Introduction
When working with Docker in Node.js projects, encountering permission errors, especially when using volumes for databases like MongoDB or PostgreSQL, is common. A typical error might look like this:
[Error: EACCES: permission denied, scandir '/home/username/Development/project/postgres-test']
[Error: EACCES: permission denied, scandir '/home/username/Development/project/mongo-test']
This tutorial will explain how to resolve this permissions issue, ensuring that Docker volumes are not created with root permissions.
Problem Explained
The EACCES error occurs when attempting to access a directory or file for which you do not have the appropriate permissions. In the context of Docker and Node.js, this often happens with database volumes, which are created with root permissions by default, preventing normal user access or modification.
Step-by-Step Solution
Step 1: Preparation
Ensure you have Docker and Node.js installed
docker --version
node --version
You should have a docker-compose.yml file for your project.
Step 2: Adjust the docker-compose.test.yml File
We’ll modify the docker-compose.test.yml file to use named volumes, which will avoid permission issues.
yaml
version: '3.8'
services:
mongo-db:
image: mongo:6.0.6
restart: always
environment:
MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME: ${MONGO_USER}
MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MONGO_PASS}
volumes:
- mongo-test:/data/db
ports:
- 27019:27017
postgres-db:
image: postgres:15.3
restart: always
environment:
POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}
POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB}
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASS}
volumes:
- postgres-test:/var/lib/postgresql/data
ports:
- 5435:5432
volumes:
mongo-test:
postgres-test:
Step 3: Run Docker Compose
- Run
docker compose downto stop and remove the current containers. - Run
docker compose up-d to start the containers with the updated configuration.
Step 5: Verification
Check that the mongo-test and postgres-test directories on your host have the correct permissions and that the EACCES error has been resolved.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can effectively resolve Docker permission problems in Node.js projects, preventing errors like EACCES when accessing database volumes and enhancing security in your development environment.