What is docker-database?

This Claude skill automates the creation of production-ready Docker configurations for major databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and Redis. It streamlines the deployment process by generating optimized Docker Compose files that incorporate industry best practices for security hardening, data persistence, network isolation, and automated health monitoring.

When should I use docker-database?

docker-database is useful in the following scenarios: • Rapidly bootstrapping secure and persistent database environments for new microservices or web applications. • Implementing automated health checks and restart policies to ensure high availability and self-healing of database containers. • Configuring complex data persistence strategies using named volumes and initialization scripts to prevent data loss. • Standardizing backup and restoration workflows across different database engines to ensure robust disaster recovery.

name	docker-database
description	Configure database containers with security, persistence, and health checks

Docker Database Configuration Skill

Overview

This skill configures database containers following best practices for:

Security (passwords, network isolation)
Persistence (named volumes)
Health checks
Initialization scripts
Backup and restore

Supported Databases

PostgreSQL
MySQL/MariaDB
MongoDB
Redis

Process

1. Consult Documentation

Read 05-databases.md for:

Image versions
Environment variables
Health check configurations
Volume paths
Initialization patterns

2. Generate Configuration

PostgreSQL Configuration

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    container_name: postgres
    restart: unless-stopped
    shm_size: 256mb
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: ${DB_USER:-appuser}
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
      POSTGRES_DB: ${DB_NAME:-appdb}
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
      - ./init-scripts:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:5432:5432"
    networks:
      - database
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${DB_USER:-appuser} -d ${DB_NAME:-appdb}"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 30s

volumes:
  postgres_data:

networks:
  database:
    internal: true

MySQL Configuration

services:
  mysql:
    image: mysql:8.0
    container_name: mysql
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
      MYSQL_DATABASE: ${DB_NAME}
      MYSQL_USER: ${DB_USER}
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - mysql_data:/var/lib/mysql
      - ./init-scripts:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:3306:3306"
    command: >
      --default-authentication-plugin=mysql_native_password
      --character-set-server=utf8mb4
      --collation-server=utf8mb4_unicode_ci
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "mysqladmin", "ping", "-h", "localhost", "-u", "root", "-p${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  mysql_data:

MongoDB Configuration

services:
  mongodb:
    image: mongo:7
    container_name: mongodb
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME: ${MONGO_USER}
      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MONGO_PASSWORD}
      MONGO_INITDB_DATABASE: ${MONGO_DB}
    volumes:
      - mongo_data:/data/db
      - mongo_config:/data/configdb
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:27017:27017"
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "mongosh", "--eval", "db.adminCommand('ping')"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  mongo_data:
  mongo_config:

Redis Configuration

services:
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    container_name: redis
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: >
      redis-server
      --appendonly yes
      --maxmemory 256mb
      --maxmemory-policy allkeys-lru
      --requirepass ${REDIS_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:6379:6379"
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "-a", "${REDIS_PASSWORD}", "ping"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  redis_data:

Connection Strings

PostgreSQL

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@db:5432/dbname

MySQL

DATABASE_URL=mysql://user:password@db:3306/dbname

MongoDB

MONGO_URI=mongodb://user:password@mongodb:27017/dbname?authSource=admin

Redis

REDIS_URL=redis://:password@redis:6379

Backup Commands

# PostgreSQL
docker compose exec -T db pg_dumpall -c -U appuser > backup.sql

# MySQL
docker compose exec -T db mysqldump -u root -p"$PASS" --all-databases > backup.sql

# MongoDB
docker compose exec -T db mongodump --archive --gzip > backup.gz

# Redis (if persistence enabled)
docker compose exec redis redis-cli -a "$PASS" BGSAVE

Restore Commands

# PostgreSQL
docker compose exec -T db psql -U appuser -d appdb < backup.sql

# MySQL
docker compose exec -T db mysql -u root -p"$PASS" < backup.sql

# MongoDB
docker compose exec -T db mongorestore --archive --gzip < backup.gz

Best Practices

Always use named volumes for data persistence
Bind to localhost only (127.0.0.1) unless external access needed
Use internal networks to isolate database traffic
Implement health checks for dependency management
Store credentials in .env or Docker secrets
Use initialization scripts for schema setup
Regular backups before any risky operations

docker-database

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases