> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://formbricks.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Docker Setup
> Set up Formbricks quickly using our ready-to-use Docker image.
The image is pre-built and requires minimal setup—just download it and start the container.
### Requirements
Make sure Docker and Docker Compose are installed on your system. These are usually included in tools like Docker Desktop and Rancher Desktop.
`docker compose` without the hyphen is now the primary method of using docker-compose, according to the
Docker documentation.
## Start
1. **Create a New Directory for Formbricks**
Open a terminal and run the following commands to create and enter a new directory for Formbricks:
```bash theme={null}
mkdir formbricks-quickstart && cd formbricks-quickstart
```
2. **Download the Docker-Compose File**
Get the docker-compose file from the Formbricks repository by running:
```bash theme={null}
curl -o docker-compose.yml https://raw.githubusercontent.com/formbricks/formbricks/stable/docker/docker-compose.yml
```
3. **Generate NextAuth Secret**
You need a NextAuth secret for session signing and encryption. Run one of the commands below based on your operating system:
For Linux:
```bash theme={null}
sed -i "/NEXTAUTH_SECRET:$/s/NEXTAUTH_SECRET:.*/NEXTAUTH_SECRET: $(openssl rand -hex 32)/" docker-compose.yml
```
For macOS:
```bash theme={null}
sed -i '' "s/NEXTAUTH_SECRET:.*/NEXTAUTH_SECRET: $(openssl rand -hex 32)/" docker-compose.yml
```
4. **Generate Encryption Key**
Next, you need to generate an Encryption Key. This will be used for authenticating and verifying 2 Factor Authentication. Run one of the commands below based on your operating system:
For Linux:
```bash theme={null}
sed -i "/ENCRYPTION_KEY:$/s/ENCRYPTION_KEY:.*/ENCRYPTION_KEY: $(openssl rand -hex 32)/" docker-compose.yml
```
For macOS:
```bash theme={null}
sed -i '' "s/ENCRYPTION_KEY:.*/ENCRYPTION_KEY: $(openssl rand -hex 32)/" docker-compose.yml
```
5. **Generate Cron Secret**
You require a Cron secret to secure API access for running cron jobs. Run one of the commands below based on your operating system:
For Linux:
```bash theme={null}
sed -i "/CRON_SECRET:$/s/CRON_SECRET:.*/CRON_SECRET: $(openssl rand -hex 32)/" docker-compose.yml
```
For macOS:
```bash theme={null}
sed -i '' "s/CRON_SECRET:.*/CRON_SECRET: $(openssl rand -hex 32)/" docker-compose.yml
```
6. **Start the Docker Setup**
Now, you're ready to run Formbricks with Docker. Use the command below to start Formbricks along with a PostgreSQL database using Docker Compose:
```bash theme={null}
docker compose up -d
```
The `-d` flag runs the containers in the background, so they keep running even after you close the terminal.
7. **Open Formbricks in Your Browser**
Once the setup is running, open [**http://localhost:3000**](http://localhost:3000) in your browser to access Formbricks. The first time you visit, you'll see a setup wizard. Follow the steps to create your first user and start using Formbricks.
## Update
Please take a look at our [migration guide](/self-hosting/advanced/migration) for version specific steps to update Formbricks.
1. Pull the latest Formbricks image
```bash theme={null}
docker compose pull
```
2. Stop the Formbricks stack
```bash theme={null}
docker compose down
```
3. Re-start the Formbricks stack with the updated image
```bash theme={null}
docker compose up -d
```
## Optional: Adding RustFS for File Storage
RustFS provides S3-compatible object storage for file uploads in Formbricks. If you want to enable features
like image uploads, survey file uploads, or custom logos, you can run RustFS alongside Formbricks while
keeping the existing `S3_*` environment variables.
For a broader overview of file storage options and required environment variables, see our [File Uploads
Configuration](/self-hosting/configuration/file-uploads) guide.
**For production deployments with HTTPS**, use the [one-click setup script](/self-hosting/setup/one-click)
which automatically configures RustFS with Traefik, SSL certificates, a dedicated `files.` subdomain, and
least-privilege service credentials. The examples below are best suited for development, testing, or custom
local setups.
The bundled RustFS examples on this page are convenience-oriented single-server setups. They work well for
development, evaluation, and smaller self-hosted deployments, but they are not the ideal RustFS architecture
for high-availability or larger-scale production storage. For stricter production requirements, use external
object storage or run a dedicated RustFS deployment separately.
### Quick Start: Using docker-compose.dev.yml
The fastest way to test file uploads locally is to use the included `docker-compose.dev.yml`, which already
starts RustFS and auto-creates the `formbricks` bucket.
1. **Start the local stack**
From the repository root:
```bash theme={null}
docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d
```
This starts PostgreSQL, Valkey (Redis), Mailhog, RustFS, a permissions helper, and a one-time bucket
bootstrap job.
