m3tal-core

README

M3TAL System Documentation

Overview

This document provides technical details and operational procedures for the M3TAL system.

Prerequisites

Docker Engine and Docker Compose V2 are strictly REQUIRED and must be installed prior to M3TAL installation and operation. M3TAL internally orchestrates Docker containers using Docker Engine and Docker Compose V2.

Filesystem Contract

The following paths are critical for M3TAL operation and configuration:

Path	Purpose
/etc/m3tal/.env	Primary configuration file. Managed by m3tal config wizard.
/var/lib/m3tal/state.db	SQLite state database. Auto-created by the API daemon.
/opt/m3tal/stack/	Canonical stack directory. Contains compose files and Traefik config.
/docker	Symlink → /opt/m3tal/stack/. This is the user-facing path for all stack operations.
/docker/users.json	Dashboard credential store. Managed by m3tal dashpass.

APT Installation

To install M3TAL via APT:

# 1. Add the GPG signing key
curl -fsSL https://jakej985-rgb.github.io/m3tal-core/KEY.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/m3tal-archive-keyring.gpg

# 2. Add the APT repository
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/m3tal-archive-keyring.gpg] https://jakej985-rgb.github.io/m3tal-core stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/m3tal.list

# 3. Install
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y m3tal

Firewall Considerations

If you are using Traefik for public-facing access (i.e., DASHBOARD_EXPOSE_MODE=traefik or exposing other services via Traefik), ensure that host port 80 (and 443 if HTTPS is configured) is open in your firewall (e.g., ufw allow 80/tcp).

Deployment Lifecycle

M3TAL orchestrates Docker containers using Docker Compose V2. The m3tal up command is a wrapper around docker compose that operates on all *-compose.yml files located within the /docker/ directory, effectively deploying each as an independent stack.

The /opt/m3tal/stack/ directory is the canonical source of truth where all stack files (e.g., m3tal-compose.yml, routing-compose.yml, and user-defined compose files) reside. The /docker directory is a user-facing symlink alias to /opt/m3tal/stack/ for all stack operations.

Adding a New Stack

To deploy a new Docker Compose stack:

1. Place your Docker Compose file (e.g., my-stack-compose.yml) directly into the /docker/ directory. This file will be automatically included by m3tal up.
2. Ensure any required environment variables for your stack are defined in /etc/m3tal/.env (use m3tal config wizard or m3tal config set KEY value).
3. Run m3tal up to deploy all stacks, including your newly added one.

Dashboard Access

The M3TAL Dashboard offers two primary access modes, controlled by the DASHBOARD_EXPOSE_MODE environment variable in /etc/m3tal/.env:

Local Mode (Default)

• Setting: DASHBOARD_EXPOSE_MODE=local
• Mechanism: This mode uses an override (m3tal-compose.local.yml) to add a direct port binding, making the dashboard accessible directly on the host's IP address.
• Access: http://HOST_IP:8082 or http://localhost:8082
• Requirements: No Traefik configuration or domain is required. A new user performing a default installation will access the dashboard directly via port 8082, as this is the behavior linked to the default setting DASHBOARD_EXPOSE_MODE=local. This is ideal for LAN-only setups or initial testing.

Traefik Mode

• Setting: DASHBOARD_EXPOSE_MODE=traefik
• Mechanism: This mode uses an override (m3tal-compose.traefik.yml) that adds Traefik labels to the dashboard container. Traefik (if running) then routes requests for dash.DOMAIN to the dashboard container's internal port 8082.
• Access: http://dash.DOMAIN (where DOMAIN is configured in /etc/m3tal/.env).
• Requirements: Traefik must be running via m3tal up for this mode to function. This is suitable for domain-based setups with multiple services behind a reverse proxy.

Traefik Gateway

Traefik acts as the primary reverse proxy for M3TAL, deployed as a container via routing-compose.yml. It automatically discovers and routes traffic to Docker services by interpreting Traefik labels defined within their Docker Compose service definitions. Crucially, services are not exposed by Traefik by default and require traefik.enable=true along with other relevant labels to be discoverable and routable.

Traefik also utilizes dynamic configuration files, such as /docker/dynamic/api.yml, to route requests. For instance, api.DOMAIN is routed to the M3TAL Go API daemon, which listens on the host-local port 8080. This is achieved by defining a service in the dynamic configuration that points to http://host.docker.internal:8080. Similarly, when DASHBOARD_EXPOSE_MODE=traefik, Traefik routes dash.DOMAIN to the dashboard container.

Exposing a Custom User Service via Traefik

To expose a custom Docker Compose service (e.g., defined in my-app-compose.yml) via Traefik:

# /docker/my-app-compose.yml
services:
  my-app:
    image: nginx:alpine
    container_name: my-custom-nginx
    labels:
      - "traefik.enable=true"
      - "traefik.http.routers.myapp.rule=Host(`app.${DOMAIN}`)"
      - "traefik.http.services.myapp.loadbalancer.server.port=80"
      - "traefik.http.routers.myapp.entrypoints=web"
    networks:
      - proxy

networks:
  proxy:
    external: true

After placing this file in /docker/ and running m3tal up, your my-app service will be accessible via http://app.YOUR_DOMAIN (assuming Traefik is running and YOUR_DOMAIN is set in /etc/m3tal/.env).

Service Management

The M3TAL API daemon runs as a systemd service, m3tal-api.service. You can manage its lifecycle and inspect its status using standard systemctl commands:

• Check Status: systemctl status m3tal-api
• Restart Service: systemctl restart m3tal-api
• View Logs: journalctl -u m3tal-api -f

Quick Demo

To quickly get started with M3TAL:

• To start the M3TAL Dashboard container specifically (useful for initial setup or troubleshooting):

  m3tal dash up
  

  This command will download the necessary dashboard compose files, read your DASHBOARD_EXPOSE_MODE setting, and start the dashboard with the appropriate configuration.
• To orchestrate and deploy all M3TAL-managed Docker Compose stacks (including the Traefik gateway, Cloudflared, and any user-defined compose files in /docker/):

  m3tal up
  

  This command ensures all services defined in *-compose.yml files within /docker/ are running, including any custom stacks you have added.

Port Map

The following table lists the primary network ports utilized by the M3TAL system:

Port	Service	Access	Description
80	Traefik HTTP entry point	Public	The public-facing HTTP port for services exposed via Traefik.
8080	M3TAL API daemon (Go)	Host-local	The internal port the M3TAL API daemon listens on.
8081	Traefik dashboard	Host-local only	The internal Traefik dashboard port, accessible only from the host machine.
8082	M3TAL Dashboard	Direct port (local mode) or via Traefik (traefik mode)	The port the M3TAL Dashboard container listens on internally. Access method depends on DASHBOARD_EXPOSE_MODE.

Note: These are the primary M3TAL-managed ports. User-added Docker Compose stacks may expose additional ports on their own, depending on their configurations.