luma-infra 0.1.21

Declarative deployment CLI for region-aware Docker Swarm infrastructure.

Luma

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Luma is a small self-hosted deployment control plane for Docker Swarm. It uses Portainer to execute deployments, Traefik for HTTP/HTTPS ingress, Cloudflare for DNS, and a luma CLI that can run from any authenticated client machine.

It is meant for turning a few scattered servers into region-aware deployment targets:

client laptop -> Luma Control -> Portainer -> Docker Swarm -> service tasks

Who It Is For

Good fit	Poor fit
You have one or a few VPS machines and want to deploy your own Web/API/worker services.	You already need Kubernetes-level multi-tenancy, network policy, and orchestration.
You want client machines to hold only a deploy token, not SSH, Docker, Cloudflare, or Portainer credentials.	You do not want to use a public domain or Cloudflare DNS.
You want to place services by regions such as cn, global, and home.	You only run a few local compose services on one host and do not need scheduling.
You want to expose some home/private services through Tailscale or Cloudflare Tunnel.	You cannot install Docker/Swarm/Traefik/Portainer on the manager.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Required	Purpose
A domain you control	Yes	Control API and public service domains, such as luma.example.com and api.example.com.
Cloudflare DNS API token	Yes	Luma creates and updates control and service DNS records. The token needs zone read + DNS edit permissions.
One Linux manager	Yes	Runs Docker Swarm manager, Traefik, Portainer, and Luma Control. A 2c2g host is enough for evaluation.
Public inbound 80/443	For public services	Traefik needs to receive HTTP/HTTPS traffic.
Tailscale	As needed	Required for private multi-node joins, home nodes, and exposure: tailscale-relay. Not required for a single public manager.
Egress subscription	As needed	Used for image-pull proxying and runtime proxying for proxy: true services. You can start with --skip-egress.

Client machines only need the CLI and network access to the control domain. They do not need Docker, SSH keys, Cloudflare tokens, Portainer passwords, or Portainer webhooks.

Core Model

Luma's user-facing model is five words:

Concept	Meaning
node	A machine joined to Swarm. It may be a manager, worker, or home node.
region	Scheduling boundary. A service with region: cn only runs on nodes labeled region=cn.
exposure	How the service is reached, such as cn-edge, external-edge, tailscale-relay, cloudflare-tunnel, or none.
egress	Outbound proxy capability for image pulls and runtime HTTP/HTTPS proxying for proxy: true services.
service	One deployment unit described by a Luma YAML manifest.

region decides where a service runs. exposure decides how traffic enters. They are related, but not the same thing. Set manifest node only when a service must be pinned to one Luma node name; Luma still keeps the region placement constraint and resolves the node name to the real Swarm NodeID before scheduling.

Manifest	Scheduled on	Ingress path
region: cn + exposure: cn-edge	region=cn nodes	Cloudflare DNS -> CN edge Traefik -> Swarm task
region: global + exposure: external-edge	region=global nodes	Cloudflare DNS -> global edge Traefik -> Swarm task
region: home + exposure: tailscale-relay	region=home nodes	Public Traefik -> Tailscale -> home service
region: cn + exposure: none	region=cn nodes	No public ingress; useful for workers/jobs

A public cn-edge domain does not bypass the server and jump directly to a container. DNS points to the configured CN edge target, traffic enters Traefik on that node, and Swarm overlay forwards the request to the selected task. If you add several CN nodes, service replicas may run on them, but public traffic still enters through the selected edge Traefik.

Install The CLI

For CI runners, install the published Python package. It provides the luma command without running the shell installer:

python -m pip install "luma-infra==0.1.21"

Install without cloning the repository:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LiuTianjie/luma/main/scripts/install-luma.sh | sh
~/.local/bin/luma preflight

The installer creates a private venv and writes the command shim to ~/.local/bin/luma. You can use ~/.local/bin/luma immediately, or open a new shell / run exec $SHELL -l before using the shorter luma.

