Docker

Deploy Portabase yourself, without the CLI. Use Docker Run for a quick test and Docker Compose for anything you intend to keep.

Make sure the Docker engine is already installed on the host.

Docker Run

Recommended for testing only, not for production: this uses the bundled internal database.

Environment variables

Create the .env file. Warning, you must generate passwords and secrets yourself.

.env

# --- App Configuration ---
PROJECT_URL=http://localhost:8887

# ⚠️ GENERATE A STRONG SECRET (e.g., openssl rand -hex 32)
# This secret is used to encrypt communications with agents.
PROJECT_SECRET=change_me_please_generate_a_secure_hex_token

Start the Dashboard

docker run -d \
    --name portabase-app-prod \
    -p 8887:80 \
    --restart unless-stopped \
    -e TZ="Europe/Paris" \
    --env-file .env \
    -v ./portabase-data:/data \
    portabase/portabase:latest

Access the interface

Open your browser: http://localhost:8887 (or the chosen port).

Docker Compose

Recommended for production and GitOps workflows: the Dashboard runs alongside a dedicated PostgreSQL container.

File structure

Create a folder and place two files in it: docker-compose.yml and .env.

mkdir portabase-dashboard && cd portabase-dashboard

Docker configuration

docker-compose.yml

name: portabase-dashboard

services:
  portabase:
    container_name: portabase-app
    image: portabase/portabase:latest
    restart: always
    env_file: .env
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Paris
    ports:
      - "8887:80"
    volumes:
      - portabase-data:/data
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_healthy
    healthcheck:
        test: ["CMD-SHELL", "curl -f http://localhost/api/health"]
        interval: 30s
        timeout: 5s
        retries: 3
        start_period: 60s

  db:
    container_name: portabase-pg
    image: postgres:17-alpine
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=${POSTGRES_DB}
      - POSTGRES_USER=${POSTGRES_USER}
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${POSTGRES_USER} -d ${POSTGRES_DB}"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  postgres-data:
  portabase-data:

Environment variables

Create the .env file. Warning, you must generate passwords and secrets yourself.

.env

# --- App Configuration ---
PROJECT_URL=http://localhost:8887

# ⚠️ GENERATE A STRONG SECRET (e.g., openssl rand -hex 32)
# This secret is used to encrypt communications with agents.
PROJECT_SECRET=change_me_please_generate_a_secure_hex_token

# --- Database URL ---
POSTGRES_USER=portabase
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=changeme
POSTGRES_HOST=db
POSTGRES_PORT=5432
POSTGRES_DB=portabase

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://${POSTGRES_USER}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@${POSTGRES_HOST}:${POSTGRES_PORT}/${POSTGRES_DB}?schema=public

Startup

docker compose up -d

Access the interface

Open your browser: http://localhost:8887 (or the chosen port).

Next steps

Environment variables for the Dashboard, or Agent environment.
Reverse proxy to expose the Dashboard behind a domain.
Getting started to create your first backup.

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