feat: Add Docker support with environment configuration and cron maintenance ✨

.env.example

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# ============================================================
+# Copy this file to .env and edit before running:
+#   cp .env.example .env
+# ============================================================
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+# MariaDB
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD=rootsecret
+
+ARA_DATABASE_NAME=ara
+ARA_DATABASE_USER=ara
+ARA_DATABASE_PASSWORD=arasecret
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+# ARA core
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+# IMPORTANT: replace with a long random string in production
+ARA_SECRET_KEY=changeme_use_a_long_random_string
+
+# Timezone — controls BOTH crond scheduling AND ARA display times.
+# Use a tz database name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones
+# Examples: UTC, Pacific/Auckland, Australia/Sydney, Europe/London
+TZ=Pacific/Auckland
+
+# Comma-separated list of hostnames/IPs the server responds to
+# Example: ARA_ALLOWED_HOSTS=["ara.example.com"]
+ARA_ALLOWED_HOSTS=["*"]
+
+ARA_LOG_LEVEL=INFO
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+# Server tuning
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+ARA_PORT=8000
+ARA_GUNICORN_WORKERS=4
+ARA_PAGE_SIZE=100
+ARA_DATABASE_CONN_MAX_AGE=60
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+# Security / auth (set to true to require login)
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+ARA_READ_LOGIN_REQUIRED=false
+ARA_WRITE_LOGIN_REQUIRED=false
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+# Maintenance — automatic pruning via built-in cron
+# ------------------------------------------------------------
+# Delete playbooks older than this many days
+ARA_PRUNE_DAYS=30
+
+# Standard cron schedule — default: daily at 02:00
+# Examples:
+#   every 6 hours  ->  0 */6 * * *
+#   every day      ->  0 2 * * *
+ARA_PRUNE_CRON=0 2 * * *

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -29,10 +29,12 @@ jobs:
      - name: Build and push
        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
        with:
+         context: .
+         file: docker/Dockerfile
          platforms: >
            linux/amd64,
            linux/arm64
          push: true
          tags: >
            ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/ara-api:latest,
-           ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/ara-api:${{ env.GITHUB_REF_NAME }}
+           ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/ara-api:${{ github.ref_name }}

.gitignore

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.env

Dockerfile

@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-FROM almalinux:9.5
-ARG DEV_DEPENDENCIES="gcc python3-devel postgresql-devel mariadb-devel"
-
-RUN dnf update -y \
-    && dnf install -y which \
-                      python3-pip \
-                      python3-wheel \
-                      postgresql \
-                      libpq \
-                      mariadb-connector-c
-
-# Install development dependencies required for installing packages from PyPI
-RUN dnf install -y ${DEV_DEPENDENCIES}
-
-# Install ara from PyPI with API server extras for dependencies (django & django-rest-framework)
-# including database backend libraries and gunicorn
-RUN python3 -m pip install "ara[server,postgresql,mysql]" gunicorn
-
-# Remove development dependencies and clean up
-RUN dnf remove -y ${DEV_DEPENDENCIES} \
-    && dnf autoremove -y \
-    && dnf clean all \
-    && python3 -m pip cache purge
-
-# Set up the container to execute SQL migrations and run the API server with gunicorn
-ENV ARA_BASE_DIR=/opt/ara
-CMD ["bash", "-c", "/usr/local/bin/ara-manage migrate && python3 -m gunicorn --workers=4 --access-logfile - --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 ara.server.wsgi" ]
-EXPOSE 8000

