Docker Image and Compose

Docker is the fastest way to get a self-hosted Durabull instance running.

1) Choose an Image Tag

Use the published image from GHCR:

• ghcr.io/durabullhq/durabull:<version>

For local evaluation, latest is fine. For production, pin an explicit version tag.

2) Quick Run with docker run

This starts Redis and Durabull on a shared Docker network:

docker network create durabull

docker run -d --name durabull-redis --network durabull redis:8-alpine

docker run --rm -p 3000:3000 --network durabull \
  -e DURABULL_AUTHLESS=true \
  -e DURABULL_ENV_CONNECTIONS=true \
  -e DURABULL_REDIS_URL_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32) \
  -e DURABULL_REDIS_URL_MAIN=redis://durabull-redis:6379 \
  -e DURABULL_REDIS_URL_MAIN_ENVIRONMENT=development \
  -e DURABULL_REDIS_URL_DEFAULT=MAIN \
  -e APP_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000 \
  -e VITE_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000 \
  ghcr.io/durabullhq/durabull:latest

Open http://localhost:3000, then confirm:

• GET /api/health returns status: ok
• GET /api/app/config returns JSON instead of 500
• the queue dashboard loads for your default connection

3) Docker Compose (Durabull + Redis)

Use Compose for repeatable team setup:

name: durabull-self-hosted

services:
  durabull:
    image: ghcr.io/durabullhq/durabull:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      DURABULL_AUTHLESS: "true"
      DURABULL_ENV_CONNECTIONS: "true"
      DURABULL_REDIS_URL_ENCRYPTION_KEY: "${DURABULL_REDIS_URL_ENCRYPTION_KEY}"
      DURABULL_REDIS_URL_MAIN: redis://redis:6379
      DURABULL_REDIS_URL_MAIN_ENVIRONMENT: development
      DURABULL_REDIS_URL_DEFAULT: MAIN
      APP_BASE_URL: http://localhost:3000
      VITE_PUBLIC_APP_URL: http://localhost:3000
    volumes:
      - durabull_data:/app/data
    depends_on:
      redis:
        condition: service_healthy

  redis:
    image: redis:8-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "6379:6379"
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 5s
    command: redis-server --appendonly yes

volumes:
  durabull_data:
  redis_data:

Start it with:

export DURABULL_REDIS_URL_ENCRYPTION_KEY="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
docker compose -f tooling/docker/docker-compose.self-hosted.yaml up -d

Then validate:

• GET /api/health
• GET /api/app/config
• GET /api/auth/get-session when DURABULL_AUTHLESS=true

An example file is included at tooling/docker/docker-compose.self-hosted.yaml.

4) Persistence Notes

When DATABASE_URL is unset, PGlite data is file-backed inside the container.

• Default location: /app/data/pglite
• For persistence, mount /app/data or set DURABULL_PGLITE_DIR to a mounted path.
• Named Docker volumes are the simplest option for local deployments.
• If you bind-mount a host directory, ensure it is writable by container UID/GID 1000:1000 (bun).

Older Image Workaround

If you are pinned to an older image that fails with EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/app/data' or returns 500 for /api/app/config, use one of these temporary workarounds:

• upgrade to an image that includes the writable /app/data fix
• set DURABULL_PGLITE_DIR to a writable path inside the container for ephemeral evaluation
• switch to PostgreSQL mode with DATABASE_URL

5) Production Notes

For internet-facing deployments:

• set DURABULL_AUTHLESS=false
• configure BETTER_AUTH_SECRET
• configure DURABULL_REDIS_URL_ENCRYPTION_KEY
• set correct APP_BASE_URL and VITE_PUBLIC_APP_URL
• review Security and Hardening
• use PostgreSQL (DATABASE_URL) for stateful team environments

6) Build Image from Source

Source Dockerfile path:

• tooling/docker/Dockerfile
• tooling/docker/docker-compose.self-hosted.yaml

It uses turbo prune and multi-stage builds for optimized production images.