2. **Access the RustFS console**
Open [http://localhost:9001](http://localhost:9001) in your browser and sign in with:
* Username: `devrustfs`
* Password: `devrustfs123`
3. **Configure Formbricks**
Update your `.env` file or environment variables:
```bash theme={null}
S3_ACCESS_KEY="devrustfs"
S3_SECRET_KEY="devrustfs123"
S3_REGION="us-east-1"
S3_BUCKET_NAME="formbricks"
S3_ENDPOINT_URL="http://localhost:9000"
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE="1"
```
4. **Verify uploads**
After uploading a file in Formbricks, open [http://localhost:9001](http://localhost:9001) and navigate to **Buckets → formbricks**
to confirm the object was stored successfully.
The development compose file also runs a `rustfs-init` job so you do not need to create the bucket manually.
### Manual RustFS Setup (Custom Configuration)
Recommended: Prefer docker-compose.dev.yml for local development unless you
need to fold RustFS into an existing custom Compose stack.
If you want to add RustFS to your own `docker-compose.yml`, use a pinned RustFS image plus two helper
services:
```yaml theme={null}
services:
rustfs-perms:
image: busybox:1.36.1
user: "0:0"
command: ["sh", "-c", "mkdir -p /data && chown -R 10001:10001 /data"]
volumes:
- rustfs-data:/data
rustfs:
image: rustfs/rustfs:1.0.0-alpha.93
restart: always
depends_on:
rustfs-perms:
condition: service_completed_successfully
command: /data
environment:
RUSTFS_ACCESS_KEY: "${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_ADMIN_USER}"
RUSTFS_SECRET_KEY: "${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_ADMIN_PASSWORD}"
RUSTFS_ADDRESS: ":9000"
RUSTFS_CONSOLE_ENABLE: "true"
RUSTFS_CONSOLE_ADDRESS: ":9001"
ports:
- "9000:9000"
- "9001:9001"
volumes:
- rustfs-data:/data
rustfs-init:
image: minio/mc@sha256:95b5f3f7969a5c5a9f3a700ba72d5c84172819e13385aaf916e237cf111ab868
depends_on:
- rustfs
environment:
RUSTFS_ADMIN_USER: "${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_ADMIN_USER}"
RUSTFS_ADMIN_PASSWORD: "${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_ADMIN_PASSWORD}"
RUSTFS_SERVICE_USER: "${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_SERVICE_USER}"
RUSTFS_SERVICE_PASSWORD: "${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_SERVICE_PASSWORD}"
RUSTFS_BUCKET_NAME: "${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_BUCKET_NAME}"
RUSTFS_POLICY_NAME: "${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_POLICY_NAME}"
entrypoint:
- /bin/sh
- -c
- |
set -e
until mc alias set rustfs http://rustfs:9000 "$RUSTFS_ADMIN_USER" "$RUSTFS_ADMIN_PASSWORD" >/dev/null 2>&1 \
&& mc ls rustfs >/dev/null 2>&1; do
sleep 2
done
mc mb rustfs/"$RUSTFS_BUCKET_NAME" --ignore-existing
cat > /tmp/formbricks-policy.json << EOF
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": ["s3:DeleteObject", "s3:GetObject", "s3:PutObject"],
"Resource": ["arn:aws:s3:::$RUSTFS_BUCKET_NAME/*"]
},
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": ["s3:ListBucket"],
"Resource": ["arn:aws:s3:::$RUSTFS_BUCKET_NAME"]
}
]
}
EOF
if ! mc admin policy info rustfs "$RUSTFS_POLICY_NAME" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
mc admin policy create rustfs "$RUSTFS_POLICY_NAME" /tmp/formbricks-policy.json || \
mc admin policy add rustfs "$RUSTFS_POLICY_NAME" /tmp/formbricks-policy.json
fi
if ! mc admin user info rustfs "$RUSTFS_SERVICE_USER" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
mc admin user add rustfs "$RUSTFS_SERVICE_USER" "$RUSTFS_SERVICE_PASSWORD"
fi
mc admin policy attach rustfs "$RUSTFS_POLICY_NAME" --user "$RUSTFS_SERVICE_USER"
```
Declare the corresponding volume:
```yaml theme={null}
volumes:
rustfs-data:
driver: local
```
Store the generated RustFS credentials in a local `.env` file next to your `docker-compose.yml` instead of
hardcoding them in Compose:
```bash theme={null}
FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_ADMIN_USER=formbricks-root
FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_ADMIN_PASSWORD=change-this-secure-password
FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_SERVICE_USER=formbricks-service
FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_SERVICE_PASSWORD=change-this-service-password
FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_BUCKET_NAME=formbricks
FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_POLICY_NAME=formbricks-policy
FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_REGION=us-east-1
```
Then configure Formbricks to use the RustFS service credentials:
```bash theme={null}
S3_ACCESS_KEY="${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_SERVICE_USER}"
S3_SECRET_KEY="${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_SERVICE_PASSWORD}"
S3_REGION="${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_REGION}"
S3_BUCKET_NAME="${FORMBRICKS_RUSTFS_BUCKET_NAME}"
S3_ENDPOINT_URL="http://rustfs:9000"
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE="1"
```
Restrict the `.env` file to `0600` and do not commit it to source control. For production, prefer the
[one-click setup script](/self-hosting/setup/one-click), which creates a separate least-privilege service
account automatically.
