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Get Lumina running locally with Docker Compose.

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Prerequisites

Required:
  • Docker 20.10 or higher
  • Docker Compose 2.0 or higher
  • 4GB RAM minimum
  • Ports available: 3000, 8081, 9411
Verify installation: 
docker --version         # Should show 20.10 or higher
docker compose version   # Should show 2.0 or higher
Optional:
  • Anthropic API key (for replay with Claude models)
  • OpenAI API key (for replay with GPT models)
API keys are only required for the replay feature. Core functionality (tracing, cost tracking, alerting) works without API keys.

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Installation

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Step 1: Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/use-lumina/Lumina.git
cd Lumina/infra/docker

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Step 2: Start Services

docker compose up -d
First-time startup takes 2-3 minutes for image pulls and database initialization.
Add -d to run in detached mode (background). Omit -d to view logs in real-time.

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Step 3: Verify Services

Check all services are running: 
docker compose ps
Expected output: 
NAME                 STATUS
lumina-postgres      Up (healthy)
lumina-redis         Up (healthy)
lumina-nats          Up (healthy)
lumina-ingestion     Up (healthy)
lumina-api           Up (healthy)
lumina-dashboard     Up (healthy)
All services should show Up (healthy) status.

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Step 4: Access Dashboard

Open your browser and navigate to: 
http://localhost:3000
You should see the Lumina dashboard with an empty traces page.

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Send Your First Trace

Now let’s send a test trace to verify everything works. Install SDK: 
npm install @uselumina/sdk
Create test file: Create test-trace.ts: 
import { initLumina } from '@uselumina/sdk';
import Anthropic from '@anthropic-ai/sdk';

const anthropic = new Anthropic({
  apiKey: process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY,
});

const lumina = initLumina({
  endpoint: 'http://localhost:9411/v1/traces',
  service_name: 'quickstart-test',
});

async function main() {
  console.log('Sending test trace...');

  const response = await lumina.traceLLM(
    async () =>
      anthropic.messages.create({
        model: 'claude-sonnet-4-5',
        max_tokens: 100,
        messages: [
          { role: 'user', content: 'Say hello in one sentence.' },
        ],
      }),
    {
      name: 'hello-claude',
      system: 'anthropic',
      prompt: 'Say hello in one sentence.',
    }
  );

  console.log('✓ Trace sent successfully!');
  console.log('→ View at: http://localhost:3000/traces');
}

main();
Run it: 
npx tsx test-trace.ts
Expected output: 
Sending test trace...
✓ Trace sent successfully!
→ View at: http://localhost:3000/traces
Refresh the dashboard. You should see your trace with:
  • Service name: quickstart-test
  • Endpoint: hello-claude
  • Model: claude-sonnet-4-5
  • Automatic cost calculation
  • Token counts (prompt, completion)
  • Latency measurement

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Option 2: Using cURL

Send a trace directly via HTTP: 
curl -X POST http://localhost:9411/v1/traces \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "resourceSpans": [{
      "resource": {
        "attributes": [{
          "key": "service.name",
          "value": { "stringValue": "curl-test" }
        }]
      },
      "scopeSpans": [{
        "spans": [{
          "traceId": "00000000000000000000000000000001",
          "spanId": "0000000000000001",
          "name": "test-span",
          "startTimeUnixNano": "'$(date +%s)000000000'",
          "endTimeUnixNano": "'$(date +%s)500000000'",
          "attributes": [
            { "key": "model", "value": { "stringValue": "claude-sonnet-4-5" } },
            { "key": "prompt_tokens", "value": { "intValue": "10" } },
            { "key": "completion_tokens", "value": { "intValue": "20" } },
            { "key": "cost_usd", "value": { "doubleValue": 0.0015 } }
          ]
        }]
      }]
    }]
  }'
Self-hosted Lumina runs without authentication by default. No API key required.

