File Mover Container 📁

A lightweight Docker container for automated file moving and logging, using cron to handle both recurring and one-time file-moving tasks between specified directories.

Features

• Customizable schedule for recurring file-moving tasks.
• One-time or immediate file-moving task execution using cron.
• Logging of each file transfer, with error messages logged separately.
• Lightweight Alpine-based Docker image with support for setting time zones.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Docker installed on your system.

Build the Image

To build the Docker image locally:

docker build -t file-mover .

Running the Container

Start the container to run with default behavior. By default, it will check for files in /app/source and move them to /app/target, logging each operation to /app/log/file-mover.log.

Example

docker run -d --name file-mover \
  -v /path/to/source:/app/source \
  -v /path/to/target:/app/target \
  -v /path/to/log:/app/log \
  file-mover

Configuration

The container accepts the following command-line options:

Option	Description
--schedule [TIME]	Schedule the container to run the file move operation repeatedly at a specified time (e.g., * * * * * cron format).
--run-once [TIME]	Run the container to execute the file move operation once at a specified time in cron format (e.g., 00 21 1 12 * to run at 9:00 PM on December 1st). If no time is provided, the operation runs immediately.
--help	Display help message with available options.
--version	Display the script version.

Example Usage

Run Once at a Specific Time

This command schedules a one-time execution of the file-moving operation at a specified time using cron format (e.g., 00 21 1 12 * to run at 9:00 PM on the 1st of December):

docker run --rm -d --name file-mover \
  -v /path/to/source:/app/source \
  -v /path/to/target:/app/target \
  -v /path/to/log:/app/log \
  -e TZ=Asia/Colombo \
  file-mover --run-once "00 21 1 12 *"

If the --run-once option is used with no time argument, the operation will execute immediately.

Schedule Recurring File Moves

To schedule a recurring file-moving operation every day at 9:00 PM, while ensuring the container restarts if stopped:

docker run -d --name file-mover \
  -v /path/to/source:/app/source \
  -v /path/to/target:/app/target \
  -v /path/to/log:/app/log \
  --restart always \
  -e TZ=Asia/Colombo \
  file-mover --schedule "00 21 * * *"

Setting the Time Zone

Use the TZ environment variable to set the container's time zone. The example above uses Asia/Colombo.

Directory Structure

The container defines the following directories for file operations:

• /app/source: Mount this directory as the source location for files to be moved.
• /app/target: Mount this directory as the destination for files being moved.
• /app/log: Mount this directory for storing logs of file operations.

File Structure

• Dockerfile: Sets up the Alpine environment, installs tzdata, and configures the working directories and entrypoint script.
• entrypoint.sh: Main entry script that handles command-line options and schedules tasks with cron.
• app.sh: The core script that checks for new files in the source directory, moves them to the target directory, and logs each operation.

Logging

All file-moving operations are logged to /app/log/file-mover.log with time-stamped informational messages. Errors are also logged with details.

Sample Log Output

time=2024-09-15 15:20:35 level=info msg=checking for new files.
time=2024-09-15 15:20:36 level=info msg=2 file(s) found.
time=2024-09-15 15:20:36 level=info msg=example.txt has been moved.

Docker Compose Example

Here’s an example docker-compose.yml file to run the container with Docker Compose:

services:
  file-mover:
    image: file-mover
    container_name: file-mover
    volumes:
      - /path/to/source:/app/source
      - /path/to/target:/app/target
      - /path/to/log:/app/log
    environment:
      - TZ=Asia/Colombo
    command: ["--schedule", "00 21 * * *"]
    restart: always

To start the container with Docker Compose:

docker-compose up -d

Help and Version

You can display the help message and version information by running the container with the respective options:

# Display help message
docker run --rm file-mover --help

# Display version information
docker run --rm file-mover --version

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.