Local Dev Environment Setup

Local Dev Environment Setup

This guide sets up your machine for local Seed & Source development using Docker Compose.

Required tools

Tool	Version	Install
Docker Desktop	>= 24	docs.docker.com
Python	>= 3.11	python.org
Node.js	>= 20	nodejs.org
Git	any	system or git-scm.com

Install sscli

pip install sscli
sscli --version

Configure environment variables

Each generated project ships with a .env.example. Copy and fill it:

cp .env.example .env
# Set DATABASE_URL, SECRET_KEY, STRIPE_SECRET_KEY, etc.

Start the stack

docker compose up

Services start on non-conflicting default ports:

Service	Default port
Rails API	3001
React client	3002
Python SaaS	8000
License server	8001
Static landing	4000

Hot reload

All templates use Docker Compose watch or CHOKIDAR_USEPOLLING for file-change hot reload. Edit code — browser updates automatically without rebuilding the image.

Running tests

# Python
docker compose exec api pytest -q

# Rails
docker compose exec api bundle exec rspec

# React
docker compose exec client npm test

Troubleshooting

See Full Stack Setup Guide for common local dev issues.