Docker: give the panel's settings screens a permanent home in .env

ee4ac44 removed the api_data volume, which left the panel's Settings ->
PocketBase and Settings -> Web App screens with nowhere to persist to: they
apply at runtime and the container environment wins again on restart. That
is only acceptable if the environment is actually reachable by an operator,
and for two of those keys it was not - WEBAPP_URL was hardcoded in all four
compose files, and POCKETBASE_URL in the two multi-container ones, so
there was no supported way to change them at all.

Both are now ${VAR:-default} with the previous hardcoded value as the
default, so nothing moves for an existing .env while the keys become
settable. CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS and the admin credentials already were.

The env examples grow a section naming every setting the panel can also
change, saying plainly that the panel's version lasts only for the life of
the container, and giving the commented-out line to make it stick. It also
records the trap in WEBAPP_URL: it is a container-to-container call, so it
has to be reachable from the API Server rather than from a browser, which
is why the default is a service name and not localhost. POCKETBASE_URL is
described as repointable in the multi-container stack and left alone in the
AIO image, where it addresses that container's own PocketBase.

Also dropped two leftovers from when there were two volumes: the storage
sections still said "either".

Checked by parsing all five compose files and asserting each interpolation
default matches the value it replaced, so this cannot have moved a default
by accident. go build and go test ./... still pass (untouched here). Not
verified: no Docker CLI, so no `docker compose config` render and no build.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Docker-AIO/.env.example

@@ -45,3 +45,13 @@ VITE_API_BASE=
 # different version. Leaving it commented out keeps the pin (an empty value here
 # is passed through as-is and would resolve the latest release at build time).
 #PB_VERSION=0.39.11
+
+# --- Settings the API Server panel can also change ---------------------------
+# The panel's Settings screens apply these immediately, but only for the life of
+# the container — the value below is re-applied on every restart and wins. Set it
+# here to make a change permanent. (POCKETBASE_URL is fixed to this container's
+# own PocketBase and is not meant to be repointed.)
+#   WEBAPP_URL          the Web App address the panel status page probes; nginx
+#                       serves it on port 80 inside this container.
+#   CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS  browser origins allowed to call the API Server directly.
+# WEBAPP_URL=http://127.0.0.1:80

Docker-AIO/.env.prod.example

@@ -44,8 +44,18 @@ WEB_PORT=8090
 PB_PORT=8070
 API_PORT=8080
 
+# --- Settings the API Server panel can also change ---------------------------
+# The panel's Settings screens apply these immediately, but only for the life of
+# the container — the value below is re-applied on every restart and wins. Set it
+# here to make a change permanent. (POCKETBASE_URL is fixed to this container's
+# own PocketBase and is not meant to be repointed.)
+#   WEBAPP_URL          the Web App address the panel status page probes; nginx
+#                       serves it on port 80 inside this container.
+#   CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS  browser origins allowed to call the API Server directly.
+# WEBAPP_URL=http://127.0.0.1:80
+
 # --- Storage -----------------------------------------------------------------
-# Defaults are Docker-managed named volumes. Set either to an absolute host path
+# One Docker-managed named volume by default. Set it to an absolute host path
 # for a bind mount, e.g. PB_DATA=/srv/drivervault/pb_data.
 # PB_DATA — the PocketBase database and uploads. It is the only volume in the
 # image: the API Server keeps no state on disk, so everything it owns (plugin

Docker-AIO/docker-compose.prod.yml

@@ -24,8 +24,10 @@ services:
       # Match CORS to the web origin (only used if a browser calls the API directly).
       CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS: "${CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS:-http://localhost:8090}"
       # Probed by the panel status page. nginx serves the Web App on port 80
-      # inside this container, so the default (localhost:8090) would never answer.
-      WEBAPP_URL: "http://127.0.0.1:80"
+      # inside this container, so plain localhost:8090 would never answer.
+      # Override WEBAPP_URL in .env to make a change from the panel's Web App
+      # screen permanent; the panel alone only holds it for the container's life.
+      WEBAPP_URL: "${WEBAPP_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:80}"
       # Schema + super-admin bootstrap (idempotent). Leave this ON: a release can
       # add collections or fields the server needs, and a stack that skips the
       # bootstrap never gets them. The API Server self-heals exactly one thing —

Docker-AIO/docker-compose.yml

@@ -27,8 +27,10 @@ services:
       # Match CORS to the web origin (only used if a browser calls the API directly).
       CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS: "${CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS:-http://localhost:8090}"
       # Probed by the panel status page. nginx serves the Web App on port 80
-      # inside this container, so the default (localhost:8090) would never answer.
-      WEBAPP_URL: "http://127.0.0.1:80"
+      # inside this container, so plain localhost:8090 would never answer.
+      # Override WEBAPP_URL in .env to make a change from the panel's Web App
+      # screen permanent; the panel alone only holds it for the container's life.
+      WEBAPP_URL: "${WEBAPP_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:80}"
       # Schema + super-admin bootstrap (idempotent). Leave this ON: a release can
       # add collections or fields the server needs, and a stack that skips the
       # bootstrap never gets them. The API Server self-heals exactly one thing —

