Install on your computer
Run Fleetdock only on your own machine — macOS, Linux, or Windows through WSL2 — private to that computer, with no root and nothing exposed to the network.
Fleetdock can run entirely on your own machine, with nothing reachable from the network. Your metadata, credentials and encryption key never leave the computer.
This is the right choice when you want to manage databases this computer can already reach — on it, on your network, or through a VPN or SSH tunnel — and you do not need other servers to connect to Fleetdock. To manage a fleet of servers with the agent, install the Manager on a server instead.
1. Install Docker and run the installer
Install Docker Desktop (or
brew install --cask docker) and start it once. Then, in Terminal:
curl -sSL https://fleetdock.dev/install.sh | shOn macOS this is always a local install.
- Install WSL2: in PowerShell, run
wsl --installand restart. - Install Docker Desktop. In Settings → Resources → WSL integration, turn it on for your Linux distribution (Ubuntu by default).
- Open the Ubuntu terminal — not PowerShell or Git Bash — and run:
curl -sSL https://fleetdock.dev/install.sh | shInside WSL this is always a local install. Open the dashboard in your normal Windows
browser; Docker Desktop forwards localhost.
Install Docker Engine. To run without sudo,
add yourself to the docker group and log out and back in:
sudo usermod -aG docker "$USER"Then:
curl -sSL https://fleetdock.dev/install.sh | sh -s -- --localWithout --local, the installer asks where you are installing — answer
2) Only this computer.
The installer shows what it is about to do and asks you to confirm, then prints your login:
Fleetdock is running.
Dashboard http://localhost
Email [email protected]
Password 8fK2mQ...Run it without sudo on macOS and Windows: Docker Desktop runs as you, and Fleetdock
installs into your home folder.
Port 80 already in use? The installer offers the next free port, or choose one with
--port 8090. Move it later with fleetdock port 3333.
2. Connect your databases
In the dashboard: Databases → Connect database server → Connect to one anywhere, then enter the host, port and an admin login.
| Where the database runs | Host to enter |
|---|---|
| On this same computer (installed directly, or a container with a published port) | host.docker.internal |
| Another machine on your network | its IP address or hostname, e.g. 192.168.1.20 |
| Behind an SSH tunnel opened on this computer | host.docker.internal and the tunnel's local port |
| A hosted database (RDS, Neon, …) | its hostname |
Do not enter localhost or 127.0.0.1. Fleetdock runs in a container, so those mean the
container itself, and Fleetdock refuses them.
A database on this computer must listen on an address Docker can reach. PostgreSQL often
listens on 127.0.0.1 only — set listen_addresses = '*' in postgresql.conf and allow
the Docker network in pg_hba.conf. A database in its own container just needs its port
published (-p 5432:5432).
Keep a backup
Everything lives on this computer: configuration and keys in ~/.fleetdock/.env, metadata
in a Docker volume. Copy these off the machine now and then:
fleetdock backup-config # .env — holds the key that decrypts stored passwords
fleetdock backup-db # the metadata databaseWhat a local install cannot do
| Limit | Why |
|---|---|
| Servers elsewhere cannot connect agents | They must reach Fleetdock, and localhost is only reachable from this computer |
| Scheduled backups and alerts run only while the computer is on | Fleetdock runs them itself, and sleeps with your laptop |
| No HTTPS | No public address for a certificate; traffic never leaves the computer |
| External database access (the gateway) | Docker Desktop hides the client's real address, so allowlists reject everyone |
To let agents on the same network or VPN enrol, give Fleetdock an address they can reach —
fleetdock domain 192.168.1.20. That also makes it listen on every network interface, over
plain HTTP; fleetdock domain localhost makes it private again.
The full guide, including moving a local install to a server later, is docs/LOCAL.md in the repository.
Manager installation
Install and operate the Fleetdock Manager control plane with Docker Compose, TLS, persistent storage, and production configuration.
Agent installation
Install, configure, and operate the Fleetdock Agent on a database node — one command to enroll, plus service management, logs, and uninstall.