RAGFlow Docker Connection Bug: Fixes & Solutions

Oct 18, 2025 by ADMIN 49 views

RAGFlow Docker Connection Bug: Default Configuration Issues

Hey guys! 👋 If you're using RAGFlow, especially in a Docker environment, and you've been scratching your head about connection issues, this one's for you. We've identified a critical bug in how RAGFlow handles service configuration within Docker, specifically in version v0.21.0 (and even earlier versions like v0.20.0). Let's dive into the problem, why it happens, and, most importantly, how to fix it. This guide is tailored to provide a detailed, easy-to-understand explanation, along with actionable solutions. I want to make sure everyone understands the ins and outs of this bug and how to ensure smooth sailing when deploying RAGFlow with Docker.

The Core Problem: `localhost` vs. Docker Networking

The heart of the issue lies in how RAGFlow's default configuration, conf/service_conf.yaml, specifies service addresses. In this file, all services are configured to connect to localhost. Now, in a local development environment, this works perfectly fine because your services are running on your machine. However, when you deploy RAGFlow using Docker Compose, things work differently. Inside a Docker container, localhost refers only to the container itself, not other services on the Docker network. This fundamental difference causes a breakdown in communication between the various components of RAGFlow, leading to connection failures and functionality issues.

Impact of the `localhost` Configuration

When localhost is incorrectly used, several critical issues arise:

Redis Connection Failure: The most immediate symptom is a failure to connect to the Redis database. You'll see warnings like: "WARNING Realtime synonym is disabled, since no redis connection." and "WARNING Redis can't be connected." This disables real-time synonym functionality, impacting the performance and completeness of your searches.
Incorrect Service Hostnames: The configuration file incorrectly lists hostnames for essential services. For example, MySQL's host is set to 'localhost' with the external port (5455), not the internal Docker port (3306). Similarly, MinIO, Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, Infinity, and Redis all point to localhost using either external ports or incorrect addresses. This prevents these services from communicating with each other within the Docker network.
Broken Service Integrations: Due to incorrect configurations, service integrations fail. Redis, in particular, becomes completely unusable. Other services, such as MySQL, MinIO, Elasticsearch, and others, might experience communication problems, leading to unexpected behavior or outright failures.
Docker Network Isolation: Services are unable to talk to each other through Docker's internal network. This defeats the purpose of Docker, which is to create an isolated, manageable environment for your applications.

The Broken Default Configuration Example

To illustrate, here's a snippet from the problematic conf/service_conf.yaml file (the default configuration) that causes all these issues:

mysql:
  name: 'rag_flow'
  user: 'root'
  password: 'infini_rag_flow'
  host: 'localhost'
  port: 5455
  max_connections: 900
  stale_timeout: 300
  max_allowed_packet: 1073741824
minio:
  user: 'rag_flow'
  password: 'infini_rag_flow'
  host: 'localhost:9000'
es:
  hosts: 'http://localhost:1200'
  username: 'elastic'
  password: 'infini_rag_flow'
os:
  hosts: 'http://localhost:1201'
  username: 'admin'
  password: 'infini_rag_flow_OS_01'
infinity:
  uri: 'localhost:23817'
  db_name: 'default_db'
redis:
  db: 1
  password: 'infini_rag_flow'
  host: 'localhost:6379'

The Correct Approach: Using Docker Service Names

The fix is straightforward. Instead of using localhost, you need to configure service_conf.yaml to use the Docker service names as defined in your docker-compose-base.yml file. Docker Compose automatically sets up a network where each service can be accessed by its name. This allows containers to find and connect to each other. Additionally, internal container ports must be used rather than the externally mapped ports.

How Docker Service Names Work

Inside the Docker network, each service is assigned a name that other containers can use to reach it. For example, if you have a MySQL service in your docker-compose.yml, other containers can connect to it using the hostname mysql. Docker handles the routing, allowing seamless communication.

The Expected Configuration (Corrected)

Here’s how conf/service_conf.yaml should look for Docker deployments, fixing the issues:

mysql:
  name: 'rag_flow'
  user: 'root'
  password: 'infini_rag_flow'
  host: 'mysql'              # Docker service name
  port: 3306                 # Internal container port
  max_connections: 900
  stale_timeout: 300
  max_allowed_packet: 1073741824
minio:
  user: 'rag_flow'
  password: 'infini_rag_flow'
  host: 'minio:9000'         # Docker service name with internal port
es:
  hosts: 'http://es01:9200'  # Docker service name with internal port
  username: 'elastic'
  password: 'infini_rag_flow'
os:
  hosts: 'http://opensearch01:9201'  # Docker service name with internal port
  username: 'admin'
  password: 'infini_rag_flow_OS_01'
infinity:
  uri: 'infinity:23817'      # Docker service name
  db_name: 'default_db'
redis:
  db: 1
  password: 'infini_rag_flow'
  host: 'redis:6379'         # Docker service name with internal port

After applying these changes, your RAGFlow services should be able to communicate correctly within your Docker environment, and you will no longer see those pesky Redis connection warnings.

Steps to Reproduce the Bug (and Verify the Fix)

To see this issue in action and confirm that the fix works, follow these steps:

Clone the RAGFlow Repository: Get the latest version of the code.
Navigate to the Docker Directory: Go to the docker/ directory.
Run Docker Compose: Execute docker compose up -d. This command builds and starts your containers in detached mode.
Check the Logs: Examine the logs of the ragflow-server container using docker logs ragflow-server. You'll likely see the Redis connection warnings, confirming the bug.
Fix the Configuration: Edit conf/service_conf.yaml and replace all instances of localhost with the appropriate Docker service names and internal ports, as shown in the Expected Configuration example.
Restart the Containers: Restart your containers to apply the changes (e.g., docker compose down && docker compose up -d).
Verify the Fix: Check the logs again, and you should no longer see the Redis connection warnings. You can further verify that the services are communicating correctly by using the verification command provided in the original bug report: `docker exec ragflow-server python3 -c