coolify-docs/CLAUDE.md

CLAUDE.md

This file provides guidance to Claude Code when working with this repository.

Project Overview

This is the official documentation repository for Coolify, an open-source self-hosting platform. The documentation is built using VitePress and deployed at https://coolify.io/docs.

The source code of Coolify itself can be found at https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify for reference and testing purposes.

Branch Strategy

• main: Production branch (deployed to https://coolify.io/docs/)
• next: Development branch (deployed to https://next.coolify.io/docs/)
• IMPORTANT: All pull requests MUST target the next branch, NEVER main
• Weekly release cycle merges next → main

Technology Stack

• VitePress 1.6.3 - Static site generator
• Vue 3.5.13 - Component framework
• Tailwind CSS 3.2.4 - Utility-first CSS
• TypeScript - Type safety
• Plausible - Privacy-focused analytics

Common Development Commands

Package Management

• Preferred: bun (as per README)
• Configured: pnpm@10.6.3 (as per package.json)
• If using a different package manager, do NOT commit its lock files

Local Development

# Install dependencies
bun install

# Run development server (http://localhost:5173/docs/)
bun run dev

# Build for production
bun run build

# Preview production build
bun run preview

# Convert OpenAPI YAML to JSON (run after updating API spec)
bun run transform-openapi

Alternative: Task Runner

# Install Task: https://taskfile.dev/docs/installation
task --list          # List all available tasks
task dev             # Run dev server on port 2222 (all network interfaces)
task docker-build    # Build Docker container
task docker-deploy   # Run Docker container

Directory Structure

docs/
├── .vitepress/
│   ├── config.mts           # Main VitePress config
│   ├── plugins/             # Custom Vite plugins
│   └── theme/               # Custom theme & components
│       └── components/      # Vue components (including Services/List.vue)
├── public/                  # Static assets (images, openapi.yml)
│   └── images/              # Organized by section
├── get-started/             # Getting started guides
├── applications/            # Application deployment docs
├── services/                # One-click services docs
├── databases/               # Database docs
├── knowledge-base/          # How-tos and concepts
├── api-reference/           # Auto-generated API docs
└── troubleshoot/            # Troubleshooting guides

nginx/
└── redirects.conf           # URL redirect rules

Architecture

VitePress Configuration

• Main config: docs/.vitepress/config.mts
• Custom theme: docs/.vitepress/theme/index.ts
• Theme extends VitePress default theme with custom components and layouts

Custom VitePress Plugins

1. vitepress-openapi: Auto-generates API documentation from OpenAPI spec

   • Dynamically fetches from GitHub: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/coollabsio/coolify/v4.x/openapi.json
   • Falls back to local file: docs/.vitepress/theme/openapi.json

2. vitepress-plugin-coolbot: Custom plugin that converts markdown to plain text for AI/RAG systems

   • Generates llms-text.json file map during build
   • Configured in docs/.vitepress/plugins/vitepress-plugin-coolbot.ts

3. vitepress-plugin-llms: Generates llms.txt for LLM consumption

4. vitepress-plugin-tabs: Enables tabbed content blocks

5. vitepress-plugin-group-icons: Adds icons to code group labels

Custom Vue Components

Located in docs/.vitepress/theme/components/:

• ZoomableImage: MUST be used for all documentation images

  <ZoomableImage src="/docs/images/path/to/image.webp" alt="Description" />
  

• Callout: Important notes and warnings (types: tip, warning, danger, info, success)
• TabBlock: Tabbed content sections
• Card/CardGroup: Landing page card layouts
• KorrektlySearch: Integrated search component

Content Guidelines

Images

• Format: All images MUST be .webp format
• Location: Store in docs/public/images/[section]/
• Paths: Always use absolute paths: /docs/images/...
• Usage: Always use the ZoomableImage component

Writing Style

• Use clear, simple language (consider non-native English speakers)
• Break instructions into small, numbered steps
• Include screenshots for complex processes using <ZoomableImage>
• Structure with clear headings and bullet points

Markdown Features

• Standard markdown + VitePress extensions
• Frontmatter for page metadata (title and description required)
• Custom containers: :::success, :::warning, :::danger, :::info, :::tip
• Tabs via vitepress-plugin-tabs
• Code groups with icons via vitepress-plugin-group-icons

Links

• Internal: Use absolute paths /services/wordpress
• External: Full URLs with UTM parameter ?utm_source=coolify.io
• Always include descriptive anchor text (not bare URLs)

Service Documentation

Source of Truth

The authoritative source for service names is:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/coollabsio/coolify/refs/heads/v4.x/templates/service-templates-latest.json

File Naming Rules

Service documentation files in docs/services/ must follow these conventions:

1. Use kebab-case lowercase for all filenames
2. Match the base service name from service-templates-latest.json
3. Do not use camelCase even if the JSON template uses it (e.g., denoKV → denokv.md)
4. Include version numbers when specified (e.g., mautic5.md not mautic.md)
5. Use compound names when specified (e.g., ente-photos.md not ente.md)

Files to Update When Managing Services

When adding, renaming, or disabling services, update these locations:

File	Purpose
docs/services/{name}.md	The documentation file
docs/.vitepress/theme/components/Services/List.vue	Service listing (slug must match filename)
nginx/redirects.conf	URL redirects (when renaming/removing)
docs/public/images/services/	Service logo

Disabling Services

For deprecated or unavailable services:

1. Add disabled: true to the entry in List.vue
2. Add a warning callout in the markdown: ::: warning SERVICE NOT AVAILABLE
3. Keep the file for SEO (users may find via search)

Environment Variables

Configuration via .env file (see .env.example):

VITE_SITE_URL=https://coolify.io/docs/       # Base URL for sitemap and meta
VITE_ANALYTICS_DOMAIN=coolify.io/docs        # Plausible analytics domain
VITE_KORREKTLY_BASE_URL=https://korrektly.com
VITE_KORREKTLY_API_TOKEN=kly_pub_...
VITE_KORREKTLY_DATASET_ID=uuid

Build & Deployment

Docker Build

Multi-stage Dockerfile:

1. Builder stage: Uses oven/bun:1.1.44-alpine to build VitePress site
2. Final stage: Uses nginxinc/nginx-unprivileged:1.27.3-alpine-slim to serve static files

Custom nginx config in nginx/nginx.conf and nginx/redirects.conf

CI/CD Workflows

Located in .github/workflows/:

• staging-build.yml: Builds and deploys next branch to staging
• production-build.yml: Builds and deploys main branch to production
• update-korrektly.yml: Updates search index
• enforce-pr-standards.yml: PR validation

Styling

Color Scheme

• Primary Brand: Purple (#7937f3, #7442d1, #B392F0)
• Tips: Brand purple
• Warnings: Yellow
• Danger/Errors: Red (#ff4444)
• Success: Green (#36d399)
• Info: Blue (#42b8e7)

Theme

• Dark/light mode support (user-switchable, dark by default)
• Custom styles in theme/style.css and theme/custom.css
• Mobile-first responsive design

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Images not displaying	Check path is absolute (/docs/images/...)
Links broken after rename	Update all 3 locations (file, List.vue, redirects.conf)
Build fails	Check frontmatter YAML syntax
Service not showing	Verify slug in List.vue matches filename

Important Notes

• The documentation may occasionally be outdated; refer to the Coolify source code for accuracy
• OpenAPI spec is fetched from GitHub's v4.x branch at build time
• Search is powered by local provider + Korrektly integration
• VitePress plugins generate additional outputs: llms.txt, llms-text.json for AI consumption