Meteor Quickstart Guide¶
This guide will show you how to set up a Node.js app using the Express framework and the Mongoose ODM for MongoDB. This guide leverages Dockerfile Deploy.
Create an App¶
Tell Enclave that you want to provision an App. Until you push code and trigger a build, Enclave uses this as a placeholder.
To create an App, use the Dashboard, or the aptible apps:create
command:
# Set or substitute $APP_HANDLE with the app name of your choice
aptible apps:create "$APP_HANDLE"
Enclave will provide your App’s Git Remote in return. Copy it, you’ll need it later.
Going forward in this document, we’ll refer to the App’s handle as
$APP_HANDLE
, and its Remote as $GIT_REMOTE
.
Provision a Database¶
Start by adding a MongoDB Database for your App:
aptible db:create "$DB_HANDLE" --type mongodb
Make sure you set or substitute $DB_HANDLE
with the database name of your
choice (alternatively, you could use the Dashboard to create a Database as
well).
The aptible db:create
will return a connection string on success. This
is a Database Credential. You’ll need it later to
configure your App.
Going forward in this document, we’ll refer to the Credential as
$DATABASE_URL
.
Note
Databases are only reachable from within your Stack’s internal network.
This means your Containers will be able to connect to your database, but if you want to connect from your workstation, you’ll need to use a Database Tunnel.
Add a Dockerfile¶
The Dockerfile is a text file that contains the commands you would otherwise execute manually to build a Docker image. Aptible uses the resulting Image to run Containers for your App.
A few guidelines:
- The file needs to be called
Dockerfile
, starting with a capital letter, and no extension. - Place the
Dockerfile
at the root of the repository. - Be sure to commit them to version control.
Here is a sample Dockerfile for a Meteor app:
FROM ubuntu:16.04
# Install Meteor dependencies
RUN apt-get update \
&& apt-get install -y curl procps python build-essential git \
&& rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
# Install Meteor
RUN curl https://install.meteor.com/ | sh
ENV METEOR_ALLOW_SUPERUSER=1
# Install Meteor build dependencies
ADD package.json /app/
WORKDIR /app
RUN meteor npm install
# Build app
ADD . /app
RUN meteor build --directory .
# Install App runtime dependencies
WORKDIR /app/bundle/programs/server
RUN meteor npm install
ENV PORT 3000
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["meteor", "node", "boot.js", "program.json"]
Bring it all together¶
At this point, you’re almost ready to deploy.
All that is left to do is put the pieces together by configuring your App to point it to your Database, then you’ll be ready to push your code to Enclave.
To add the required environment variables, use the aptible config:set
command as documented below. Make sure you set or substitute $APP_HANDLE
and $DATABASE_URL
with their proper values.
On variable deserves a little more attention here: ROOT_URL
. This variable
must be set to the URL where you plan to expose your app. For example, if your
domain is www.example.com
, you should set ROOT_URL
to
https://www.example.com
.
aptible config:set --app "$APP_HANDLE" \
"MONGO_URL=$DATABASE_URL" \
"ROOT_URL=$ROOT_URL"
Once you’re done, push your code to Aptible by adding Aptible as a git remote
for your app, and then using git push
to push your code:
git remote add aptible "$GIT_REMOTE"
git push aptible master
Deploy logs will stream to your terminal. They’ll be useful in case anything goes wrong to understand the cause of the failure.
Tip
You’ll probably want to set MONGO_OPLOG_URL
as well later on.
Review the Meteor documentation accordingly.
Add an Endpoint¶
At this point, your App is running on Enclave. What’s next is expose it on the Internet!
Follow the instructions here to proceed: How do I expose my web app on the Internet?.
For a Meteor app, you’ll have to make sure the Custom Domain you use for
your Endpoint matches the ROOT_URL
you set earlier (you can also update
ROOT_URL
via aptible config:set
).