feat: add Dockerfile for Railway deployment with Prisma Client generation and database migrations

Author: Thavarshan

Dockerfile

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+# Dockerfile for Auralyze API
+# Handles Prisma Client generation and database migrations
+
+FROM node:22-slim
+
+# Install OpenSSL for Prisma
+RUN apt-get update -y && apt-get install -y openssl && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy package files
+COPY package*.json ./
+COPY prisma ./prisma/
+
+# Install all dependencies (including dev dependencies for build)
+RUN npm ci
+
+# Generate Prisma Client (critical step!)
+RUN npx prisma generate
+
+# Copy source code
+COPY . .
+
+# Build TypeScript
+RUN npm run build
+
+# Remove dev dependencies to reduce image size
+# Note: Prisma Client generated files are in node_modules/.prisma and will be kept
+RUN npm prune --production
+
+# Verify Prisma Client is still available after prune
+RUN node -e "const { PrismaClient } = require('@prisma/client'); console.log('Prisma Client available');"
+
+# Expose port
+EXPOSE 8080
+
+# Run database migrations then start server
+# This ensures migrations run on every deployment
+CMD ["sh", "-c", "npm run db:deploy && npm start"]

README.md

@@ -117,6 +117,34 @@ Response: `EngineState` from `@auralyze/engine` with all analysis results. Inclu
 - Prisma client handles DB writes; sanitize tokens via environment variables.
 - CI/CD should run `npm run ci` and `npx prisma migrate deploy` before `npm start`.
 
+## Docker Build
+
+Build the API service for Railway deployment:
+
+```bash
+docker build -t auralyze-api .
+docker run -p 8080:8080 --env-file .env auralyze-api
+```
+
+The Dockerfile handles:
+
+- **Prisma Client Generation**: Runs `npx prisma generate` during build
+- **Database Migrations**: Runs `npm run db:deploy` on container start
+- **TypeScript Compilation**: Builds to `dist/` directory
+
+::: tip Railway Deployment
+When deploying to Railway as a standalone repository:
+
+1. Ensure `Dockerfile` exists in repo root (Railway auto-detects it)
+2. Add database reference: `DATABASE_URL=${{Postgres.DATABASE_URL}}`
+3. Configure service references for internal networking:
+   - `METADATA_SERVICE_URL=https://metadata.railway.internal`
+   - `ANALYSIS_SERVICE_URL=https://analysis.railway.internal`
+4. Generate and set API keys for service authentication
+
+The Dockerfile ensures Prisma Client is generated **before** runtime, preventing `@prisma/client did not initialize` errors.
+:::
+
 ## Contributing & Support
 
 - Read `CONTRIBUTING.md`, `CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md`, and `SECURITY.md` before submitting changes.