Docker Setup

FiestaBoard runs as a single Docker container that bundles the web UI, API, and display service together. This page explains the architecture for users who want to understand what's running under the hood or customize their deployment.

Most users don't need this page

If you followed the Quick Start or Beginner's Guide, everything is already configured correctly. This page is for advanced configuration and troubleshooting.

Upgrading from V1?

V1 used two containers (fiestaboard-api on port 8000 and fiestaboard-ui on port 8080). V2 consolidates everything into one container on port 4420. See the V2 Migration Guide for full upgrade instructions.

Architecture

FiestaBoard runs in a single unified container:

Container	Service	Port	Description
fiestaboard	Nginx + FastAPI + Next.js	4420	Web UI, REST API, display service, plugin system

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Browser                     │
│              http://localhost:4420             │
└──────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
                   │
┌──────────────────▼───────────────────────────┐
│            fiestaboard (Nginx)                │
│              Port 4420                        │
│   ┌────────────┐  ┌───────────────────────┐  │
│   │ Static UI  │  │  Proxy /api → FastAPI │  │
│   └────────────┘  └───────────────────────┘  │
│                                              │
│   ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│   │         FastAPI Backend              │   │
│   │   ┌────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐   │   │
│   │   │ REST API   │ │Display Service│   │   │
│   │   │            │ │Plugin System  │   │   │
│   │   └────────────┘ └──────────────┘   │   │
│   └──────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Docker Compose Files

File	Use Case
docker-compose.yml	Standard deployment
docker-compose.dev.yml	Development with hot reload
docker-compose.prod.yml	Production-optimized
docker-compose.hub.yml	Using pre-built images from Docker Hub

Quick Start

# Standard deployment
docker-compose up -d --build

# Development with hot reload
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up --build

# Using pre-built images (no build needed)
docker-compose -f docker-compose.hub.yml up -d

Access Points

Service	URL	Description
Web UI	http://localhost:4420	Main application interface (from the same machine)
Web UI (network)	http://fiestaboard.local:4420	Access from other devices via mDNS/Bonjour
API	http://localhost:4420/api	API access (via nginx proxy)
API Docs	http://localhost:4420/api/docs	Interactive FastAPI documentation

Accessing from other devices

FiestaBoard registers itself on your local network using mDNS (also called Bonjour), so you can reach it at http://fiestaboard.local:4420 from any device on the same network — phones, tablets, other computers, etc. This works on most home networks automatically.

If .local addresses don't resolve on your network, use the server's IP address directly (e.g. http://192.168.1.50:4420).

To change the advertised hostname, set MDNS_HOSTNAME in your .env file (default: fiestaboard, which becomes fiestaboard.local).

Key API Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/health	GET	Health check
/status	GET	Service status and configuration
/config	GET	Current configuration
/refresh	POST	Refresh current display
/force-refresh	POST	Force refresh (bypasses cache)
/dev-mode	POST	Toggle development mode
/send-message	POST	Send a message to the board
/plugins	GET	List all plugins
/plugins/{id}/data	GET	Get plugin data

See the API Endpoints reference for the complete list.

Data Persistence

FiestaBoard stores all runtime state on disk so that configuration, pages, and schedules survive container restarts and image upgrades.

What is persisted

Two host directories are bind-mounted into the container:

Host path	Container path	Contents
./data/	/app/data/	All application state (see table below)
./external_plugins/	/app/external_plugins/	Marketplace plugins installed via the Integrations page

Files inside data/:

File	Description
config.json	Board connection settings, API keys, plugin configuration
settings.json	Display preferences, transitions, schedule, MQTT, active page
pages.json	All board pages you have created
schedules.json	Time-based scheduling rules
carousels.json	Carousel display settings
logs/	Application, API, and nginx log files
*.backup	Pre-migration backups created automatically before schema upgrades

This is configured in every Docker Compose file:

volumes:
  - ./data:/app/data
  - ./external_plugins:/app/external_plugins

Running with plain docker run

If you start the container directly without Docker Compose, pass the volume flags explicitly — otherwise data is lost when the container is removed:

docker run -d \
  --name fiestaboard \
  -p 4420:3000 \
  -v "$(pwd)/data:/app/data" \
  -v "$(pwd)/external_plugins:/app/external_plugins" \
  fiestaboard/fiestaboard:latest

Data loss without volume mounts

If you run docker run without -v flags, Docker creates an anonymous volume for /app/data (from the VOLUME directive in the image). The data still persists between restarts of the same container, but is permanently lost when you run docker rm. Always use explicit bind-mounts or named volumes for anything you want to keep.

Backup and restore

# Backup (from the directory containing your docker-compose file)
tar -czf fiestaboard-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz data/ external_plugins/

# Restore
tar -xzf fiestaboard-backup-20240101.tar.gz
docker-compose up -d

All configuration, pages, schedules, and installed plugins are captured in a single archive.

Updating FiestaBoard

# Pull latest code
git pull

# Rebuild and restart
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d --build

Environment Variables

All configuration is done through the .env file. See the Environment Variables reference for the complete list.

Next Steps

• Cloud API Setup - Use cloud API instead of local
• Raspberry Pi Deployment - Deploy on a Pi
• Environment Variables - All configuration options