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+# Docker Compose Deployment Guide
+
+## Introduction
+
+### What is a Deployer?
+
+In stack-orchestrator, a **deployer** provides a uniform interface for orchestrating containerized applications. This guide focuses on Docker Compose deployments, which is the default and recommended deployment mode.
+
+While stack-orchestrator also supports Kubernetes (`k8s`) and Kind (`k8s-kind`) deployments, those are out of scope for this guide. See the [Kubernetes Enhancements](./k8s-deployment-enhancements.md) documentation for advanced deployment options.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+To deploy stacks using Docker Compose, you need:
+
+- Docker Engine (20.10+)
+- Docker Compose plugin (v2.0+)
+- Python 3.8+
+- stack-orchestrator installed (`laconic-so`)
+
+**That's it!** No additional infrastructure is required. If you have Docker installed, you're ready to deploy.
+
+## Deployment Workflow
+
+The typical deployment workflow consists of four main steps:
+
+1. **Setup repositories and build containers** (first time only)
+2. **Initialize deployment specification**
+3. **Create deployment directory**
+4. **Start and manage services**
+
+## Quick Start Example
+
+Here's a complete example using the built-in `test` stack:
+
+```bash
+# Step 1: Setup (first time only)
+laconic-so --stack test setup-repositories
+laconic-so --stack test build-containers
+
+# Step 2: Initialize deployment spec
+laconic-so --stack test deploy init --output test-spec.yml
+
+# Step 3: Create deployment directory
+laconic-so --stack test deploy create \
+  --spec-file test-spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir test-deployment
+
+# Step 4: Start services
+laconic-so deployment --dir test-deployment start
+
+# View running services
+laconic-so deployment --dir test-deployment ps
+
+# View logs
+laconic-so deployment --dir test-deployment logs
+
+# Stop services (preserves data)
+laconic-so deployment --dir test-deployment stop
+```
+
+## Deployment Workflows
+
+Stack-orchestrator supports two deployment workflows:
+
+### 1. Deployment Directory Workflow (Recommended)
+
+This workflow creates a persistent deployment directory that contains all configuration and data.
+
+**When to use:**
+- Production deployments
+- When you need to preserve configuration
+- When you want to manage multiple deployments
+- When you need persistent volume data
+
+**Example:**
+
+```bash
+# Initialize deployment spec
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth deploy init --output eth-spec.yml
+
+# Optionally edit eth-spec.yml to customize configuration
+
+# Create deployment directory
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth deploy create \
+  --spec-file eth-spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir my-eth-deployment
+
+# Start the deployment
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-eth-deployment start
+
+# Manage the deployment
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-eth-deployment ps
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-eth-deployment logs
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-eth-deployment stop
+```
+
+### 2. Quick Deploy Workflow
+
+This workflow deploys directly without creating a persistent deployment directory.
+
+**When to use:**
+- Quick testing
+- Temporary deployments
+- Simple stacks that don't require customization
+
+**Example:**
+
+```bash
+# Start the stack directly
+laconic-so --stack test deploy up
+
+# Check service status
+laconic-so --stack test deploy port test 80
+
+# View logs
+laconic-so --stack test deploy logs
+
+# Stop (preserves volumes)
+laconic-so --stack test deploy down
+
+# Stop and remove volumes
+laconic-so --stack test deploy down --delete-volumes
+```
+
+## Real-World Example: Ethereum Fixturenet
+
+Deploy a local Ethereum testnet with Geth and Lighthouse:
+
+```bash
+# Setup (first time only)
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth setup-repositories
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth build-containers
+
+# Initialize with default configuration
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth deploy init --output eth-spec.yml
+
+# Create deployment
+laconic-so --stack fixturenet-eth deploy create \
+  --spec-file eth-spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir fixturenet-eth-deployment
+
+# Start the network
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment start
+
+# Check status
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment ps
+
+# Access logs from specific service
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment logs fixturenet-eth-geth-1
+
+# Stop the network (preserves blockchain data)
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment stop
+
+# Start again - blockchain data is preserved
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment start
+
+# Clean up everything including data
+laconic-so deployment --dir fixturenet-eth-deployment stop --delete-volumes
+```
+
+## Configuration
+
+### Passing Configuration Parameters
+
+Configuration can be passed in three ways:
+
+**1. At init time via `--config` flag:**
+
+```bash
+laconic-so --stack test deploy init --output spec.yml \
+  --config PARAM1=value1,PARAM2=value2
+```
+
+**2. Edit the spec file after init:**
+
+```bash
+# Initialize
+laconic-so --stack test deploy init --output spec.yml
+
+# Edit spec.yml
+vim spec.yml
+```
+
+Example spec.yml:
+```yaml
+stack: test
+config:
+  PARAM1: value1
+  PARAM2: value2
+```
+
+**3. Docker Compose defaults:**
+
+Environment variables defined in the stack's `docker-compose-*.yml` files are used as defaults. Configuration from the spec file overrides these defaults.
