dotCMS / dotCMS/core

feat(create-app): add --starter flag to pass custom starter URL to local Docker instance

Open
#35,026 1 comment 0 reactions 1 assignee View on GitHub

@fmontes is already working on this.

Since Mar 18, 2026.

  • #35025 by @fmontes — merged
Team : Scout
Dominant language
Java
Stars
970
Forks
486
Avg merge
3d 33m
Merged PRs (30d)
170

Description

Description

Add a --starter <url> CLI flag to dotcms-create-app so users can specify a custom starter ZIP when spinning up a local dotCMS Docker instance. The value maps directly to the CUSTOM_STARTER_URL environment variable already supported in the docker-compose file.

Acceptance Criteria

  • --starter <url> option is available in dotcms-create-app
  • When provided, CUSTOM_STARTER_URL is set in the Docker environment before running docker compose up
  • The starter URL is validated (must be a valid http/https URL)
  • Omitting --starter preserves existing behavior (uses the default starter from docker-compose)

Additional Context

PR: #35025
Relevant docker-compose env var: CUSTOM_STARTER_URL

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Assessment

This issue has not been assessed yet.

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.