> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.obsidianlog.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Docker Compose Quickstart

> Run the ingest server in a container against the local backend, or wire up a self-hosted indexd.

`docker/docker-compose.yml` runs the ingest server in a container against
the **local backend** by default. It needs no Sia node, no wallet, and
nothing beyond Docker itself.

## The local-backend path

Every command here is a plain `docker compose` invocation, identical on
macOS, Linux, and Windows, except for step 4's `curl`, which needs a
different form on Windows.

**1. Start the ingest server** (builds the image on first run).

```sh theme={null}
docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml up -d obsidianlog
```

**2. One-time setup**: generates the encryption key (stored inside the
container's persistent volume, not your host keychain) and `config.toml`
(written to `./docker/config`, so you can inspect/edit it).

```sh theme={null}
docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml run --rm obsidianlog \
  init --non-interactive --config /etc/obsidianlog/config.toml
```

**3. Restart** so the now-configured server picks up the generated key.

```sh theme={null}
docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml restart obsidianlog
```

**4. Send a test log.** A successful ingest has an empty body, so `-w` is
what actually prints something (a `200` on its own line).

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="macOS / Linux">
    ```sh theme={null}
    curl -s -X POST http://localhost:7080/ingest \
      -H 'content-type: application/json' \
      -d '[{"timestamp":"2026-08-06T10:00:00Z","service":"api","level":"info","msg":"hello from docker"}]' \
      -w '%{http_code}\n'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    Assign the JSON to a variable first, PowerShell's quoting breaks on a
    curl command written the Unix way:

    ```powershell theme={null}
    $json = '[{"timestamp":"2026-08-06T10:00:00Z","service":"api","level":"info","msg":"hello from docker"}]'
    curl.exe -s -X POST http://localhost:7080/ingest -H "content-type: application/json" -d $json -w "%{http_code}\n"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

**5. Query it back.**

```sh theme={null}
docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml run --rm obsidianlog \
  query --config /etc/obsidianlog/config.toml --service api
```

**6. Verify the hash chain.**

```sh theme={null}
docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml run --rm obsidianlog \
  verify --config /etc/obsidianlog/config.toml
```

The encryption key and archived data live in the `obsidianlog-data` named
volume. They survive `docker compose restart`/`down` (without `-v`), so you
only run step 2 once. The key lands in that volume rather than a host
keychain because a bare container has no keychain daemon to talk to. The
same file-based fallback described in
[Security Model](/architecture-and-security/security-model) kicks in
automatically. To ship real logs instead of the `curl` smoke test,
see [Sending Logs with Vector](/deployment/sending-logs-with-vector).

## Optional: hosted Sia storage

Point the container at the hosted [sia.storage](https://sia.storage)
indexer instead of local disk, with no self-hosted `indexd` to run.
Replace step 2 of the local-backend path above with an interactive
setup instead, so you can choose Sia and complete the browser approval:

```sh theme={null}
docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml run --rm -it obsidianlog \
  init --config /etc/obsidianlog/config.toml
```

Choose **sia** at the backend prompt and accept the `sia.storage`
default at the indexer URL prompt. The recovery-phrase and
browser-approval flow works the same as outside Docker, see
[Connecting to Sia](/tutorials/sia-backend) for what to expect. Then
continue with steps 3–6 above unchanged, restarting the container picks
up the generated key and Sia app key together.

## Optional: self-hosted `indexd`

The `sia` Compose profile adds `indexd` + the PostgreSQL database it
requires, matching indexd's own official example. It's off by default.
`docker compose up` alone never starts it:

```sh theme={null}
cp docker/.env.example docker/.env    # set POSTGRES_PASSWORD
docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml --profile sia up -d
```

`indexd` itself needs its own one-time setup first (indexd's own documented
flow, not an ObsidianLog step):

```sh theme={null}
docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml run --rm indexd seed
docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml run --rm -it indexd config
```

Then run `obsidianlog init` interactively, choose the Sia backend, and enter
`http://localhost:9982` at the indexer URL prompt in place of the
`https://sia.storage` default. Onboarding happens inline, no separate
command needed. See
[Bring Your Own Indexer](/storage-backends/bring-your-own-indexer) for when
this is the right choice.