doku-cli

Doku CLI

Local development environment manager with Docker, Traefik, and SSL

Doku is a CLI tool that simplifies running and managing Docker-based services locally with automatic service discovery, DNS routing, and SSL certificates.

Features

• 🚀 One-command setup - Get services running in seconds
• 🔒 HTTPS by default - Local SSL certificates that just work
• 🌐 Clean URLs - Access services via service.doku.local instead of localhost:port
• 🔗 Service discovery - Automatic connection string generation
• 📦 Version management - Run multiple versions of the same service
• 🎯 Local development focus - Optimized for developer productivity
• 💪 Resource control - Set CPU and memory limits per service
• 🏗️ API Gateway pattern - Internal-only services for microservices architecture

Quick Start

Installation

# Download the latest release
curl -sSL https://get.doku.dev | bash

# Or using Go
go install github.com/dokulabs/doku-cli/cmd/doku@latest

First-Time Setup

# Initialize Doku on your system
doku init

This will:

• Check Docker availability
• Install SSL certificates (mkcert)
• Configure DNS for *.doku.local
• Set up Traefik reverse proxy
• Download service catalog

Install Your First Service

# Install PostgreSQL
doku install postgres

# Install with specific version
doku install postgres --version 14 --name postgres-14

# Install with resource limits
doku install redis --memory 512m --cpus 1

Manage Services

# List installed services
doku list

# Start a service
doku start postgres

# Stop a service
doku stop postgres

# View logs
doku logs postgres -f

# Get service info
doku info postgres

# Remove a service
doku remove postgres

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           User (Browser/CLI)            │
│    https://service.doku.local          │
└────────────────┬────────────────────────┘
                 │
                 ▼
      ┌──────────────────────┐
      │   Traefik Proxy      │
      │   (Port 80/443)      │
      └──────────┬───────────┘
                 │
   ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
   │  doku-network (bridge)    │
   │                            │
   │  ┌────────┐  ┌────────┐  │
   │  │postgres│  │ redis  │  │
   │  └────────┘  └────────┘  │
   └────────────────────────────┘

Available Services

Browse the full catalog:

doku catalog

Databases:

• PostgreSQL
• MySQL
• MongoDB
• Redis
• MariaDB

Message Queues:

• RabbitMQ
• Apache Kafka
• NATS

Search:

• Elasticsearch
• Meilisearch
• OpenSearch

Monitoring:

• Prometheus
• Grafana

And many more...

Usage Examples

Multiple Versions

Run multiple versions of the same service:

doku install postgres --version 14 --name postgres-14
doku install postgres --version 16 --name postgres-16

# Both running simultaneously on different ports

Service Discovery

Automatic connection string generation:

$ doku info postgres-14

Connection:
  postgresql://postgres@postgres-14.doku.local:5432

# Use this in your application
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres@postgres-14.doku.local:5432

Local Projects

Build and run your own projects:

cd ~/my-app
doku project add

# Doku will detect your Dockerfile and configure routing
# Access your app at: https://my-app.doku.local

API Gateway Pattern

Build microservices architectures with internal-only services:

# Install backend services as internal (not exposed externally)
doku install user-service --internal
doku install order-service --internal
doku install payment-service --internal

# Install API Gateway as public service
doku install spring-gateway --name api \
  --env USER_SERVICE_URL=http://user-service:8081 \
  --env ORDER_SERVICE_URL=http://order-service:8082 \
  --env PAYMENT_SERVICE_URL=http://payment-service:8083

# Now only the API Gateway is accessible externally:
# https://api.doku.local

# Backend services communicate internally via container names

This pattern mirrors enterprise microservices architectures where:

• API Gateway handles authentication, authorization, and routing
• Backend services are isolated and only accessible within the network
• Services communicate using container names (service discovery)

Configuration

Doku stores configuration in ~/.doku/:

~/.doku/
├── config.toml          # Main configuration
├── catalog/             # Service catalog
├── traefik/             # Traefik config
├── certs/               # SSL certificates
└── services/            # Service definitions

Custom Domain

By default, Doku uses doku.local. You can customize:

doku init --domain mydev.local

Commands Reference

Command	Description
doku init	Initialize Doku on your system
doku install <service>	Install a service
doku start <instance>	Start a service
doku stop <instance>	Stop a service
doku restart <instance>	Restart a service
doku list	List all services
doku remove <instance>	Remove a service
doku info <instance>	Get service details
doku logs <instance>	View service logs
doku catalog	Browse available services
doku dashboard	Open Traefik dashboard
doku status	System status overview
doku update	Update service catalog
doku uninstall	Uninstall Doku and clean up everything
doku version	Show version info

Uninstalling

To completely remove Doku from your system:

# Uninstall with confirmation prompt
doku uninstall

# Force uninstall without prompts
doku uninstall --force

# Uninstall and remove mkcert CA certificates
doku uninstall --all

What Gets Removed Automatically:

• ✅ All Docker containers managed by Doku
• ✅ All Docker volumes created by Doku
• ✅ Doku Docker network
• ✅ Configuration directory (~/.doku/)
• ✅ Doku binaries (doku and doku-cli)

Manual Cleanup (Optional):

The uninstall command provides OS-specific instructions for:

1. DNS entries - Remove *.doku.local entries from /etc/hosts or resolver
2. mkcert CA certificates - Optionally remove with mkcert -uninstall

Complete Removal:

# Run uninstall and immediately remove the binary
doku uninstall --force && rm -f ~/go/bin/doku ~/go/bin/doku-cli

Requirements

• Docker (Desktop or Engine)
• macOS, Linux, or Windows
• Ports 80 and 443 available

Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/dokulabs/doku-cli
cd doku-cli

# Install dependencies
go mod download

# Build
make build

# Run
./bin/doku version

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Support

• 📖 Documentation
• 🐛 Report Issues
• 💬 Discussions

Project Status

Status: 🚧 Under active development (v0.1.0-alpha)

Completed Features ✅

• ✅ Configuration management
• ✅ Docker integration
• ✅ SSL certificate generation (mkcert)
• ✅ Traefik reverse proxy setup
• ✅ Service catalog system
• ✅ Service installation with interactive prompts
• ✅ Resource limits (CPU/memory)
• ✅ Volume management
• ✅ Internal-only services (API Gateway pattern)

In Progress 🚧

• 🚧 Lifecycle commands (start, stop, list, logs, etc.)
• 🚧 Service health checks
• 🚧 Multi-project support

Planned 📋

• 📋 Dependency management
• 📋 Service templates
• 📋 Environment profiles
• 📋 Backup/restore functionality

See DEVELOPMENT.md for detailed progress and SESSION_CONTEXT.md for quick reference.

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Made with ❤️ for developers who want a better local development experience.