fix: container sets up its own data directory (closes #75)

bin/entrypoint.sh, still running as root, now creates DATA_DIR if
missing and gives it and /data to the netwatch user with mode 750
before starting the backend as that user. It stops the start instead
when a symbolic link is on the path to /data or DATA_DIR, since chown
and chmod would change what the link points to. An empty host
directory owned by root, or one holding files from another uid, works
with no step on the host, so the README no longer tells the operator
to create or chown it. The image no longer sets that ownership at
build time.

Model: opus-5-5

Dockerfile

@@ -77,8 +77,9 @@ COPY --from=frontend /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html
 COPY --from=builder /src/netwatch-server /usr/local/bin/netwatch-server
 COPY bin/entrypoint.sh /usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh
 
+# bin/entrypoint.sh creates DATA_DIR at start and gives it and /data to
+# the netwatch user, whatever is mounted there.
 ENV DATA_DIR=/data/reports
-RUN mkdir -p /data/reports && chown -R netwatch:netwatch /data
 VOLUME /data
 
 # The default public port; PORT changes it.

README.md

@@ -192,8 +192,9 @@ only inside the container, on `127.0.0.1:8081`. The image:
 - Sends the security headers `REPO_POLICIES.md` requires on every response, as
   `security-headers.conf` sets them, in place of the backend's own
 - Stores reports in `DATA_DIR`, `/data/reports` by default, on the `/data`
-  volume. The backend runs as user `netwatch` (uid 1000), so a directory
+  volume. Before the backend starts, the image creates `DATA_DIR` and gives it
-  bind-mounted at `/data` must be writable by uid 1000
+  and `/data` to user `netwatch` (uid 1000), which the backend runs as, so a
+  host directory bind-mounted at `/data` ends up owned by uid 1000
 - Writes buffered reports to disk on `docker stop`, and exits non-zero if nginx
   or the backend exits on its own, so the platform restarts it
 
@@ -203,16 +204,6 @@ What the [upaas](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/upaas) app for netwatch needs:
 
 - **Port:** container port `8080`.
 - **Volume:** container path `/data`; the reports are kept in `/data/reports`.
-- **First run:** upaas bind-mounts the host directory it is given and does not
-  create it, and the backend, which runs as uid 1000, does not start unless it
-  can write there. Create the directory, owned by uid 1000, before the first
-  deploy:
-
-    ```bash
-    mkdir -p /path/to/data
-    chown 1000:1000 /path/to/data
-    ```
-
 - **Environment variables:** none is required. An empty one counts as unset, and
   one set to a value netwatch cannot use stops the container at start, with the
   reason in its log.

TODO.md

@@ -23,6 +23,15 @@ latest run passes.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-09-29: the container sets up its own data directory (issue #75):
+  `bin/entrypoint.sh`, still as root, creates `DATA_DIR` if missing and gives it
+  and `/data` to the `netwatch` user with mode 750 before starting the backend
+  as that user, so an empty host directory owned by root, or one holding files
+  from another uid, works with no step on the host. It stops the start instead
+  when a symbolic link is on the path to `DATA_DIR`, since root would change
+  whatever the link points to. The `README.md` first-run step that created and
+  chowned the host directory is gone, and the image no longer sets that
+  ownership at build time
 - 2026-09-29: CI can no longer pass on checks that did not run (issue #37):
   `script/cibuild` is now the org model, byte for byte. It runs
   `script/bootstrap` and `script/check`, then builds the image with `--no-cache`

backend/README.md

@@ -104,7 +104,8 @@ this server. The image's entrypoint, `bin/entrypoint.sh`, starts the server as
 user `netwatch` (uid 1000) with `BIND_ADDRESS=127.0.0.1` and `PORT=8081`, so
 only nginx reaches it, and with `TRUSTED_PROXIES=127.0.0.1/32`, so it takes the
 client address nginx passes on and no other. `DATA_DIR` is `/data/reports`, on
-the `/data` volume, which `netwatch` owns. nginx replaces the security headers
+the `/data` volume; the entrypoint creates it and gives it and `/data` to
+`netwatch` before starting the server. nginx replaces the security headers
 this server sets with those in the root `security-headers.conf`, so those are
 what clients of the image see.
 

bin/entrypoint.sh

@@ -61,6 +61,29 @@ for proxy in $(printf '%s' "$TRUSTED_PROXIES" | tr ',' ' '); do
     echo "set_real_ip_from $cidr;"
 done > /etc/nginx/trusted-proxies.conf
 
+# netwatch-server keeps its report files in DATA_DIR, on the /data
+# volume, which may be a host directory owned by root or by another
+# uid. Both are given to the netwatch user here, with the mode the
+# server gives a directory it creates, so the host directory needs no
+# preparing.
+#
+# chown and chmod, run as root, change whatever a symbolic link on the
+# path points to, anywhere in the container, and the netwatch user can
+# put one in /data. So the start stops unless readlink -f, which
+# follows every link on a path, gives /data and DATA_DIR back as they
+# are. It also writes a path in full, so a DATA_DIR with '.', '..' or
+# an extra '/' in it is refused too.
+export DATA_DIR="${DATA_DIR:-/data/reports}"
+mkdir -p "$DATA_DIR" || exit 1
+if [ "$(readlink -f /data)" != /data ] ||
+    [ "$(readlink -f "$DATA_DIR")" != "$DATA_DIR" ]; then
+    echo "entrypoint: DATA_DIR must be a full path with no '.', '..'," \
+        "extra '/' or symbolic link on it or on /data, not '$DATA_DIR'" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+chown -R netwatch:netwatch /data "$DATA_DIR" || exit 1
+chmod 750 /data "$DATA_DIR" || exit 1
+
 # A stop signal is only noted here; the loop below acts on it.
 stop_requested=""
 trap 'stop_requested=yes' TERM INT