Docker Runner (API only)

This document explains how to run the Runner in Docker using API mode.

The Runner has only one function: exposing a HTTP API so the Bot Creator application can:

synchronize bot configurations,
start a bot by ID,
stop a bot by ID,
read status/metrics/logs.

Note: The single-bot mode (local CLI ZIP) is no longer supported.

Building the image

If you are building the image yourself:

docker build -t bot-creator-runner .

Persistent Volume

It is crucial to create a volume to preserve your data between container restarts.

docker volume create bot_creator_data

This volume preserves Runner data (synchronized configs, variables, logs).

Launching the API Runner

By default, the image listens on 127.0.0.1. To expose it via Docker, you must force it to listen on 0.0.0.0 and define a bearer token for security.

docker run --rm \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -e BOT_CREATOR_WEB_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e BOT_CREATOR_API_TOKEN=your-secret-token \
  -v bot_creator_data:/data \
  bot-creator-runner

The image starts in API mode by default.

Main Endpoints

The runner exposes the following endpoints:

GET /health: Public liveness check.
GET /status: General runner state.
GET /metrics: Performance metrics.
GET /bots: List of configured bots.
POST /bots/sync: Configuration synchronization.
POST /bots/{id}/start: Start a bot.
POST /bots/{id}/stop: Stop a bot.
GET /logs?limit=N: Read logs.

Useful Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`BOT_CREATOR_WEB_HOST`	Listening interface	`127.0.0.1`
`BOT_CREATOR_WEB_PORT`	Listening port	`8080`
`BOT_CREATOR_API_TOKEN`	Bearer Token (Required if outside loopback)	-
`BOT_CREATOR_DATA_DIR`	Configuration folder	`/data/bots`
`BOT_CREATOR_RUNNER_LOG_FILE`	Log file	`/data/logs/runner.log`

Important Note

The Runner binary is API-only. Legacy CLI usages (e.g., --config / local ZIP) are no longer part of the supported behavior.

GET /health remains public for the liveness check. All other endpoints are protected by bearer token as soon as BOT_CREATOR_API_TOKEN is configured.