Install a tagged release:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LiuTianjie/luma/main/scripts/install-luma.sh | LUMA_INSTALL_REF=v0.1.21 sh

Develop from source:

git clone https://github.com/LiuTianjie/luma.git
cd luma
./scripts/install-luma.sh
. .venv/bin/activate

The installer only installs the local CLI. It does not modify system DNS, Docker, Swarm, Tailscale, or firewall state; host-level changes happen during luma bootstrap manager or luma node join.

If luma reports permission denied: luma from inside the repository, your shell is resolving the luma/ Python package directory instead of the venv command. Use:

.venv/bin/luma preflight
./scripts/luma preflight

Uninstall the local CLI:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LiuTianjie/luma/main/scripts/uninstall-luma.sh | sh

Also remove local login contexts and config:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LiuTianjie/luma/main/scripts/uninstall-luma.sh | sh -s -- --purge

The uninstall script does not remove Docker, Swarm, Portainer, Traefik, Luma Control, deployed services, or server-side /opt/luma state.

First Manager

Run this on the manager server:

cp .env.example .env
$EDITOR .env
luma bootstrap manager --domain luma.example.com

Common values for .env or the interactive CLI prompts:

CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN=...
LUMA_DNS_EDGE_TARGET=203.0.113.10
TRAEFIK_ACME_EMAIL=[e-mail]
EGRESS_SUBSCRIPTION_URL=...

Variable	When needed	Purpose
CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN	Required on the manager	Cloudflare DNS token. Luma uses it to create/update records for the control domain and public service domains. Needs Zone Read + DNS Edit permissions.
LUMA_DNS_EDGE_TARGET	Usually needed	Public IP or DNS name that Cloudflare A/CNAME records should point to. Bootstrap asks for it when luma.yaml has no edge target or edge node public IP.
TRAEFIK_ACME_EMAIL	Required on the manager	Email used by Traefik/Let's Encrypt for HTTPS certificate registration and expiration notices.
EGRESS_SUBSCRIPTION_URL	Required only for egress	Proxy subscription URL. Luma uses it to generate Mihomo config for image-pull proxying and runtime proxying for services with proxy: true.
TAILSCALE_AUTHKEY	Needed for private/home/tailscale-relay nodes	Lets servers join your tailnet. Not required for an ordinary single public manager or ordinary public services.
LUMA_SUDO_PASSWORD	Only when sudo needs a password	Local fallback password for sudo commands. It stays in the local user config and is not distributed to clients.

You can skip editing .env and run luma bootstrap manager --domain ... directly. When local values are missing, the CLI explains each value and prompts interactively.

EGRESS_SUBSCRIPTION_URL is optional. If you do not have it yet:

luma bootstrap manager --domain luma.example.com --skip-egress

Bootstrap installs/checks Docker, initializes Swarm, creates overlay networks, deploys Traefik, Portainer, and Luma Control, configures the firewall, and sets up egress when requested. It prints a deploy token and a join token.

If one layer fails, re-run bootstrap or repair only that layer:

luma portainer setup
luma egress setup
luma tailscale connect

The default control API image is ghcr.io/liutianjie/luma-control:latest. For source-checkout development, set LUMA_CONTROL_IMAGE=luma-control:local before bootstrap, or set defaults.images.lumaControl in luma.yaml.

Command Map

Machine	Task	Command
manager	First control-plane install	luma bootstrap manager --domain luma.example.com
manager	Update CLI and control plane	luma update
worker/home node	Join the cluster	luma node join https://luma.example.com --token <join-token> --region cn --name cn-worker-1
client laptop	Login to control plane	luma login https://luma.example.com --token <deploy-token>
client laptop	Deploy a service	luma deploy app.yaml
browser on trusted device	View status panel	https://luma.example.com/dashboard/
any logged-in client	Manage deploy secrets	luma secret set DATABASE_URL
any logged-in client	Manage private image registry credentials	printf '%s' "$GHCR_TOKEN" | luma registry login ghcr.io --username <user> --password-stdin
any machine	Show local version	luma version
any machine	Diagnose local environment	luma doctor

The installer is the same on every machine. The next command defines the role:

• manager: bootstrap manager, update
• worker/home node: node join, node exit
• client: login, deploy, secret, registry, context

Add Nodes

Bootstrap prints a join token. Run this on each new server itself:

luma node join https://luma.example.com --token <join-token> --region global --name global-sg-1

--name is the Luma node name used in status output and service manifests. Luma also records the real Swarm NodeID so pinned services target the intended machine even when Docker hostnames are not unique.

