kaboot/docs/PRODUCTION.md

Production Deployment Guide

This guide provides instructions for deploying Kaboot to a production environment with Caddy reverse proxy and automatic HTTPS.

Quick Start (Caddy + Automated Authentik Setup)

# 1. Generate secrets
./scripts/setup.sh

# 2. Configure production blueprint
cp authentik/blueprints/kaboot-setup-production.yaml.example \
   authentik/blueprints/kaboot-setup-production.yaml

# Edit the blueprint - update domains in the 'context' section:
#   kaboot_domain: your-app.com
#   auth_domain: auth.your-app.com

# Remove dev blueprint to avoid conflicts
rm authentik/blueprints/kaboot-setup.yaml

# 3. Configure Caddyfile
cp Caddyfile.example Caddyfile
# Edit Caddyfile - replace example.com with your domains

# 4. Update .env with production values
#    - OIDC_ISSUER=https://auth.your-app.com/application/o/kaboot/
#    - OIDC_JWKS_URI=https://auth.your-app.com/application/o/kaboot/jwks/
#    - CORS_ORIGIN=https://your-app.com

# 5. Build frontend with production URLs
VITE_API_URL=https://your-app.com/api \
VITE_OIDC_AUTHORITY=https://auth.your-app.com/application/o/kaboot/ \
npm run build

# 6. Start the stack
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml -f docker-compose.caddy.yml up -d

# 7. Verify
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml -f docker-compose.caddy.yml ps

Prerequisites

• A Linux server with Docker and Docker Compose installed.
• Two registered domain names (e.g., kaboot.example.com and auth.example.com).
• DNS A records pointing both domains to your server.
• A Google Gemini API key.

Architecture Overview

In production, the stack consists of:

• Caddy: Reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS via Let's Encrypt.
• Authentik: Identity Provider for OAuth2/OIDC authentication.
• Kaboot Backend: Express server for quiz logic and SQLite storage.
• Kaboot Frontend: Static assets served via Caddy.
• PostgreSQL: Database for Authentik.
• Redis: Cache and task queue for Authentik.

Environment Variables

Create a production .env file. Do not commit this file to version control.

Backend & Authentik Configuration

# Database Passwords (Generated by setup.sh)
PG_PASS=your_strong_postgres_password
AUTHENTIK_SECRET_KEY=your_strong_authentik_secret

# Bootstrap credentials (Generated by setup.sh)
AUTHENTIK_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD=your_admin_password
AUTHENTIK_BOOTSTRAP_TOKEN=your_api_token

# OIDC Production Settings (update with your domains)
OIDC_ISSUER=https://auth.example.com/application/o/kaboot/
OIDC_JWKS_URI=https://auth.example.com/application/o/kaboot/jwks/

# Security
CORS_ORIGIN=https://kaboot.example.com
LOG_REQUESTS=true

Frontend Configuration

The frontend requires environment variables at build time:

• VITE_API_URL: https://kaboot.example.com/api
• VITE_OIDC_AUTHORITY: https://auth.example.com/application/o/kaboot/

Docker Compose Files

The project includes pre-configured compose files:

• docker-compose.prod.yml - Production services (Authentik, Backend, PostgreSQL, Redis)
• docker-compose.caddy.yml - Caddy reverse proxy overlay

These files are ready to use - no need to create your own.

HTTPS and Reverse Proxy

Choose one of the following reverse proxy options. Caddy is recommended for its simplicity and automatic HTTPS.

Option 1: Caddy (Recommended)

Caddy automatically obtains and renews SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt.

A separate docker-compose.caddy.yml is provided to add Caddy to your stack.

