Docker Installation

Docker is the recommended installation method for Memos. It provides isolation, easy updates, and works consistently across all platforms.

Quick Start

The fastest way to get Memos running:

docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  --publish 5230:5230 \
  --volume ~/.memos/:/var/opt/memos \
  neosmemo/memos:stable

After the container starts, visit http://localhost:5230 to access your Memos instance.

Docker Compose (Recommended)

For production deployments, use Docker Compose:

docker-compose.yml

version: '3.8'

services:
  memos:
    image: neosmemo/memos:stable
    container_name: memos
    ports:
      - "5230:5230"
    volumes:
      - ./memos:/var/opt/memos
    environment:
      - MEMOS_MODE=prod
      - MEMOS_PORT=5230
    restart: unless-stopped

Start with:

docker compose up -d

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Common environment variables for Docker:

Variable	Default	Description
`MEMOS_MODE`	`dev`	Server mode (`dev` or `prod`)
`MEMOS_PORT`	`5230`	Server port
`MEMOS_DATA`	`/var/opt/memos`	Data directory
`MEMOS_DRIVER`	`sqlite`	Database driver
`MEMOS_DSN`	-	Database connection string

Volume Mounts

The container uses /var/opt/memos as the data directory. Mount this to persist data:

# Linux/macOS
-v ~/.memos/:/var/opt/memos

# Windows
-v %USERPROFILE%\.memos:/var/opt/memos

Database Configuration

SQLite (Default)

No additional configuration needed. Data is stored in the mounted volume.

PostgreSQL

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: memos
      POSTGRES_USER: memos
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: your-password
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

  memos:
    image: neosmemo/memos:stable
    depends_on:
      - postgres
    environment:
      - MEMOS_DRIVER=postgres
      - MEMOS_DSN=postgresql://memos:your-password@postgres:5432/memos
    ports:
      - "5230:5230"

volumes:
  postgres_data:

Updates

Update Container

# Stop current container
docker stop memos

# Remove container (data is preserved in volume)
docker rm memos

# Pull latest image
docker pull neosmemo/memos:stable

# Start new container
docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  --publish 5230:5230 \
  --volume ~/.memos/:/var/opt/memos \
  neosmemo/memos:stable

Using Docker Compose

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Troubleshooting

Container Won't Start

Check container logs:

docker logs memos

Permission Issues

Ensure proper ownership of the data directory:

sudo chown -R 1001:1001 ~/.memos/

Port Conflicts

If port 5230 is in use, change the mapping:

# Use port 8080 instead
--publish 8080:5230

Next Steps

After installation:

Production Tip: Always use specific version tags (e.g., neosmemo/memos:0.24.0) instead of stable in production to avoid unexpected updates.

Docker Installation

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