trading-algo/DOCKER_DEPLOYMENT.md

Docker Deployment Guide

This guide covers deploying the trading system for 24/7 operation using Docker.

🚀 Quick Start

1. Setup Environment

# Copy environment template
cp .env.production .env

# Edit with your API keys
nano .env

2. Deploy the System

# Start the trading system
./deploy.sh start

# View logs
./deploy.sh logs live

# Check status
./deploy.sh status

📋 Deployment Options

Paper Trading (Recommended)

# Safe paper trading mode
./deploy.sh start

Live Trading (Advanced)

# Edit .env file first
TRADING_MODE=live

# Deploy with extreme caution
./deploy.sh start

🐳 Docker Architecture

Services

1. trading-bot: Main trading application

   • Runs 24/7 with auto-restart
   • Health monitoring every 60 seconds
   • Resource limits for safety

2. monitoring: Optional monitoring service

   • Displays system status every 5 minutes
   • Shows recent performance and trades
   • Lightweight Alpine Linux container

Volumes

• ./logs:/app/logs - Persistent log storage
• ./config:/app/config:ro - Read-only configuration

Security Features

• Non-root user (trader:1000)
• Resource limits (512MB RAM, 0.5 CPU)
• Read-only configuration mounting
• Environment-based secrets

🛡️ Safety Features

Health Monitoring

• Container health checks every 60 seconds
• Application health checks every 5 minutes
• Automatic restart on failure

Risk Management

• Paper trading by default
• Resource constraints
• Graceful shutdown handling
• Comprehensive error logging

Backup & Recovery

# Create backup
./deploy.sh backup

# View backups
ls backups/

📊 Monitoring & Logs

Real-time Monitoring

# Follow live logs
./deploy.sh logs live

# System status
./deploy.sh status

# Container status
docker compose ps

Log Files

• logs/trading.log - General system logs
• logs/trades.log - Trade execution details
• logs/risk.log - Risk management events
• logs/performance.log - Performance metrics

Health Endpoints

• Health file: /tmp/health (inside container)
• Status format: OK:timestamp:price

🔧 Management Commands

Deployment Script (deploy.sh)

./deploy.sh start    # Start system
./deploy.sh stop     # Stop system
./deploy.sh restart  # Restart system
./deploy.sh logs     # Show recent logs
./deploy.sh logs live # Follow live logs
./deploy.sh status   # System status
./deploy.sh backup   # Create backup
./deploy.sh update   # Update and restart

Docker Compose Commands

# Manual control
docker compose up -d    # Start services
docker compose down     # Stop services
docker compose logs -f  # Follow logs
docker compose ps       # Service status

# Rebuild containers
docker compose build --no-cache

🔄 Updates & Maintenance

Updating the System

# Automated update (with backup)
./deploy.sh update

# Manual update
docker compose down
git pull  # if using git
docker compose build --no-cache
docker compose up -d

Configuration Changes

# Edit configuration
nano .env

# Restart to apply changes
./deploy.sh restart

Log Rotation

Logs are automatically managed by Docker. To manually clean:

# Clean old logs (be careful!)
docker system prune -f

# Or manually rotate logs
./deploy.sh backup  # Backup first
> logs/trading.log
> logs/trades.log

🚨 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Container won't start

   # Check logs
   docker compose logs trading-bot
   
   # Verify environment
   cat .env
   
   # Test configuration
   docker compose config
   

2. API connection errors

   # Verify API keys in .env
   grep -E "ALPACA_(API|SECRET)_KEY" .env
   
   # Test connection
   docker exec trading-system python3 -c "from src.data_handler import DataHandler; print(DataHandler().get_latest_price('AAPL'))"
   

3. Health check failures

   # Check health status
   docker inspect trading-system | grep -A 5 Health
   
   # Manual health check
   docker exec trading-system python3 -c "from main import health_check; print(health_check())"
   

4. Performance issues

   # Check resource usage
   docker stats trading-system
   
   # Increase limits in docker compose.yml
   nano docker compose.yml
   

Emergency Procedures

1. Immediate stop

   ./deploy.sh stop
   # or
   docker kill trading-system
   

2. Emergency backup

   ./deploy.sh backup
   cp -r logs backups/emergency_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)/
   

3. Reset system

   ./deploy.sh stop
   docker compose down -v  # WARNING: Removes volumes
   ./deploy.sh start
   

🌐 Production Considerations

Server Requirements

• Minimum: 1 CPU, 1GB RAM, 10GB storage
• Recommended: 2 CPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB storage
• OS: Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+ recommended)

Network Requirements

• Stable internet connection
• HTTPS access to Alpaca API
• NTP for accurate timestamps

Security Best Practices

1. Use paper trading initially
2. Limit server access (SSH keys only)
3. Regular backups to external storage
4. Monitor logs for anomalies
5. Keep system updated

Scaling Considerations

• Multiple symbols: Use separate containers
• High frequency: Increase resource limits
• Redundancy: Deploy across multiple servers

📞 Support

Getting Help

1. Check logs: ./deploy.sh logs
2. Verify configuration: docker compose config
3. Test health: ./deploy.sh status
4. Review documentation

Important Notes

• Always test in paper trading first
• Monitor performance regularly
• Keep backups of profitable configurations
• Never disable risk management features

🔒 Disclaimer

This deployment setup is for educational purposes. Trading involves risk of loss. Always:

• Use paper trading for testing
• Understand the risks involved
• Never trade more than you can afford to lose
• Monitor the system regularly
• Keep security best practices