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Installation

Before you can start Kamerplanter, you need Docker on your computer. This page explains what Docker is, how to install it, and how to verify everything is ready.

What is Docker?

Docker is a tool that runs applications in so-called containers. A container includes everything an application needs — you don't have to install programming languages, databases, or other software yourself. Docker handles that for you.

Kamerplanter uses Docker to start five services (user interface, backend, database, cache, and background tasks) together. You only need a single command for that.

Prerequisites

What Minimum Recommended
Operating system Windows 10/11, macOS 12+, Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+) Linux
Memory (RAM) 2 GB free 4 GB free
Disk space 3 GB free 5 GB free
Internet connection For initial download of container images —

Install Docker

  1. Download Docker Desktop: docker.com/products/docker-desktop
  2. Run the downloaded file and follow the installation wizard
  3. After installation, Docker Desktop starts automatically — you'll see the whale icon in the taskbar
  4. Open a terminal (PowerShell or Command Prompt) and verify the installation:
docker --version
docker compose version

WSL 2 required

Docker Desktop on Windows requires WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux). The installation wizard sets up WSL 2 automatically if it's not already present. A restart may be required.

  1. Download Docker Desktop: docker.com/products/docker-desktop
  2. Open the .dmg file and drag Docker to the Applications folder
  3. Launch Docker from the Applications folder — macOS will ask for permissions on first launch
  4. Open a terminal and verify the installation:
docker --version
docker compose version

Install Docker Engine via the official repository:

# Update package index
sudo apt-get update

# Install dependencies
sudo apt-get install -y ca-certificates curl

# Add Docker's GPG key
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg \
  -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

# Add Docker repository
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) \
  signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] \
  https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli \
  containerd.io docker-compose-plugin

# Add your user to the docker group (so you don't need sudo)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Log out and back in

After adding yourself to the docker group, you must log out and back in (or restart) for the change to take effect.

Verify the installation:

docker --version
docker compose version

The Raspberry Pi 4 (or newer) with at least 4 GB RAM works well for Kamerplanter. Use Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit).

# Install Docker via the official convenience script
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sudo sh

# Add your user to the docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

After logging out and back in:

docker --version
docker compose version

Verify installation

If Docker is installed correctly, you should see output similar to this:

$ docker --version
Docker version 27.x.x, build xxxxxxx

$ docker compose version
Docker Compose version v2.x.x

The exact version numbers may differ — what matters is that both commands work without errors.

Ready!

Docker is installed? Continue with the Quick Start.

Troubleshooting

docker: command not found

Docker is not installed or not in the system path. On Windows/macOS: Make sure Docker Desktop is running (whale icon in the taskbar). On Linux: Run the installation again.

permission denied while trying to connect to the Docker daemon socket

On Linux: Your user is not in the docker group. Run sudo usermod -aG docker $USER and log out and back in.

Docker Desktop won't start on Windows

Check if WSL 2 is installed: Open PowerShell as Administrator and run wsl --install. After a restart, Docker Desktop should start.

See also