Docker Deployment¶

The recommended way to run SWEN in production or on a homelab.

Prerequisites¶

• Docker Engine 24+ with Compose V2 (docker compose version)
• A reverse proxy in front of SWEN (nginx, Caddy, Traefik — or use SWEN's bundled proxy for quick tests)

1 · Clone the Repository¶

git clone https://github.com/maltewinckler/swen.git
cd swen

2 · Build the Images¶

docker compose build

3 · Create config/.env¶

Run the interactive setup wizard using a disposable backend container. It mounts the host config/ folder so the generated file lands directly on your machine:

docker run --rm -it \
  -v ./config:/app/config \
  maltewin/swen-backend:latest \
  swen setup

The wizard will ask you to choose the environment (select Production), set the registration mode, optionally configure SMTP, then generate all secrets and write config/.env automatically.

4 · Deploy¶

docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:3000 (or your reverse proxy URL).

Service Topology¶

graph TD
    Host["Host port :3000"] --> frontend["frontend\nnginx :3000"]
    frontend -->|"/api/*\n/health"| backend["backend\nFastAPI :8000"]
    backend --> postgres[("postgres\n:5432")]
    backend --> ml["ml\nFastAPI :8100"]
    ml --> searxng["searxng\n:8080"]

    classDef internal fill:#f0f4ff,stroke:#6c8ebf
    class backend,postgres,ml,searxng internal

Only port 3000 is exposed to the host. All other services communicate over the internal swen_network Docker network.

Volume Overview¶

Reverse Proxy Setup¶

Route traffic to the frontend container (port 3000). The frontend's nginx proxy handles forwarding /api/* and /health to the backend internally — you only need to point your proxy at port 3000.

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name swen.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass         http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_set_header   Host $host;
        proxy_set_header   X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header   X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header   X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

swen.example.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

labels:
  - "traefik.enable=true"
  - "traefik.http.routers.swen.rule=Host(`swen.example.com`)"
  - "traefik.http.services.swen.loadbalancer.server.port=3000"

Importing Bank Transactions¶

Once FinTS is configured:

1. Go to Bank Accounts → select an account → Sync
2. SWEN fetches the last 90 days (configurable) from your bank
3. New transactions appear as Draft — review and post them

Updating SWEN¶

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

The postgres-data and ml-model-cache volumes are preserved across updates.

Troubleshooting¶