Lots of changes to support Alembic and external DB

README.md

@@ -28,12 +28,60 @@ A modern, containerized Prior Permission Required (PPR) system for aircraft oper
 ### Prerequisites
 - Docker and Docker Compose installed
 
-### 1. Start the System
+### Development Setup
+
+**Start the system (automatic database setup):**
 ```bash
-cd nextgen
-./start.sh
+docker compose up -d
 ```
 
+That's it! The container automatically:
+- Waits for database to be ready
+- Creates schema via Alembic migrations
+- Loads airport and aircraft reference data
+- Starts the API with auto-reload
+
+**View startup logs:**
+```bash
+docker compose logs -f api
+```
+
+### Production Deployment
+
+**Simple automated deployment:**
+
+```bash
+# 1. Configure environment
+cp .env.example .env
+nano .env  # Set your external database credentials
+
+# 2. Start with production settings
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
+```
+
+The container automatically handles:
+- Database connection verification
+- Schema creation/migration (Alembic)
+- Reference data seeding (if needed)
+- Production server startup (4 workers)
+
+**Monitor deployment:**
+```bash
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml logs -f api
+```
+
+**Deploying updates with migrations:**
+```bash
+git pull
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d --build
+# Migrations apply automatically!
+```
+
+**See detailed guides:**
+- [`AUTOMATED_MIGRATION_GUIDE.md`](./AUTOMATED_MIGRATION_GUIDE.md) - How automatic migrations work
+- [`PRODUCTION_MIGRATION_GUIDE.md`](./PRODUCTION_MIGRATION_GUIDE.md) - Advanced migration strategies
+- [`MIGRATION_QUICK_REF.md`](./MIGRATION_QUICK_REF.md) - Quick reference commands
+
 ### 2. Access the Services
 - **API Documentation**: http://localhost:8001/docs
 - **API Base URL**: http://localhost:8001/api/v1