Docker Installation (Unix)

Docker Installation (Unix)#

This guide describes how to install and run Allegra on Unix-based systems using Docker Compose and a pre-packaged Docker bundle.

This method provides a ready-to-run Allegra Docker image (including Java 21 and a PostgreSQL database).

Attention

This guide is not intended to make your server secure for public access over the Internet. Additional individual security measures are required for that purpose.

Preparation#

Before installation, ensure the following:

  • Unix-based system (Docker’s OS support)

  • Docker Engine and Docker Compose installed and running (Get Docker)

  • Sufficient disk space (at least 20 GB)

  • Available network port (default 8080 or as configured)

  • User account with permission to run Docker commands (sudo or docker group)

Note

All Allegra data — configuration, attachments, logs, and the embedded database — are stored in /allegra-home inside the container. Always mount this directory to a persistent host folder, referred to as ALLEGRA_HOME.

Installation Steps#

Follow these steps to install and start Allegra using Docker Compose.

  1. Create the Allegra home directory

    Create a persistent directory on your host system that will store Allegra data. This directory is referred to throughout this guide as ALLEGRA_HOME.

    sudo mkdir -p /home/ubuntu/allegra-home
sudo chmod 755 /home/ubuntu/allegra-home

  2. Download the Allegra Docker package

    Download the latest prepackaged Allegra Docker bundle from the Allegra downloads page.

    wget https://alltena.com/downloads/allegra/latest-dist/allegra-docker.zip

  3. Unpack the archive

    unzip allegra-docker-latest.zip
cd allegra-docker-latest

    The extracted archive contains the following files: - docker-compose.yml - env (environment variable template)

  4. Configure environment variables

    Open the file env in a text editor and adjust the settings to match your environment. In particular, set ALLEGRA_HOME_DIR to the absolute path of your persistent Allegra home directory (ALLEGRA_HOME) created in step 1.

    Example configuration:

    CONTEXT=demo
ALLEGRA_HOME_DIR=/home/ubuntu/allegra-home  # Set your ALLEGRA_HOME path here
HTTP_PORT=8080
JAVA_OPTS=-Djava.awt.headless=true -Xmx2048m -Xms1024m
DB_USER=allegra
DB_PASSWORD=tissi189

  5. Rename the file to `.env`

    Docker Compose automatically reads environment variables from a file named .env.

    mv env .env

  6. Start Allegra

    Launch Allegra in the background with Docker Compose:

    docker compose up -d

    This will: - Pull the latest Allegra image (alltena/allegra:latest) - Mount the host directory /home/ubuntu/allegra-home as persistent storage - Map port HTTP_PORT on your host to port 8080 in the container - Start Allegra automatically (restart: unless-stopped)

  7. Access Allegra

    After a short startup time, open your browser and go to:

    http://localhost:${HTTP_PORT}

    Default login credentials:

    • Username: admin

    • Password: tissi

    Warning

    For security reasons, you must change the default administrator password immediately after the first login. Use a strong password and store it securely.

Operation#

To manage the container:

docker compose ps        # Check status
docker compose logs -f   # View live logs
docker compose stop      # Stop Allegra
docker compose start     # Start again
docker compose down      # Stop and remove container

Updating Allegra#

To upgrade Allegra to a newer version, edit your docker-compose.yml file and update the image tag, for example:

image: alltena/allegra:9.0.0 #You can find the current version in our release notes

Then pull the new image and restart the container:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Uninstall#

To remove Allegra and its data:

Warning

This will permanently delete all Allegra data stored in your ALLEGRA_HOME.

docker compose down
docker rmi alltena/allegra:latest
sudo rm -rf /home/ubuntu/allegra-home

After successful installation, secure your instance by changing the admin password and configuring HTTPS via a reverse proxy (see Nginx Proxy Example or Apache Proxy Example).