@Marvin prefect server running in docker container in GCP vm instance not accessible over web

Accessing a Prefect server running in a Docker container on a GCP VM instance over the web typically requires you to configure network settings properly. It looks like the documents I've retrieved don't instantly solve your issue, but here are some steps that could guide you through the process: 1. Set Prefect API URL: Inside the VM or Docker container, set the Prefect API URL to the internal or external IP address of the VM instance. You can set the API URL with the following Prefect command:

bash
   prefect config set PREFECT_API_URL="http://<VM-IP-ADDRESS>:4200/api"

Configuring a Prefect server instance 2. Firewall Rules: Ensure that the appropriate firewall rules are set in Google Cloud Platform to allow inbound traffic on the ports used by Prefect (usually 4200 for the UI and 4201 for the GraphQL API). 3. Networking: Make sure the Docker container is not using host networking unless that's what you need. You might need to configure port forwarding from the host VM to the Docker container. 4. External Access: If you’re trying to access the UI from your local machine, you may need to set up an external IP for your VM and make sure the Prefect UI is listening on all interfaces (0.0.0.0) rather than just localhost (127.0.0.1). While specific documentation on hosting Prefect on a GCP VM with Docker seems limited, you could use the general instructions for hosting a Prefect server instance and Prefect GCP integration to figure out the configurations needed in your particular setup. If this general approach does not solve the issue, consider reviewing the VM's network settings, checking the Docker container's network mode, and verifying that Prefect is configured to listen on the appropriate network interfaces. Additionally, you might want to consult Prefect's community or support channels, or Google Cloud's documentation for more specific guidance.

@Marvin i'm getting the error Connect call failed ('192.168.80.4', 4200) when the agent is connecting to the server as a container

The error "Connect call failed" typically indicates an issue with network connectivity between the agent and the server. Unfortunately, the issues I found on GitHub don't seem to directly address the specific problem you're encountering. However, here are a few steps to troubleshoot your connectivity issue: 1. Ensure the Prefect server is running and accessible at the specified IP address and port (

192.168.80.4:4200

). If this IP is meant to be the Docker container's internal address, make sure that port 4200 is exposed and mapped correctly to the host. 2. Verify that the agent is configured with the correct

--api

flag to point to the server's address. 3. Make sure there are no firewall rules blocking the connection between the agent and the server. 4. If you're running in a Docker container, verify that the container is on the correct network and that the networking mode allows for communication with the Prefect server container. 5. Check the logs for the Prefect server container to ensure there are no errors on the server side that might be preventing successful connections. 6. If you are using Prefect with Kubernetes, make sure that your Kubernetes network policies allow traffic between the agent and the server. If these steps do not help or seem irrelevant to your setup, providing more information about how your Prefect server and agent are configured and any relevant logs might help to diagnose the issue further. Consider reaching out to Prefect's support or community for more specific assistance with your deployment.

@Marvin if running both the server and the agent as a docker container what should be the PREFECT_API_URL value for the agent

When running both the Prefect server and the agent as Docker containers, the

PREFECT_API_URL

for the agent needs to be set to the address where the server can be reached from the agent's container. If the containers are on the same Docker network, you can use the Docker container name or service name set for the Prefect server container. For example, if your Prefect server container is named

prefect-server

and you have linked the containers using a Docker network, then you could set the

PREFECT_API_URL

like this:

bash
PREFECT_API_URL="<http://prefect-server:4200/api>"

Ensure that the server's container name resolves to the correct IP address on the Docker network which can be used by the agent container to reach the server. Furthermore, keep in mind that the

prefect agent

command is now deprecated in favor of the

prefect worker

command. Additionally, the

PREFECT_API_URL

should be configured properly in the worker's environment. For more information regarding settings, you can visit the Prefect documentation. It's crucial to configure network settings and dependencies correctly to establish proper communication between Docker containers.