Infrastructure (Kafka, Redis, Postgres)

The infrastructure (infra) is the common services your micros need underneath: Kafka, Redis and PostgreSQL. MicroLab launches them in Docker as part of starting a scenario, if the scenario declares them.

docker-compose: bundled or your own

MicroLab ships its own docker-compose (recommended), so a fresh clone works without depending on the team’s infra. If you prefer your own, point to it in Settings → Paths → docker-compose.

The bundled compose configures Kafka with a dual listener (advertised listener): this way a client running in a container and one running native on your machine can both connect, each through the address reachable to it.

Launching only the infra

Normally the infra is launched and stopped with the scenario. But you can manage it separately from the Docker section:

• Start infrastructure — launches only the scenario’s Kafka/Redis/Postgres, without the micros.
• Stop infrastructure — docker compose down of the common infra.

It requires the Docker daemon to be started. From the CLI: microlab infra-up, microlab infra-down, microlab infra <scenario>.

External databases

The compose’s database is launched by the startup itself. If instead a micro points to an external database (DEV or another), that is managed in the Databases catalog, not here.

See also

• Docker section
• Effective ports and URL rewriting