Install Cove with Docker

Use Docker on any system that can run Linux containers. This includes Docker Engine on Linux and Docker Desktop on Windows or macOS. Cove publishes Linux amd64 and arm64 images for stable releases and provides two Compose files:

• All in one runs Cove, PostgreSQL, pgvector, and FFmpeg in one application container. Choose it when you want the fewest services to operate.
• App and database runs Cove and PostgreSQL as separate services. Choose it when you want to manage the database container separately.

Install Docker with Compose before continuing. If you use Docker Desktop on Windows, make sure it is configured to run Linux containers.

Do not expose a new deployment to the internet before first-run setup is complete. The provided Compose files publish port 5073 on all host interfaces, and owner creation remains open until the first owner exists. Restrict the host to a trusted network with a firewall or reverse proxy until you have created the owner account.

Prepare persistent storage and media

1. Download docker-compose.allinone.yml or docker-compose.yml from Cove’s docker directory.

2. Work from the directory containing the selected file.

3. Choose a host directory for persistent Cove data. The files use ./cove-data by default. To keep it elsewhere on any host platform, create a .env file beside the Compose file and add COVE_DATA_DIR=your-path, using a path Docker can access.

4. Edit the commented media-volume example so its host path points to your library:

   volumes:
     # Choose the host path for your platform:
     - /srv/media:/media                  # Linux
     # - /Users/your-name/Media:/media    # macOS
     # - C:/Media:/media                  # Windows

Use only one media line. The value before the colon is a path on the host; /media is the path visible inside Cove and is the path you enter during first-run setup. Docker Desktop must be allowed to share the selected Windows or macOS directory.

The provided media mount is read-write so Cove can delete source files and installed extensions can provide rename workflows. Append :ro only when you intentionally want to prevent those changes. Scanning still works with a read-only media mount.

Start the all-in-one deployment

From the directory containing docker-compose.allinone.yml, run:

docker compose --file docker-compose.allinone.yml up --detach
docker compose --file docker-compose.allinone.yml ps

The output should show the cove service running. Compose automatically reads COVE_DATA_DIR from the optional .env file; without one, it uses ./cove-data.

Start the app-and-database deployment

From the directory containing docker-compose.yml, run:

docker compose --file docker-compose.yml up --detach
docker compose --file docker-compose.yml ps

The output should show cove running and db healthy. The Compose file supplies their internal database connection. If you change its database credentials, update both the PostgreSQL service and Cove’s connection string so they continue to match.

Know what is persisted

Both provided deployments use the same host layout under COVE_DATA_DIR:

Host location	Container path	Contents
${COVE_DATA_DIR}/pgdata	Deployment-specific PostgreSQL data path	Cove’s PostgreSQL database
${COVE_DATA_DIR}/config	/config	cove-config.json, installed extensions, and logs
${COVE_DATA_DIR}/generated	/generated	Covers, thumbnails, previews, and other derived assets
${COVE_DATA_DIR}/backups	/backups	Database and configuration backups
The media path you add	/media in the example	Source media

The named cache volume is disposable. Do not remove the database, config, generated, or backup mounts when customizing the Compose file.

Open and verify Cove

On the Docker host, open http://localhost:5073. From another computer on the trusted network, replace localhost with the Docker host’s address. The first-run setup wizard should appear.

If a service exits or repeatedly restarts, rerun the matching ps command and inspect its logs:

docker compose --file docker-compose.allinone.yml logs --tail 100 cove

Use docker-compose.yml in that command if you chose the separate app-and-database deployment. See startup troubleshooting if Cove still does not remain available.

Once the setup wizard appears, continue with Complete first-run setup.