+
+### Port Mapping
+
+By default, services are accessible on randomly assigned host ports. To find the mapped port:
+
+```bash
+# Find the host port for container port 80 on service 'webapp'
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment port webapp 80
+
+# Output example: 0.0.0.0:32768
+```
+
+To configure fixed ports, edit the spec file before creating the deployment:
+
+```yaml
+network:
+  ports:
+    webapp:
+      - '8080:80'  # Maps host port 8080 to container port 80
+    api:
+      - '3000:3000'
+```
+
+Then create the deployment:
+
+```bash
+laconic-so --stack my-stack deploy create \
+  --spec-file spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir my-deployment
+```
+
+### Volume Persistence
+
+Volumes are preserved between stop/start cycles by default:
+
+```bash
+# Stop but keep data
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+
+# Start again - data is still there
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment start
+```
+
+To completely remove all data:
+
+```bash
+# Stop and delete all volumes
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop --delete-volumes
+```
+
+Volume data is stored in `<deployment-dir>/data/`.
+
+## Common Operations
+
+### Viewing Logs
+
+```bash
+# All services, continuous follow
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs --follow
+
+# Last 100 lines from all services
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs --tail 100
+
+# Specific service only
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs webapp
+
+# Combine options
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs --tail 50 --follow webapp
+```
+
+### Executing Commands in Containers
+
+```bash
+# Execute a command in a running service
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment exec webapp ls -la
+
+# Interactive shell
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment exec webapp /bin/bash
+
+# Run command with specific environment variables
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment exec webapp env VAR=value command
+```
+
+### Checking Service Status
+
+```bash
+# List all running services
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment ps
+
+# Check using Docker directly
+docker ps
+```
+
+### Updating a Running Deployment
+
+If you need to change configuration after deployment:
+
+```bash
+# 1. Edit the spec file
+vim my-deployment/spec.yml
+
+# 2. Regenerate configuration
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment update
+
+# 3. Restart services to apply changes
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment start
+```
+
+## Multi-Service Deployments
+
+Many stacks deploy multiple services that work together:
+
+```bash
+# Deploy a stack with multiple services
+laconic-so --stack laconicd-with-console deploy init --output spec.yml
+laconic-so --stack laconicd-with-console deploy create \
+  --spec-file spec.yml \
+  --deployment-dir laconicd-deployment
+
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconicd-deployment start
+
+# View all services
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconicd-deployment ps
+
+# View logs from specific services
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconicd-deployment logs laconicd
+laconic-so deployment --dir laconicd-deployment logs console
+```
+
+## ConfigMaps
+
+ConfigMaps allow you to mount configuration files into containers:
+
+```bash
+# 1. Create the config directory in your deployment
+mkdir -p my-deployment/data/my-config
+echo "database_url=postgres://localhost" > my-deployment/data/my-config/app.conf
+
+# 2. Reference in spec file
+vim my-deployment/spec.yml
+```
+
+Add to spec.yml:
+```yaml
+configmaps:
+  my-config: ./data/my-config
+```
+
+```bash
+# 3. Restart to apply
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment start
+```
+
+The files will be mounted in the container at `/config/` (or as specified by the stack).