--region is the scheduling label. Service manifests match it through region:

luma node join https://luma.example.com --token <join-token> --region cn --name cn-worker-1
luma node join https://luma.example.com --token <join-token> --region global --name global-sg-1
luma node join https://luma.example.com --token <join-token> --region home --name home-mac-mini

For macOS home nodes, install and start Docker Desktop and Tailscale first. When luma node join --region home ... runs and the node is not connected to Tailscale yet, the CLI requires TAILSCALE_AUTHKEY before registering the node and joining Swarm. For non-apt Linux distributions, install Docker manually before joining.

--name is the Luma node name. Luma stores it on the Swarm node as luma.node.name and stores the real Swarm NodeID as luma.node.id, so hosts with generic Docker names such as OrbStack's orbstack can still be targeted safely.

Before removing or rebuilding a node, run this on that node:

luma node exit

By default it leaves Swarm and removes local Luma runtime state under /opt/luma, while keeping Tailscale and Docker image/volume cache. Add --endpoint <control-url> --token <token> to unregister the Luma node name from the control plane during exit. Add --tailscale to also log out of Tailscale. Add --prune-docker only when you intentionally want to remove unused Docker cache and volumes.

To remove a node from the control plane and Swarm, run luma node remove <name> from any logged-in client. The manager deletes the Luma registration and the matching Swarm worker node; manager nodes are protected.

Deploy Services

Minimal public service:

name: status
image: traefik/whoami:latest
region: cn
exposure: cn-edge
domain: status.example.com
port: 80
replicas: 1

Deploy it:

luma validate status.yaml
luma deploy --dry-run status.yaml
luma deploy status.yaml

In CI, pass the control endpoint and deploy token through environment variables instead of creating a login context:

python -m pip install "luma-infra==0.1.21"

export LUMA_CONTROL_URL="https://luma.example.com"
export LUMA_DEPLOY_TOKEN="$CI_LUMA_DEPLOY_TOKEN"

luma validate status.yaml --format json
luma deploy status.yaml --dry-run --format json
luma deploy status.yaml --format ndjson --timeout 1800

CI clients do not need SSH, Docker, Cloudflare, Portainer, or persistent files under ~/.config/luma.

When application services share a small manager, set explicit resource limits:

resources:
  limits:
    cpus: "0.50"
    memory: 512M
  reservations:
    cpus: "0.10"
    memory: 128M

Services that need runtime proxying use proxy: true:

name: ai-worker
image: ghcr.io/acme/ai-worker:1.0.0
region: cn
exposure: none
proxy: true

Luma automatically joins the service to the egress overlay network and injects HTTP_PROXY / HTTPS_PROXY. This affects runtime outbound requests from the container; it is not the same as image-pull proxying.

For private images, keep registry credentials out of the manifest. Save them once from any logged-in client:

printf '%s' "$GHCR_TOKEN" | luma registry login ghcr.io --username <user> --password-stdin

After that, manifests still only contain the image name, for example image: ghcr.io/acme/private-api:1.0.0. During deploy, Luma matches the registry host, pre-pulls with Docker registry auth, and sends Portainer/Swarm the registry auth needed by the node that receives the task. This is useful for private GHCR images produced by GitHub Actions, including images built from repositories that also publish docs or marketing pages through GitHub Pages.

Do not put sensitive values directly in manifests. Store them in the control plane:

luma secret set DATABASE_URL

Then reference them from YAML:

env:
  DATABASE_URL: ${DATABASE_URL}

See docs/deployment-yaml.md for all fields and examples for service templates.

