Think of building a house: before walls and furniture, you need a solid foundation — blueprints, materials, and a construction site. In the Capstone Project, setup is that foundation. Learners define the application stack, prepare Dockerfiles, and configure the repository so everything is ready for development, CI/CD, and deployment.

Project Setup Foundations

1. Choosing the Application Stack

• Frontend: React, Angular, or Vue (web interface).
• Backend API: Node.js/Express, Python/Flask, or Java/Spring Boot.
• Database: PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB.
• Optional Services:
  • Cache (Redis).
  • Message broker (RabbitMQ).
  • Monitoring (Prometheus).

2. Repository Structure

A well‑organized repository ensures clarity and maintainability.

docker-capstone/
├── frontend/
│   └── Dockerfile
├── backend/
│   └── Dockerfile
├── database/
│   └── Dockerfile
├── docker-compose.yml
├── ci-cd/
│   └── pipeline.yml
└── docs/
    └── architecture.md

3. Environment Setup

• Local Environment: Install Docker Engine or Docker Desktop.
• Version Control: Initialize Git repository.
• Registry Access: Create Docker Hub or private registry account.
• CI/CD Tool: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Jenkins.

Things to Remember

• A clear application stack defines project scope.
• Repository structure ensures modularity and scalability.
• Environment setup prepares for smooth development and deployment.

Hands‑On Lab

Step 1: Create Project Repository

mkdir docker-capstone
cd docker-capstone
git init

Step 2: Define Frontend Dockerfile (React Example)

FROM node:16
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
RUN npm run build
CMD ["npm", "start"]

Step 3: Define Backend Dockerfile (Node.js Example)

FROM node:16
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Step 4: Define Database Dockerfile (Postgres Example)

FROM postgres:13
ENV POSTGRES_USER=admin
ENV POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secret
ENV POSTGRES_DB=capstone

Step 5: Create Compose File

version: '3.8'
services:
  frontend:
    build: ./frontend
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
  backend:
    build: ./backend
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"
    depends_on:
      - database
  database:
    build: ./database
    ports:
      - "5432:5432"

Practice Exercise

1. Choose your application stack (frontend, backend, database).
2. Create a Git repository and organize folders.
3. Write Dockerfiles for each service.
4. Create a docker-compose.yml to orchestrate services locally.
5. Run docker-compose up and verify all services start correctly.
6. Reflect on how setup lays the foundation for CI/CD and deployment.

Visual Learning Model

Capstone Setup
   ├── Frontend → React/Angular/Vue
   ├── Backend → Node.js/Flask/Spring
   ├── Database → Postgres/MySQL/MongoDB
   ├── Compose → orchestrate services
   └── CI/CD → pipeline config

Things to Remember

Capstone Project setup defines the application stack, organizes the repository, and prepares the environment. By writing Dockerfiles and a Compose file, learners establish the foundation for CI/CD, deployment, monitoring, and security in later chapters.