smartcontractkit / smartcontractkit/chainlink

Clarify local environment setup steps in deployment/docker/README.md

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#20,297 2 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Description

Description

While setting up a local Chainlink node using the Docker Compose configuration in deployment/docker/, a few critical environment variables are not clearly documented.
New contributors may run into DATABASE_URL and ETH_URL missing errors even after following the provided instructions.

Steps to Reproduce
  1. Clone the repository and navigate to deployment/docker/
  2. Copy .env.example.env
  3. Run docker-compose up
  4. Observe missing variable or connection errors in logs
Expected Behavior

The README should:

  • Clearly indicate which variables are mandatory
  • Provide example values for a local setup (e.g. Ganache/Hardhat)
  • Include a minimal working .env snippet
Actual Behavior

The instructions imply .env.example is self-sufficient, but it isn’t.

Suggested Fix

Add a “Quick Start (Local Development)” section in deployment/docker/README.md showing a verified minimal configuration and linking to official environment variable references.

Environment
  • OS: Ubuntu 24.04 / macOS Sonoma
  • Docker: 27.x
  • Branch: develop

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.

Research direction

Open deployment/docker/README.md and compare its setup steps with deployment/docker/.env.example. Run the documented Docker Compose startup and verify the required DATABASE_URL and ETH_URL values for a local Ganache or Hardhat setup. Done means the README identifies mandatory variables, includes a minimal working .env example, and links to the official environment references.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
docker, docker-compose
Domain
devops, documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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