Local PostGRES databases in Docker for Development Environments

The Setup

This was a volunteer assignment from a non-profit. Data analysts need data to work with, but they do not want to use production data.

The Idea

Make a copy of the production (prod) data and put it in a Docker environment for them to work with remotely.

My Idea

I also suggested having the prod data back up bi-weekly into S3 buckets, so people can import it and work with it. I acknowledged the potential flaws with waiting for # TB of data to be redownloaded each time and understand why people would want a Docker container.

So, why would someone want a Docker container?

To package up an environment and reuse it. It’s easier when we don’t have to account for various local setups and can use a standard.

The Work

Here is the setup;

I kept...not being able to enter the PostGRES database via terminal when it's running in a Docker image.

So I scuppered my work, redownloaded the image, took clearer notes with commands and examples on how prompts should appear, and got inside, taking all of 10 minutes.

It's like entering a multi-layered vault.

If you're starting a Docker container through the terminal, it is case-sensitive.

docker exec -it RUNTCPIP-DBRep /bin/bash

is different than