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View Your Trace

  1. Open http://localhost:3000/traces
  2. You should see your test trace
  3. Click on the trace to view details:
    • Full prompt and response
    • Token breakdown
    • Cost calculation
    • Latency timeline
    • Custom metadata
First trace in dashboard

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Next Steps

Instrument Your App

Add tracing to your production application

Multi-Span Tracing

Track complex workflows like RAG pipelines

Configure Alerts

Get notified of cost spikes and quality drops

Deploy to Production

Production deployment with Kubernetes

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Optional Configuration

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Add LLM API Keys

To use the replay feature, add API keys: 
# Stop services
docker compose down

# Edit .env file
cat > .env <<EOF
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
EOF

# Restart with new config
docker compose --env-file .env up -d

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Customize Ports

Edit infra/docker/.env: 
DASHBOARD_PORT=3000      # Change to avoid conflicts
API_PORT=8081
INGESTION_PORT=9411
Restart services: 
docker compose down
docker compose up -d

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Configure Retention

Set trace retention period: 
# .env
TRACE_RETENTION_DAYS=7   # Delete traces older than 7 days
DAILY_TRACE_LIMIT=50000  # Max traces per day

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Troubleshooting

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Port Already in Use

Error: bind: address already in use Solution: Change ports in .env or stop conflicting service: 
# Find process using port
lsof -i :3000

# Kill process (replace PID)
kill -9 <PID>

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Services Not Starting

Error: Container exits immediately Solution 1: Check Docker resources Docker Desktop → Settings → Resources:
  • Memory: Set to at least 4GB
  • Disk: Ensure 10GB+ available
Solution 2: View logs 
docker compose logs <service-name>

# Examples:
docker compose logs ingestion
docker compose logs postgres

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Database Connection Failed

Error: connection refused or could not connect to server Solution: Wait for PostgreSQL to be fully ready: 
# Check PostgreSQL logs
docker compose logs postgres | grep "ready to accept connections"

# Restart ingestion service
docker compose restart ingestion

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Dashboard Shows “Failed to Fetch”

Error: Dashboard loads but shows error when fetching data Solution 1: Verify API is running 
curl http://localhost:8081/health
Expected response: 
{"status":"ok","service":"lumina-api"}
Solution 2: Check API logs 
docker compose logs api

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Traces Not Appearing

Issue: Sent trace but not visible in dashboard Solution 1: Check ingestion logs 
docker compose logs ingestion | grep ERROR
Solution 2: Verify endpoint Ensure SDK points to correct endpoint: 
const lumina = initLumina({
  endpoint: 'http://localhost:9411/v1/traces', // Correct
  // NOT: http://localhost:8081 (that's the query API)
});
Solution 3: Check trace format Lumina expects OTLP format. Verify your trace matches OpenTelemetry spec.

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Advanced Options

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Run in Development Mode

For active development with hot reload: 
# Stop Docker services
docker compose down

# Start infrastructure only (Postgres, Redis, NATS)
docker compose up -d postgres redis nats

# Run services locally with hot reload
cd ../../services/ingestion && bun run dev
cd ../../services/api && bun run dev
cd ../../apps/dashboard && bun run dev

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View Real-Time Logs

# All services
docker compose logs -f

# Specific service
docker compose logs -f ingestion

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Reset Database

# Stop services and remove volumes (deletes all data)
docker compose down -v

# Restart fresh
docker compose up -d
This deletes all traces permanently. Backup data before running.

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Stopping Lumina

# Stop services (keeps data)
docker compose down

# Stop and remove all data
docker compose down -v
Data is stored in Docker volumes:
  • postgres-data — All traces and metadata
  • redis-data — Cached semantic scores
  • nats-data — Message queue state

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What’s Next?

You now have Lumina running locally with your first trace. Next steps:
  1. Instrument your application — Add tracing to your production app
  2. Learn multi-span tracing — Track complex workflows
  3. Configure alerts — Get notified of issues
  4. Deploy to production — Kubernetes deployment

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Need Help?