Chapter 14: Docker / Server Deployment

14.1 Server Mode Overview

Photocatalyst supports running in server mode, allowing access and management via a web interface.

Two Server Modes

Mode	Description	Use Case
CLI Mode	Launch directly from command line	Development & testing, simple deployment
Docker Mode	Containerized deployment	NAS, home server, production environment

Server Mode Features

Access the web management interface via browser
Album sharing functionality
File upload, browsing, and search (some advanced features require the desktop edition)

14.2 Docker Deployment

Image Architecture

Standard Edition (x86-64 architecture)
ARM Edition (Raspberry Pi, Apple Silicon, etc.)
ARM Accelerated Edition (ARM architecture with GPU acceleration support)

Using docker-compose (Recommended)

Create a docker-compose.yaml file:

services:
  lightedium:
    image: lightedium:latest
    container_name: lightedium
    ports:
      - "10242:10240"
    volumes:
      - /your/photos:/photos:ro        # Photos directory (read-only)
      - ./data:/app/data                # Data persistence
    environment:
      - PORT=10240
    restart: unless-stopped

Parameter Description

Configuration	Description
`ports`	Host port mapping (`host_port:container_port`), default container port is 10240
`volumes`	Volume mounts: photos directory, data directory
`PORT`	Service listening port inside the container

Startup Steps

# 1. Pull the image
docker pull lightedium:latest

# 2. Create the data directory
mkdir -p ./data

# 3. Start the service
docker-compose up -d

# 4. View logs
docker-compose logs -f

Accessing the Service

Open your browser and visit http://your-server-ip:10242 to use the web management interface.

14.3 CLI Mode Deployment

Direct Run

# Compile or download the CLI version
./lightedium --cli

# Specify a port
./lightedium --cli --port 8080

Environment Variable Configuration

export PORT=10240
export DATA_DIR=/path/to/data
export PHOTOS_DIR=/path/to/photos
./lightedium --cli

14.4 Web Management Interface

After accessing via browser, you will see an interface similar to the desktop edition:

Sidebar navigation
Photo grid browsing
Search functionality
Album management
Settings page

Differences from the Desktop Edition

Feature	Desktop Edition	Web Edition
Local file browsing	✓	✓
AI features	✓ All	✓ Depends on hardware
File system monitoring	✓	-
Native menus	✓	Web menus
Puzzle tool	✓	Partial support
Share pages	✓	✓

14.5 Maintenance Operations

Restarting the Service

docker-compose restart

Updating the Image

docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

Backing Up Data

Back up the data directory (containing the database and configuration):

tar -czf backup.tar.gz ./data

Next step: Read Chapter 15 to learn about maintenance and troubleshooting.