DCS GeoNode Project

DCS GeoNode is a customized, containerized version of the official GeoNode Project Template. It introduces better port management, platform compatibility, and Docker modularity while keeping full upstream compatibility.

🚀 Highlights • 🧱 Based on GeoNode 4.4.x and compatible with GeoServer 2.27.x • ⚙️ Dynamic Nginx configuration – supports custom HTTP_PORT (not limited to 80/443) • 🍎 Apple Silicon ready – runs seamlessly on arm64 and amd64 architectures • 🌐 Configurable external access – GEOSERVER_MACHINE_PORT and POSTGRES_MACHINE_PORT are defined in .env • 🧩 Modular Docker structure – each component (nginx, geoserver, postgis, letsencrypt) lives in its own build folder

Quick Start

1️⃣ Clone and setup environment

git clone https://github.com/digitalcityscience/geonode-project.git cd geonode-project cp env_sample_dev.md .env

Edit .env and adjust the key parameters:

HTTP_PORT=8085 GEOSERVER_MACHINE_PORT=8080 POSTGRES_MACHINE_PORT=55432

2️⃣ Build and run the stack

docker compose build --no-cache docker compose up -d

Access your instance at: 👉 http://localhost:8085/

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🍎 Apple Silicon Support

On Apple M chip, use the linux/amd64 platform flag to ensure compatibility with memcached, rabbitmq, and postgis:

docker compose build --platform linux/amd64

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Creating a New GeoNode Project

⚠️ Important First Step — Project Naming

When creating your own GeoNode project, always define a unique and valid project name:

COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=my_geonode

⚠️ The name cannot contain dashes (-) or spaces. All Docker container names, network aliases, and image tags depend on this variable — changing it later can break references in Docker and Django paths.

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🧩 Creating a New Project

You can generate a new GeoNode-based project using the included script:

python create_dcs_geonode_project.py

Please go and check the detail of the file for customization.

This script: • Downloads the latest GeoNode template (e.g., branch 4.4.x) • Creates your custom project structure under a folder you choose • Prepares all base files (Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml, .env)

💡 Use it whenever you want to start fresh with a new project name or branch.

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⚙️ Required .env Adjustments

After creating the project, open your .env file and make sure these parameters exist:

GEOSERVER_MACHINE_PORT=8080 POSTGRES_MACHINE_PORT=55432

These define how GeoServer and PostGIS are exposed on your local machine. If these ports are already in use, the containers will fail to start. ➡️ Change them to unused ports if needed (e.g., 8081, 55433).

Also verify your base URLs (trailing / is critical):

NGINX_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8085 SITEURL=${NGINX_BASE_URL}/

Even a missing / at the end of SITEURL can break URL routing.

You can use the examples under env_sample_dev.md and env_sample_prod.md for reference.

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🐳 Docker Compose Notes

In your docker-compose.yml, make sure to reference those ports properly:

ports:

• "${GEOSERVER_MACHINE_PORT}:8080"
• "${POSTGRES_MACHINE_PORT}:5432"

If you skip this step, Docker will use default values (8080 / 5432), which might cause conflicts on systems running other databases or services.

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💻 Running the Project

docker compose build --no-cache docker compose up -d

Access your GeoNode instance at: 👉 http://localhost:8085/

📄 License

This project follows the GPLv3 License, identical to the official GeoNode Project Template. All Docker and Django components remain open-source and freely reusable for research, development, and customization.