Step 1: Create the Caddyfile

Copy and customize the example Caddyfile:

cp Caddyfile.example Caddyfile

Edit Caddyfile and replace kaboot.example.com and auth.example.com with your actual domains:

kaboot.example.com {
    root * /srv/frontend
    file_server
    try_files {path} /index.html

    handle /api/* {
        reverse_proxy kaboot-backend:3001
    }

    handle /health {
        reverse_proxy kaboot-backend:3001
    }
}

auth.example.com {
    reverse_proxy authentik-server:9000 {
        header_up X-Forwarded-Proto {scheme}
        header_up X-Forwarded-Host {host}
        transport http {
            keepalive 30s
        }
    }
}

Step 2: Build the Frontend

npm run build

This creates the dist/ directory with production assets.

Step 3: Start with Caddy

Use both compose files together:

docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml -f docker-compose.caddy.yml up -d

This will:

• Start all Kaboot services (backend, Authentik, PostgreSQL, Redis)
• Start Caddy as a reverse proxy on ports 80 and 443
• Automatically obtain SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt

Step 4: Verify

Check that all services are running:

docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml -f docker-compose.caddy.yml ps

View Caddy logs:

docker logs kaboot-caddy

Check Authentik blueprint was applied:

docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml logs authentik-server | grep -i blueprint

Stopping the Stack

docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml -f docker-compose.caddy.yml down

Option 2: Nginx

Use Nginx as a reverse proxy with manual SSL certificate management.

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name kaboot.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/kaboot.example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/kaboot.example.com/privkey.pem;

    location / {
        root /var/www/kaboot/frontend;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
    }

    location /api/ {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3001/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }

    location /health {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3001/health;
    }
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name auth.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/auth.example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/auth.example.com/privkey.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:9000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }
}

Authentik Configuration for Production

Option A: Automated Setup with Blueprint (Recommended)

Use the production blueprint for automated configuration:

# 1. Copy and configure the production blueprint
cp authentik/blueprints/kaboot-setup-production.yaml.example \
   authentik/blueprints/kaboot-setup-production.yaml

# 2. Edit the blueprint and update the domains
#    Find the 'context' section and change:
#    - kaboot_domain: kaboot.example.com  -> your-app.com
#    - auth_domain: auth.example.com      -> auth.your-app.com

# 3. Remove the development blueprint (prevents conflicts)
rm authentik/blueprints/kaboot-setup.yaml

# 4. Start the stack - blueprint applies automatically
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d

Option B: Manual Configuration

1. Update Redirect URIs: In the Authentik Admin interface, go to Applications > Providers > Kaboot OAuth2. Update the Redirect URIs to use your production domain:
   • https://kaboot.example.com/callback
   • https://kaboot.example.com/silent-renew.html
   • https://kaboot.example.com

Email Configuration

To enable password recovery, configure SMTP settings in Authentik. In the Admin interface, go to System > Settings and update the Email section. - Host: your SMTP server - Port: 587 or 465 - Username/Password: your credentials - Use TLS/SSL: Enabled

Database Backup Strategy

Kaboot uses SQLite, making backups straightforward.

SQLite (Kaboot Data)

The database file is located in the kaboot-data volume at /data/kaboot.db. To back it up:

docker exec kaboot-backend sqlite3 /data/kaboot.db ".backup '/data/backup_$(date +%F).db'"

Then, copy the backup file from the volume to a secure location.

PostgreSQL (Authentik Data)

For Authentik's metadata:

docker exec kaboot-postgresql pg_dump -U authentik authentik > authentik_backup_$(date +%F).sql

Security Checklist

• Run ./scripts/setup.sh to generate strong secrets (don't use defaults).
• Ensure NODE_ENV is set to production.
• Use HTTPS for all connections (Caddy handles this automatically).
• Set CORS_ORIGIN to your specific frontend domain (e.g., https://kaboot.example.com).
• Update OIDC_ISSUER and OIDC_JWKS_URI to use your auth domain with HTTPS.
• Regularly back up the kaboot.db and PostgreSQL data.
• Monitor logs by setting LOG_REQUESTS=true.
• Keep Docker images updated to the latest stable versions.
• Configure firewall to only allow ports 80 and 443 from the internet.