Common Tasks

Question	What to do
Update the manager	Run luma update on the manager. If local manager state exists, it refreshes manager bootstrap after updating the CLI.
View whole cluster status	Run luma status from any logged-in client. It prints control, DNS, Portainer, registered nodes, and actual Swarm nodes.
View the Web status panel	Open https://<control-domain>/dashboard/ and paste the deploy token on a trusted device.
What happens if I run luma update on a client or worker?	It updates only the local CLI and skips manager control-plane refresh.
When does luma update need --domain?	Only when /opt/luma/control/control.json is missing or you intentionally changed the control domain.
Move service A to another region	Edit the manifest region, adjust exposure if needed, then run luma deploy app.yaml again.
Pin service A to one node	Set manifest node to the Luma node name passed to luma node join --name, keep the matching region, then deploy again. Control resolves it to the Swarm NodeID before scheduling.
Remove service A	Run luma service remove app.yaml. It removes DNS, the Portainer stack, and generated stack/route files; use --dry-run to preview or --skip-dns to keep DNS.
Make a public service internal	Change exposure to none, remove public-only domain/ingress config if no longer needed, then deploy again.
Make an internal service public	Set a matching region + exposure, add domain and port, then deploy again.
Deploy a private GHCR image	Save the credential with luma registry login ghcr.io --username <user> --password-stdin, then deploy the normal manifest.
Add a CN worker	Run luma node join ... --region cn --name ... on the new machine.
Add a global worker	Run luma node join ... --region global --name ... on the new machine.
Add a home node	Prepare Docker Desktop/Tailscale first, then run luma node join ... --region home --name .... If Tailscale is not connected, the CLI requires TAILSCALE_AUTHKEY.
Manager is only 2c2g	Set resources.limits and resources.reservations on application manifests so apps do not starve the control plane.
Tailscale was not connected during bootstrap/join	Run luma tailscale connect on the relevant machine; it requires TAILSCALE_AUTHKEY.
Egress failed or subscription was added later	Set EGRESS_SUBSCRIPTION_URL, then run luma egress setup.
Check control-plane version	Run luma version --control-url https://luma.example.com.
A public service returns 404 on /	The route usually reached the app; verify with the real app path such as /admin/.

Docs Map

Document	Covers
docs/concepts.md	node / region / exposure / egress / service concepts.
docs/deployment-yaml.md	service manifest fields, secrets, resources, and exposure examples.
docs/exposure-model.md	cn-edge, external-edge, Tailscale relay, and Cloudflare Tunnel traffic models.
docs/bootstrap.md	manager bootstrap details and profiles.
docs/node-labels.md	node labels, regions, and ingress labels.
docs/operations.md	daily operations and troubleshooting commands.
docs/secrets.md	secret and environment variable handling.
docs/troubleshooting.md	common failures and fixes.
docs/release.md	publishing tags, installer, and control image releases.

Agent Skill

Agents can use the installable skill in skills/luma-deployment-yaml to generate or review deployment YAML. In Codex, ask:

Install the skill from https://github.com/LiuTianjie/luma/tree/main/skills/luma-deployment-yaml

Manual install:

mkdir -p ~/.codex/skills
tmp="$(mktemp -d)"
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/LiuTianjie/luma.git "$tmp/luma"
rm -rf ~/.codex/skills/luma-deployment-yaml
cp -R "$tmp/luma/skills/luma-deployment-yaml" ~/.codex/skills/
rm -rf "$tmp"

Restart Codex after installing so the skill is loaded.

Security Boundary

• Do not commit API tokens, Portainer webhooks, deploy tokens, join tokens, or proxy subscription URLs.
• Do not write registry tokens into manifests or container environment variables. Use luma registry login and rotate/revoke the provider token if it is exposed.
• Client machines should not need SSH/Docker/Cloudflare/Portainer credentials; distribute deploy tokens instead.
• The Web status panel uses the deploy token and stores it in browser local storage. Use it on trusted devices only.
• Join tokens should only be used on servers that are joining the cluster.
• If a token or subscription URL is pasted into chat, logs, or issues, rotate it before publishing.