+
+## Deployment Directory Structure
+
+A typical deployment directory contains:
+
+```
+my-deployment/
+├── compose/
+│   └── docker-compose-*.yml    # Generated compose files
+├── config.env                   # Environment variables
+├── deployment.yml              # Deployment metadata
+├── spec.yml                    # Deployment specification
+└── data/                       # Volume mounts and configs
+    ├── service-data/           # Persistent service data
+    └── config-maps/            # ConfigMap files
+```
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Common Issues
+
+**Problem: "Cannot connect to Docker daemon"**
+
+```bash
+# Ensure Docker is running
+docker ps
+
+# Start Docker if needed (macOS)
+open -a Docker
+
+# Start Docker (Linux)
+sudo systemctl start docker
+```
+
+**Problem: "Port already in use"**
+
+```bash
+# Either stop the conflicting service or use different ports
+# Edit spec.yml before creating deployment:
+
+network:
+  ports:
+    webapp:
+      - '8081:80'  # Use 8081 instead of 8080
+```
+
+**Problem: "Image not found"**
+
+```bash
+# Build containers first
+laconic-so --stack your-stack build-containers
+```
+
+**Problem: Volumes not persisting**
+
+```bash
+# Check if you used --delete-volumes when stopping
+# Volume data is in: <deployment-dir>/data/
+
+# Don't use --delete-volumes if you want to keep data:
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+
+# Only use --delete-volumes when you want to reset completely:
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop --delete-volumes
+```
+
+**Problem: Services not starting**
+
+```bash
+# Check logs for errors
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment logs
+
+# Check Docker container status
+docker ps -a
+
+# Try stopping and starting again
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment stop
+laconic-so deployment --dir my-deployment start
+```
+
+### Inspecting Deployment State
+
+```bash
+# Check deployment directory structure
+ls -la my-deployment/
+
+# Check running containers
+docker ps
+
+# Check container details
+docker inspect <container-name>
+
+# Check networks
+docker network ls
+
+# Check volumes
+docker volume ls
+```
+
+## CLI Commands Reference
+
+### Stack Operations
+
+```bash
+# Clone required repositories
+laconic-so --stack <name> setup-repositories
+
+# Build container images
+laconic-so --stack <name> build-containers
+```
+
+### Deployment Initialization
+
+```bash
+# Initialize deployment spec with defaults
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy init --output <spec-file>
+
+# Initialize with configuration
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy init --output <spec-file> \
+  --config PARAM1=value1,PARAM2=value2
+```
+
+### Deployment Creation
+
+```bash
+# Create deployment directory from spec
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy create \
+  --spec-file <spec-file> \
+  --deployment-dir <dir>
+```
+
+### Deployment Management
+
+```bash
+# Start all services
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> start
+
+# Stop services (preserves volumes)
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> stop
+
+# Stop and remove volumes
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> stop --delete-volumes
+
+# List running services
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> ps
+
+# View logs
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> logs [--tail N] [--follow] [service]
+
+# Show mapped port
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> port <service> <private-port>
+
+# Execute command in service
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> exec <service> <command>
+
+# Update configuration
+laconic-so deployment --dir <dir> update
+```
+
+### Quick Deploy Commands
+
+```bash
+# Start stack directly
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy up
+
+# Stop stack
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy down [--delete-volumes]
+
+# View logs
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy logs
+
+# Show port mapping
+laconic-so --stack <name> deploy port <service> <port>
+```
+
+## Related Documentation
+
+- [CLI Reference](./cli.md) - Complete CLI command documentation
+- [Adding a New Stack](./adding-a-new-stack.md) - Creating custom stacks
+- [Specification](./spec.md) - Internal structure and design
+- [Kubernetes Enhancements](./k8s-deployment-enhancements.md) - Advanced K8s deployment options
+- [Web App Deployment](./webapp.md) - Deploying web applications
+
+## Examples
+
+For more examples, see the test scripts:
+- `scripts/quick-deploy-test.sh` - Quick deployment example
+- `tests/deploy/run-deploy-test.sh` - Comprehensive test showing all features
+
+## Summary
+
+- Docker Compose is the default and recommended deployment mode
+- Two workflows: deployment directory (recommended) or quick deploy
+- The standard workflow is: setup → build → init → create → start
+- Configuration is flexible with multiple override layers
+- Volume persistence is automatic unless explicitly deleted
+- All deployment state is contained in the deployment directory
+- For Kubernetes deployments, see separate K8s documentation
+
+You're now ready to deploy stacks using stack-orchestrator with Docker Compose!