#### Tips & Common Gotchas
* **Permission denied on `/data`**: Ensure the mounted directory or volume is owned by UID `10001`. The
`rustfs-perms` helper handles this for Compose-managed volumes.
* **Storage medium matters**: Prefer local SSD or NVMe storage for `rustfs-data`, use XFS on dedicated
host-managed disks where possible, and avoid NFS or other network filesystems for RustFS data.
* **Connection refused**: Ensure the `rustfs` container is running and port `9000` is reachable from the
Formbricks container.
* **Bucket not found**: Confirm that `rustfs-init` completed successfully or create the bucket manually with
`mc`.
* **Auth failed**: Confirm that `S3_ACCESS_KEY` and `S3_SECRET_KEY` match the RustFS credentials configured on
the server.
* **Backups**: Back up the `rustfs-data` volume regularly, especially for single-server deployments.
* **Console exposure**: Do not expose the RustFS console port publicly in production. Keep it on a private
network or behind admin-only controls.
* **Health check**: From the Formbricks container:
```bash theme={null}
docker compose exec formbricks sh -c 'wget -O- http://rustfs:9000/health'
```
### Production Setup with Traefik
For production deployments, use the [one-click setup script](/self-hosting/setup/one-click), which
automatically configures:
* RustFS behind Traefik on a dedicated `files.yourdomain.com` subdomain
* Automatic SSL certificate generation via Let's Encrypt
* CORS configuration scoped to your Formbricks domain
* Rate limiting middleware
* Separate RustFS admin and Formbricks service credentials
* A `rustfs-init` job that creates the bucket and access policy
The production setup from [formbricks.sh](https://github.com/formbricks/formbricks/blob/main/docker/formbricks.sh)
adds the reverse proxy wiring and bootstrap automation needed for long-lived deployments.
Even in the one-click flow, bundled RustFS remains a convenience-oriented single-server deployment. For
higher availability, stricter operational requirements, or larger storage footprints, prefer external object
storage or a dedicated RustFS deployment managed separately from Formbricks.
## Debug
If you encounter any issues, you can check the logs of the container with this command:
```bash theme={null}
docker compose logs -f
```
In an ideal case, you should see this:
```bash theme={null}
[+] Running 9/16
⠹ formbricks 15 layers [⣿⣤⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀] 29.78MB/47.76MB Pulling 13.3s
✔ 7264a8db6415 Already exists 0.0s
⠋ 751194035c36 Downloading [===============================> ] 29.78MB/47.76... 8.1s
✔ eff5dce73b38 Download complete 1.7s
✔ c8ce5be43019 Download complete 1.2s
✔ a2f33c630af5 Download complete 5.1s
✔ e3b64e437860 Download complete 3.3s
✔ a6551ac5f976 Download complete 4.9s
✔ 4f4fb700ef54 Download complete 6.0s
✔ 22163889e16b Download complete 6.7s
✔ dc647bb9eb13 Download complete 7.8s
⠋ 49c2ad494720 Waiting 8.1s
⠋ 5c797a842dcb Waiting 8.1s
⠋ 1f231213db04 Waiting 8.1s
⠋ e407294bdcda Waiting 8.1s
⠋ 6fd8358dca47 Pulling fs layer 8.1s
[+] Running 2/2
✔ Container formbricks-quickstart-postgres-1 Created 0.0s
✔ Container formbricks-quickstart-formbricks-1 Created 0.0s
```
And at the tail of the output, you should see this:
```bash theme={null}
formbricks-quickstart-formbricks-1 | All migrations have been successfully applied.
formbricks-quickstart-formbricks-1 |
formbricks-quickstart-formbricks-1 | - info Loaded env from /home/nextjs/apps/web/.env
formbricks-quickstart-formbricks-1 | Listening on port 3000 url: http://:3000
```
You can close the logs again by hitting `CTRL + C`.
**Customizing environment variables**
To edit any of the available environment variables, check out our [Configuration](/self-hosting/configuration/environment-variables) section!
If you have any questions or require help, feel free to reach out to us on [**GitHub Discussions**](https://github.com/formbricks/formbricks/discussions). 😃