Docker/.env.example

@@ -43,3 +43,17 @@ WEB_PORT=8090
 # --- Web App build -----------------------------------------------------------
 # Leave empty so the browser uses same-origin /api (proxied by the BFF).
 VITE_API_BASE=
+
+# --- Settings the API Server panel can also change ---------------------------
+# The panel's Settings screens apply these immediately, but only for the life of
+# the container — the values below are re-applied on every restart and win. Set
+# them here to make a change permanent.
+#   POCKETBASE_URL      where the API Server looks for the database. Defaults to
+#                       the bundled pocketbase service; set it to reach one
+#                       outside this stack.
+#   WEBAPP_URL          the Web App address the panel status page probes. It is
+#                       a container-to-container call, so it must be reachable
+#                       from the API Server, not from your browser.
+#   CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS  browser origins allowed to call the API Server directly.
+# POCKETBASE_URL=http://pocketbase:8070
+# WEBAPP_URL=http://web-app:8090

Docker/.env.prod.example

@@ -58,9 +58,23 @@ PB_BIND=127.0.0.1
 API_PORT=8080
 API_BIND=127.0.0.1
 
+# --- Settings the API Server panel can also change ---------------------------
+# The panel's Settings screens apply these immediately, but only for the life of
+# the container — the values below are re-applied on every restart and win. Set
+# them here to make a change permanent.
+#   POCKETBASE_URL      where the API Server looks for the database. Defaults to
+#                       the bundled pocketbase service; set it to reach one
+#                       outside this stack.
+#   WEBAPP_URL          the Web App address the panel status page probes. It is
+#                       a container-to-container call, so it must be reachable
+#                       from the API Server, not from your browser.
+#   CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS  browser origins allowed to call the API Server directly.
+# POCKETBASE_URL=http://pocketbase:8070
+# WEBAPP_URL=http://web-app:8090
+
 # --- Storage -----------------------------------------------------------------
-# Defaults are Docker-managed named volumes. To store either on a host path
-# instead, set it to an absolute path, e.g. PB_DATA=/srv/drivervault/pb_data.
+# One Docker-managed named volume by default. To store it on a host path
+# instead, set an absolute path, e.g. PB_DATA=/srv/drivervault/pb_data.
 # PB_DATA — the PocketBase database and uploads. It is the only volume in the
 # stack: the API Server keeps no state on disk, so everything it owns (plugin
 # settings included) is backed up by backing up this one path.

Docker/docker-compose.prod.yml

@@ -49,14 +49,19 @@ services:
         condition: service_healthy
     environment:
       API_ADDR: ":8080"
-      # Reach PocketBase by its service name on the internal network.
-      POCKETBASE_URL: "http://pocketbase:8070"
+      # Reach PocketBase by its service name on the internal network. Override
+      # POCKETBASE_URL in .env to point the API Server at a database outside
+      # this stack — that is also how you make a retarget done from the panel
+      # permanent, since the panel's change lasts only for the container's life.
+      POCKETBASE_URL: "${POCKETBASE_URL:-http://pocketbase:8070}"
       POCKETBASE_ADMIN_EMAIL: "${PB_ADMIN_EMAIL}"
       POCKETBASE_ADMIN_PASSWORD: "${PB_ADMIN_PASSWORD}"
       # Probed by the panel status page. This is a server-to-server call inside
-      # the compose network, so it must be the service name — the default
-      # (localhost:8090) would resolve to this container itself.
-      WEBAPP_URL: "http://web-app:8090"
+      # the compose network, so the default is the service name — plain
+      # localhost:8090 would resolve to this container itself. Override
+      # WEBAPP_URL in .env to make a change from the panel's Web App screen
+      # permanent; the panel alone only holds it for the container's life.
+      WEBAPP_URL: "${WEBAPP_URL:-http://web-app:8090}"
       CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS: "${CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS:-http://localhost:8090}"
       AUTH_USERS_COLLECTION: "${AUTH_USERS_COLLECTION:-users}"
       # Schema + super-admin bootstrap (idempotent). Leave this ON: a release can

Docker/docker-compose.yml

@@ -38,14 +38,19 @@ services:
         condition: service_healthy
     environment:
       API_ADDR: ":8080"
-      # Reach PocketBase by its service name on the internal network.
-      POCKETBASE_URL: "http://pocketbase:8070"
+      # Reach PocketBase by its service name on the internal network. Override
+      # POCKETBASE_URL in .env to point the API Server at a database outside
+      # this stack — that is also how you make a retarget done from the panel
+      # permanent, since the panel's change lasts only for the container's life.
+      POCKETBASE_URL: "${POCKETBASE_URL:-http://pocketbase:8070}"
       POCKETBASE_ADMIN_EMAIL: "${PB_ADMIN_EMAIL}"
       POCKETBASE_ADMIN_PASSWORD: "${PB_ADMIN_PASSWORD}"
       # Probed by the panel status page. This is a server-to-server call inside
-      # the compose network, so it must be the service name — the default
-      # (localhost:8090) would resolve to this container itself.
-      WEBAPP_URL: "http://web-app:8090"
+      # the compose network, so the default is the service name — plain
+      # localhost:8090 would resolve to this container itself. Override
+      # WEBAPP_URL in .env to make a change from the panel's Web App screen
+      # permanent; the panel alone only holds it for the container's life.
+      WEBAPP_URL: "${WEBAPP_URL:-http://web-app:8090}"
       # Same-origin requests go through the Web App BFF, so CORS is only needed
       # if the browser ever calls the API Server directly. Default to the web origin.
       CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS: "${CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS:-http://localhost:8090}"