while writing documentation
Production Server: http://localhost:4001
Serves built static site
Optimized for performance

Start Coding¶

Open Code Server: http://localhost:8888
Navigate to /home/coder/mkdocs/ workspace
Edit documentation files in docs/ directory
See changes instantly in development server

Set Up Email Campaigns¶

Access Listmonk: http://localhost:9000
Log in with admin credentials (set in config)
Configure SMTP settings
Create your first mailing list

Create Workflows¶

Open n8n: http://localhost:5678
Log in with admin credentials
Create your first workflow
Connect different services together

Manage Data with NocoDB¶

Access NocoDB: http://localhost:8090
Complete the initial setup
Create your first project
Import data or create new tables

Access All Services via Homepage¶

Open Homepage: http://localhost:3010
View all services in one dashboard
Monitor service status
Quick access to all applications

Configuration Details¶

Environment Variables¶

Key settings in .env file:

# Service Ports
HOMEPAGE_PORT=3010
CODE_SERVER_PORT=8888
MKDOCS_PORT=4000
MKDOCS_SITE_SERVER_PORT=4001
LISTMONK_PORT=9000
N8N_PORT=5678
NOCODB_PORT=8090

# Database
POSTGRES_USER=listmonk
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your_secure_password
POSTGRES_DB=listmonk

# User/Group IDs (match your system)
USER_ID=1000
GROUP_ID=1000

Volume Mounts¶

Important directories:

./mkdocs/: Documentation source files
./configs/: Service configurations
./assets/: Shared assets and uploads
Docker volumes for persistent data

Common Tasks¶

Writing Documentation¶

Edit files in mkdocs/docs/ using Code Server
Preview changes at http://localhost:4000
Build static site: docker exec mkdocs-changemaker mkdocs build
View built site at http://localhost:4001

Managing Services¶

# View logs
docker compose logs [service-name]

# Restart service
docker compose restart [service-name]

# Stop all services
docker compose down

# Update services
docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Backup Important Data¶

Export n8n workflows
Backup PostgreSQL database
Version control your documentation files
Save service configurations

Troubleshooting¶

Port Conflicts¶

If ports are already in use, edit .env file:

CODE_SERVER_PORT=8889  # Change from 8888
MKDOCS_PORT=4002       # Change from 4000

Then restart: docker compose down && docker compose up -d

Permission Issues¶

Ensure correct user/group IDs in .env:

# Get your user ID
id -u

# Get your group ID  
id -g

Update .env with these values and restart services.

Service Won't Start¶

Check logs for specific errors:

docker compose logs [service-name]

Common issues: - Port conflicts - Permission problems - Missing environment variables - Network connectivity

Next Steps¶

Explore the Services documentation
Set up your first n8n workflow
Configure Listmonk for email campaigns
Customize your MkDocs theme and content

Getting Help¶

Check service-specific documentation
Review Docker container logs
Verify environment configuration
Test network connectivity between services