# Deploy SlideStage Pro with Docker Compose

This guide shows the shortest path to a working SlideStage Pro deployment on a Linux VPS.

## Prerequisites

- Docker Engine 24 or newer.
- Docker Compose v2.
- A host that can reach `registry.npmjs.org`.
- A checkout of `SlideStagePro`.

## 1. Clone and configure

```bash
git clone <your-fork-url> slidestage-pro
cd slidestage-pro
cp .env.example .env
```

Set at least:

```dotenv
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=<openssl rand -base64 32>
BETTER_AUTH_URL=https://decks.example.com
BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com
BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_PASSWORD=<strong-password>
BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_NAME=Admin
```

Do not commit `.env`.

## 2. Build and start

```bash
docker compose build
docker compose up -d
```

## 3. Health check

```bash
curl http://localhost/api/health
```

Expected result:

```json
{
  "status": "ok",
  "checks": {
    "db": "ok",
    "storage": "ok"
  }
}
```

## 4. First login

Open `/login` on the public host and sign in with the bootstrap admin.

Then create invites for other users.

## 5. Persistence

The `slidestage-data` volume stores both SQLite metadata and `.stage` blobs. Back up the full volume, not only the database file.

## Troubleshooting

If login immediately fails, check `BETTER_AUTH_URL`.

If uploads fail, check `.stage` validity, upload size, and `/data` write permissions.