README.md

@@ -1,3 +1,130 @@
 # docker-ara
 
-Dockerized ARA on Almalinux
+Slim, production-ready container image for [ARA Records Ansible](https://ara.readthedocs.io/en/latest/) built on **AlmaLinux 9 minimal**.
+
+Features:
+- Minimal image footprint (`almalinux:9.5-minimal` base, build tools removed after install)
+- **tini** as PID 1 — correct signal handling and zombie reaping for crond child processes
+- Supports **SQLite** (default), **MariaDB/MySQL**, and **PostgreSQL** via environment variables
+- Built-in **crond** — automatically prunes playbooks older than a configurable number of days
+- All settings configurable at runtime through environment variables
+
+---
+
+## Quick start (SQLite)
+
+```bash
+docker build -f docker/Dockerfile -t ara .
+
+docker run -d \
+  --name ara \
+  -p 8000:8000 \
+  -v ara_data:/opt/ara \
+  ara
+```
+
+Then open <http://localhost:8000>.
+
+---
+
+## Environment variables
+
+All ARA server settings map directly to environment variables.  
+Full reference: <https://ara.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api-configuration.html>
+
+### Core
+
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|---|---|---|
+| `ARA_BASE_DIR` | `/opt/ara` | Data & config directory |
+| `ARA_SECRET_KEY` | *(random)* | Django secret key — **set a stable value in production** |
+| `ARA_ALLOWED_HOSTS` | `["127.0.0.1","localhost","::1"]` | Hosts the server will respond to |
+| `TZ` | `UTC` | System timezone — controls **when crond fires** |
+| `ARA_TIME_ZONE` | same as `TZ` | Timezone for ARA to store/display results — keep in sync with `TZ` |
+| `ARA_LOG_LEVEL` | `INFO` | Log verbosity (`DEBUG`, `INFO`, `WARNING`, `ERROR`) |
+
+### Database
+
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|---|---|---|
+| `ARA_DATABASE_ENGINE` | `django.db.backends.sqlite3` | `sqlite3`, `mysql`, or `postgresql` |
+| `ARA_DATABASE_NAME` | `~/.ara/server/ansible.sqlite` | DB name (or path for SQLite) |
+| `ARA_DATABASE_HOST` | *(none)* | Database host |
+| `ARA_DATABASE_PORT` | *(none)* | Database port |
+| `ARA_DATABASE_USER` | *(none)* | Database user |
+| `ARA_DATABASE_PASSWORD` | *(none)* | Database password |
+| `ARA_DATABASE_CONN_MAX_AGE` | `0` | Persistent connection lifetime (seconds) |
+
+### Security / authentication
+
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|---|---|---|
+| `ARA_READ_LOGIN_REQUIRED` | `false` | Require auth for read requests |
+| `ARA_WRITE_LOGIN_REQUIRED` | `false` | Require auth for write requests |
+
+### Server tuning
+
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|---|---|---|
+| `ARA_PORT` | `8000` | Port gunicorn listens on |
+| `ARA_GUNICORN_WORKERS` | `4` | Number of gunicorn worker processes |
+| `ARA_PAGE_SIZE` | `100` | Results per page from the API |
+
+### Maintenance / pruning
+
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|---|---|---|
+| `ARA_PRUNE_DAYS` | `30` | Delete playbooks older than this many days |
+| `ARA_PRUNE_CRON` | `0 2 * * *` | Cron schedule for pruning (daily at 02:00) |
+
+The prune job uses `ara playbook prune --client offline` so it accesses the database directly without going through the HTTP server. Output is forwarded to `docker logs`.
+
+---
+
+## Docker Compose — MariaDB
+
+See [`docker-compose.yml`](docker-compose.yml) for a ready-to-use stack with MariaDB.
+
+```bash
+# Copy and edit the environment file
+cp .env.example .env
+
+# Start the stack
+docker compose up -d
+
+# View logs
+docker compose logs -f ara
+```
+
+---
+
+## Manual pruning
+
+```bash
+# Preview what would be deleted (no --confirm = dry run)
+docker exec ara ara playbook prune --client offline --days 30
+
+# Actually delete
+docker exec ara ara playbook prune --client offline --days 30 --confirm
+```
+
+---
+
+## Configuring Ansible to report to ARA
+
+Install the ARA callback plugin on your Ansible controller:
+
+```bash
+pip install ara
+```
+
+Then add to `ansible.cfg`:
+
+```ini
+[defaults]
+callback_plugins = $(python3 -m ara.setup.callback_plugins)
+
+[ara]
+api_client = http
+api_server = http://<ara-host>:8000
+```

