core/docs/DEPLOYMENT.md

Deployment Guide

Docker Single-Instance

docker pull ghcr.io/switchboard-core/switchboard-core:latest
docker run -p 8080:80 \
  -e SWITCHBOARD_ADMIN_USERNAME=admin \
  -e SWITCHBOARD_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme \
  -e JWT_SECRET="$(openssl rand -hex 32)" \
  -e ENCRYPTION_KEY="$(openssl rand -hex 32)" \
  -v switchboard-data:/data \
  ghcr.io/switchboard-core/switchboard-core:latest

This runs with SQLite and PVC storage. Suitable for evaluation and small teams.

Docker Compose with PostgreSQL

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: switchboard
      POSTGRES_USER: switchboard
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secretpassword
    volumes:
      - pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

  switchboard:
    image: ghcr.io/switchboard-core/switchboard-core:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: "postgres://switchboard:secretpassword@postgres:5432/switchboard?sslmode=disable"
      JWT_SECRET: "change-me-in-production"
      ENCRYPTION_KEY: "change-me-in-production"
      SWITCHBOARD_ADMIN_USERNAME: admin
      SWITCHBOARD_ADMIN_PASSWORD: changeme
      STORAGE_BACKEND: pvc
      STORAGE_PATH: /data/storage
    volumes:
      - sb_storage:/data/storage
    depends_on:
      - postgres

volumes:
  pg_data:
  sb_storage:

Kubernetes

See the k8s/ directory for example manifests. Key considerations:

• Set POSTGRES_HOST, POSTGRES_USER, POSTGRES_PASSWORD, POSTGRES_DB env vars (assembled into DSN automatically).
• Liveness probe: /healthz/live. Readiness probe: /healthz/ready.
• Mount a PVC at /data/storage or configure S3.
• Store JWT_SECRET and ENCRYPTION_KEY in Kubernetes Secrets.
• Registry: registry.gobha.me:5000/xcaliber/switchboard-core.

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
PORT	8080	Backend API port
DB_DRIVER	auto	postgres or sqlite
DATABASE_URL		PostgreSQL DSN or SQLite path
JWT_SECRET	dev-secret-change-me	Token signing key -- must change
ENCRYPTION_KEY		AES-256 key for credential vault
AUTH_MODE	builtin	builtin, mtls, oidc
STORAGE_BACKEND	auto	pvc or s3
STORAGE_PATH	/data/storage	PVC mount point
BASE_PATH		URL prefix (e.g., /switchboard)
LOG_FORMAT	text	text or json
LOG_LEVEL	info	debug, info, warn, error
CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS		Comma-separated allowed origins
BUNDLED_PACKAGES	(empty)	"" defaults, "*" all, or comma-separated
SKIP_BUNDLED_PACKAGES	false	Disable bundled package install
BUNDLED_PACKAGES_DIR	/app/bundled-packages	Custom bundle directory
SWITCHBOARD_ADMIN_USERNAME		Bootstrap admin username
SWITCHBOARD_ADMIN_PASSWORD		Bootstrap admin password
SEED_USERS		Dev seed users (ignored in production)

S3 Storage Variables

Variable	Description
S3_BUCKET	Bucket name
S3_ENDPOINT	Endpoint URL (for MinIO, Ceph, etc.)
S3_ACCESS_KEY	Access key
S3_SECRET_KEY	Secret key
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE	true for MinIO/Ceph

Cluster Variables (Multi-Replica)

Variable	Default	Description
CLUSTER_NODE_ID	hostname-PID	Override for deterministic node identity
CLUSTER_HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL	10s	Heartbeat tick frequency
CLUSTER_STALE_THRESHOLD	30s	3x heartbeat = stale node
CLUSTER_ENDPOINT	auto-detect	Advertised address for peer mesh

Database Configuration

PostgreSQL (recommended for production):

DATABASE_URL="postgres://user:pass@host:5432/switchboard?sslmode=require"

SQLite (dev, test, edge deployments):

DB_DRIVER=sqlite
DATABASE_URL=/data/switchboard.db

Both databases are first-class -- every query compiles and passes tests on both. The driver is auto-detected from DATABASE_URL if DB_DRIVER is not set.

Cluster Mode

Multi-replica HA requires PostgreSQL. The kernel uses PG-backed WebSocket tickets and rate limit counters to coordinate across replicas. A cluster registry with heartbeat and stale sweep tracks active nodes.

View cluster status in Admin > Cluster or via GET /api/v1/admin/cluster.

Storage Backends

PVC: Auto-detected if the storage path is writable. Mount a volume at /data/storage.

S3-compatible: Set STORAGE_BACKEND=s3 and provide S3 variables. Works with AWS S3, MinIO, and Ceph.

Backup and Restore

Available via Admin UI or API:

POST /api/v1/admin/backup       # Create backup
GET  /api/v1/admin/backups      # List backups
GET  /api/v1/admin/backups/:name  # Download backup
POST /api/v1/admin/restore      # Restore from backup
DELETE /api/v1/admin/backups/:name  # Delete backup

Monitoring

Endpoint	Purpose
/health	Basic health check
/healthz/live	Kubernetes liveness probe
/healthz/ready	Kubernetes readiness probe
/metrics	Prometheus metrics