This document describes the recommended workflow for developing SkillHub locally.
- Docker Desktop (for dependency services and staging)
- Java 21 (for running the backend locally)
- Node.js 22 + pnpm (for running the frontend locally)
ghCLI (for creating pull requests): https://cli.github.com/
Use this stage for active development — writing code, fixing bugs, iterating quickly.
make dev-allThis starts:
- Dependency services (Postgres, Redis, MinIO) via Docker
- Backend (Spring Boot) directly on your machine at http://localhost:8080
- Frontend (Vite) directly on your machine at http://localhost:3000
SkillHub now pins a shared Docker Compose project name for local development, so multiple git worktrees can reuse the same dependency containers instead of fighting over 5432, 6379, and 9000.
Frontend: Vite HMR is enabled by default. Save a file and the browser updates instantly.
Backend: the local server now runs from a packaged Spring Boot jar instead of spring-boot:run. This avoids mixed classpaths across skillhub-app, skillhub-auth, skillhub-domain, and other sibling modules.
After editing backend code, restart the backend explicitly:
make dev-server-restartIf you are running the server in a foreground terminal instead of make dev-all, stop it and run make dev-server again. Expect a full restart in about 5-10 seconds, including rebuilding the backend modules.
Two mock users are available in local mode (no password needed):
| User ID | Role | Header |
|---|---|---|
local-user |
Regular user | X-Mock-User-Id: local-user |
local-admin |
Super admin | X-Mock-User-Id: local-admin |
Local development also creates a password-based bootstrap admin by default.
Use BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_USERNAME / BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_PASSWORD to log in through
the normal local account form. The default local fallback credentials are
admin / ChangeMe!2026.
To disable it for local source startup, set the environment variable
BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_ENABLED=false before starting the backend.
For container or release environments, set the same value in .env.release
or the Compose environment.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
make dev-all |
Start full local stack |
make dev-all-down |
Stop all local services |
make dev-status |
Check status of all services |
make dev-logs |
Tail backend logs |
SERVICE=frontend make dev-logs |
Tail frontend logs |
make dev-all-reset |
Full reset (clears data volumes) |
make dev-server-restart |
Restart backend after Java changes |
make namespace-smoke |
Run namespace workflow smoke test |
make db-reset |
Reset database only |
When two agents need to work in parallel, do not point both of them at the same checkout. Create isolated task worktrees instead:
make parallel-init TASK=legal-pagesThat creates dedicated Claude, Codex, and integration worktrees as sibling directories. Keep localhost:3000 reserved for the integration worktree only.
After the one-time setup, switch to the integration worktree for the daily merge + verification loop:
cd ../skillhub-integration-legal-pages
make parallel-upThen verify the merged result at http://localhost:3000.
Because all worktrees share the same local dependency project, you only need one set of Postgres, Redis, and MinIO containers for all of them.
If you need to inspect or resolve merge conflicts before starting the app, you can still split the flow manually:
cd ../skillhub-integration-legal-pages
make parallel-sync
make dev-allSee 13-parallel-workflow.md for the full workflow, responsibilities, merge rules, and recovery guidance.
Use this stage when a feature or bugfix is complete and you want to verify it works correctly in a Docker environment before pushing.
make staging runs a hybrid Docker environment:
- Backend: built as a Docker image from your local source
- Frontend: built as static files (
pnpm build) and served by Nginx - Dependencies: same Postgres/Redis/MinIO as local dev
This is faster than building both images but still validates the containerized backend and the production Nginx serving path.
make stagingThis will:
- Build the backend Docker image
- Build the frontend static files
- Start all services
- Run smoke tests against the API
- Print pass/fail summary
If all tests pass, the environment stays running at:
- Web UI: http://localhost
- Backend API: http://localhost:8080
make staging-downmake staging-logs # backend logs
SERVICE=web make staging-logs # nginx logsAfter staging passes:
make prThis will:
- Check for uncommitted changes (prompts to commit if any)
- Push your branch to origin
- Create a pull request using
gh pr create --fill
The PR title and body are auto-populated from your commit messages.
Note:
make prrequires an interactive terminal. Do not use it in CI.
make dev-all # start local dev
# ... write code, test in browser ...
make staging # regression test in Docker
make staging-down # stop staging
make pr # push + create PR