docker-compose.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+services:
+
+  db:
+    image: mariadb:11
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    environment:
+      MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD:-rootsecret}
+      MARIADB_DATABASE:      ${ARA_DATABASE_NAME:-ara}
+      MARIADB_USER:          ${ARA_DATABASE_USER:-ara}
+      MARIADB_PASSWORD:      ${ARA_DATABASE_PASSWORD:-arasecret}
+    volumes:
+      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+      start_period: 30s
+
+  ara:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: docker/Dockerfile
+    image: ara:latest
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    depends_on:
+      db:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    ports:
+      - "${ARA_PORT:-8000}:${ARA_PORT:-8000}"
+    volumes:
+      - ara_data:/opt/ara
+    environment:
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      # Core
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      ARA_BASE_DIR:    /opt/ara
+      ARA_SECRET_KEY:  ${ARA_SECRET_KEY:-changeme_use_a_long_random_string}
+      ARA_ALLOWED_HOSTS: ${ARA_ALLOWED_HOSTS:-["*"]}
+      ARA_TIME_ZONE:   ${TZ:-UTC}
+      ARA_LOG_LEVEL:   ${ARA_LOG_LEVEL:-INFO}
+      # System timezone used by crond — keep in sync with ARA_TIME_ZONE
+      TZ:              ${TZ:-UTC}
+
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      # Database — MariaDB
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      ARA_DATABASE_ENGINE:       django.db.backends.mysql
+      ARA_DATABASE_NAME:         ${ARA_DATABASE_NAME:-ara}
+      ARA_DATABASE_HOST:         db
+      ARA_DATABASE_PORT:         ${ARA_DATABASE_PORT:-3306}
+      ARA_DATABASE_USER:         ${ARA_DATABASE_USER:-ara}
+      ARA_DATABASE_PASSWORD:     ${ARA_DATABASE_PASSWORD:-arasecret}
+      ARA_DATABASE_CONN_MAX_AGE: ${ARA_DATABASE_CONN_MAX_AGE:-60}
+
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      # Security / auth
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      ARA_READ_LOGIN_REQUIRED:  ${ARA_READ_LOGIN_REQUIRED:-false}
+      ARA_WRITE_LOGIN_REQUIRED: ${ARA_WRITE_LOGIN_REQUIRED:-false}
+
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      # Server tuning
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      ARA_PORT:             ${ARA_PORT:-8000}
+      ARA_GUNICORN_WORKERS: ${ARA_GUNICORN_WORKERS:-4}
+      ARA_PAGE_SIZE:        ${ARA_PAGE_SIZE:-100}
+
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      # Maintenance — prune playbooks older than ARA_PRUNE_DAYS
+      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+      ARA_PRUNE_DAYS: ${ARA_PRUNE_DAYS:-30}
+      ARA_PRUNE_CRON: ${ARA_PRUNE_CRON:-0 2 * * *}
+
+volumes:
+  db_data:
+  ara_data:

docker/Dockerfile

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+FROM almalinux:9.5-minimal
+
+ARG DEV_DEPENDENCIES="gcc python3-devel postgresql-devel mariadb-devel"
+
+# Install only the runtime packages we need, including cronie for cron support
+# tini is used as PID 1 to reap zombie processes spawned by crond and forward
+# signals correctly to gunicorn on `docker stop`.
+# tzdata is required so named timezones (e.g. Pacific/Auckland) are available
+# to crond when TZ is set at runtime.
+RUN microdnf install -y epel-release \
+    && microdnf install -y \
+         python3-pip \
+         libpq \
+         mariadb-connector-c \
+         cronie \
+         tini \
+         tzdata \
+    && microdnf clean all
+
+# Install build-time dependencies, build Python packages, then remove them
+RUN microdnf install -y ${DEV_DEPENDENCIES} \
+    && python3 -m pip install --no-cache-dir "ara[server,postgresql,mysql]" gunicorn \
+    && microdnf remove -y ${DEV_DEPENDENCIES} \
+    && microdnf clean all
+
+COPY docker/entrypoint.sh /entrypoint.sh
+RUN chmod +x /entrypoint.sh
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# ARA server configuration – all values can be overridden at runtime via
+# environment variables (see https://ara.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api-configuration.html)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# Core
+ENV ARA_BASE_DIR=/opt/ara
+# ENV ARA_SECRET_KEY=changeme        # set a stable secret in production
+# ENV ARA_ALLOWED_HOSTS="['*']"      # restrict to your hostname(s)
+# ENV ARA_TIME_ZONE=UTC              # ARA display/storage timezone
+# ENV TZ=UTC                         # system/crond timezone — set to match ARA_TIME_ZONE
+
+# Database (defaults to sqlite inside ARA_BASE_DIR)
+# ENV ARA_DATABASE_ENGINE=django.db.backends.postgresql
+# ENV ARA_DATABASE_NAME=ara
+# ENV ARA_DATABASE_USER=ara
+# ENV ARA_DATABASE_PASSWORD=secret
+# ENV ARA_DATABASE_HOST=db
+# ENV ARA_DATABASE_PORT=5432
+
+# Security / auth
+# ENV ARA_READ_LOGIN_REQUIRED=false
+# ENV ARA_WRITE_LOGIN_REQUIRED=false
+
+# Server tuning
+# ENV ARA_PORT=8000
+# ENV ARA_GUNICORN_WORKERS=4
+# ENV ARA_PAGE_SIZE=100
+# ENV ARA_LOG_LEVEL=INFO
+
+# Maintenance / pruning
+# ENV ARA_PRUNE_DAYS=30              # delete playbooks older than N days
+# ENV ARA_PRUNE_CRON="0 2 * * *"    # cron schedule for pruning (default: daily 02:00)
+
+EXPOSE ${ARA_PORT:-8000}
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/bin/tini", "--", "/entrypoint.sh"]

docker/entrypoint.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Timezone — controls when crond fires, not just ARA display times.
+# Set TZ at runtime, e.g.: -e TZ=Pacific/Auckland
+# Defaults to UTC if not set.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+TZ="${TZ:-UTC}"
+ln -snf "/usr/share/zoneinfo/${TZ}" /etc/localtime
+echo "${TZ}" > /etc/timezone
+export TZ
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Configurable retention period (days) – override via environment variable
+# Default: 30 days
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+PRUNE_DAYS="${ARA_PRUNE_DAYS:-30}"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cron schedule for pruning – override via environment variable
+# Default: daily at 02:00
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+PRUNE_CRON="${ARA_PRUNE_CRON:-0 2 * * *}"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Write the cron job
+# Uses `ara playbook prune` with the offline client so it talks directly
+# to the same database without needing a running HTTP server.
+# ARA_BASE_DIR is inherited from the container environment.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "${PRUNE_CRON} /usr/local/bin/ara playbook prune \
+  --client offline \
+  --days ${PRUNE_DAYS} \
+  --limit 9000 \
+  --confirm >> /proc/1/fd/1 2>&1" \
+  | crontab -
+
+# Start the cron daemon in the background
+crond -n &
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Run DB migrations then start gunicorn
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+/usr/local/bin/ara-manage migrate
+
+exec python3 -m gunicorn \
+  --workers="${ARA_GUNICORN_WORKERS:-4}" \
+  --access-logfile - \
+  --bind "[::]:${ARA_PORT:-8000}" \
+  --access-logformat '%({x-forwarded-for}i)s %l %u %t "%r" %s %b "%f" "%a"' \
+  ara.server.wsgi