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Docker Details

This page covers the finer details of running LayerNexus with Docker — image tags, health checks, the full-stack compose setup, and more. For basic setup, see the Quick Start.

Image Registry

LayerNexus images are hosted on the GitHub Container Registry:

ghcr.io/peterus/layernexus

Available Tags

Tag What It Is
latest The most recent stable release — this is what most people should use
<version> A specific version (e.g., 0.1.0) — use this to pin a known-good version
sha-<commit> A build from a specific commit — for advanced users or testing

To use a specific version:

image: ghcr.io/peterus/layernexus:0.1.0

Health Check

The LayerNexus container includes a built-in health check that verifies the app is responding:

HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=5s --start-period=10s --retries=3
  CMD curl -f http://localhost:8000/health/ || exit 1

Check the health status with:

docker inspect --format='{{.State.Health.Status}}' layernexus

This is useful for orchestrators like Docker Swarm or Kubernetes, or for monitoring tools.

Automatic Setup on Start

Every time the container starts, it automatically:

  1. Runs database migrations — so the database schema is always up to date after an upgrade
  2. Collects static files — so CSS, JavaScript, and images are ready to serve

You never need to run these commands manually.

Full Stack with Spoolman

To run LayerNexus with both OrcaSlicer and Spoolman for filament tracking:

services:
  web:
    image: ghcr.io/peterus/layernexus:latest
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    volumes:
      - layernexus_data:/app/data
      - layernexus_media:/app/media
    environment:
      - DJANGO_SECRET_KEY=your-long-random-secret-key
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - orcaslicer
      - spoolman

  orcaslicer:
    image: ghcr.io/afkfelix/orca-slicer-api:latest-orca2.3.1
    restart: unless-stopped

  spoolman:
    image: ghcr.io/donkie/spoolman:latest
    ports:
      - "7912:8000"
    volumes:
      - spoolman_data:/home/app/.local/share/spoolman
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  layernexus_data:
  layernexus_media:
  spoolman_data:

Sensible Defaults

The Docker image already sets ORCASLICER_API_URL=http://orcaslicer:3000 and SPOOLMAN_URL=http://spoolman:8000 by default. As long as you name your services orcaslicer and spoolman, no extra configuration is needed.

Moonraker

Moonraker runs on your 3D printer itself, not as a Docker container alongside LayerNexus. You configure the Moonraker URL (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:7125) in the LayerNexus printer profile settings. See Klipper / Moonraker.

Running Without Docker Compose

You can also run LayerNexus with a single docker run command, though you won't get OrcaSlicer or Spoolman integration this way:

docker run -d \
  --name layernexus \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  -v layernexus_data:/app/data \
  -v layernexus_media:/app/media \
  -e DJANGO_SECRET_KEY="your-secret-key-here" \
  -e DEBUG=0 \
  -e ALLOWED_HOSTS="localhost" \
  ghcr.io/peterus/layernexus:latest

Warning

Without the OrcaSlicer and Spoolman containers, slicing and filament tracking will not work. Use Docker Compose for the full experience.

Debug Mode

For troubleshooting, you can enable debug mode by setting DEBUG=1 in your environment. This shows more detailed error pages and enables verbose logging.

Never Use Debug Mode in Production

Debug mode exposes detailed error information that could be a security risk. Only enable it temporarily for troubleshooting.

Next Steps