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This guide will get Cap running on your local machine or server using Docker Compose in just one command.

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Prerequisites

  • Docker 24.0+ and Docker Compose 2.0+ installed
  • At least 4GB RAM available
  • Ports 3000 and 9000 available

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One-Command Installation

1

Clone and Start

Run this single command to clone Cap and start all services:
git clone https://github.com/CapSoftware/Cap.git && cd Cap && docker compose up -d
This will:
  • Clone the Cap repository
  • Pull pre-built Docker images from GitHub Container Registry
  • Start Cap Web, Media Server, MySQL, and MinIO
  • Create necessary volumes for data persistence
2

Access Cap

Once the containers are running, Cap will be available at:
http://localhost:3000
Open this URL in your browser to access Cap.
3

Get Login Link

Since email is not configured by default, login links appear in the logs:
docker compose logs cap-web -f
Look for output like:
Login link: http://localhost:3000/api/auth/callback/email?token=...
Copy this URL and paste it into your browser to log in.
The default configuration uses placeholder passwords suitable for local development only. For production deployments, see Production Configuration below.

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Verify Installation

Check that all services are running: 
docker compose ps
You should see: 
NAME                 STATUS
cap-web              Up (healthy)
cap-media-server     Up (healthy)
cap-mysql            Up (healthy)
cap-minio            Up (healthy)
cap-minio-setup      Exited (0)
If services show as unhealthy:
  1. Check logs: docker compose logs [service-name]
  2. Wait 60 seconds for health checks to pass
  3. Restart if needed: docker compose restart
  4. See Troubleshooting for more help

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Test Video Upload

1

Connect Cap Desktop

  1. Download Cap Desktop
  2. Open Settings
  3. Set Cap Server URL to http://localhost:3000
2

Record and Upload

  1. Record a short test video
  2. Click Share
  3. Video will upload to your local Cap instance
3

Verify Playback

Open the share link in your browser to verify the video plays correctly.

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Production Configuration

The default setup is fine for testing, but production deployments require additional configuration.
Critical for Production: The default docker-compose.yml contains placeholder secrets that are publicly visible in the GitHub repository. You must generate unique secrets before exposing your instance to the internet.

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Generate Secrets

Run this command three times to generate secure secrets: 
openssl rand -hex 32
Use the output for:
  • NEXTAUTH_SECRET
  • DATABASE_ENCRYPTION_KEY
  • MEDIA_SERVER_WEBHOOK_SECRET

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Create .env File

Create a .env file in the Cap directory:
.env
# Required for Production
CAP_URL=https://cap.yourdomain.com
S3_PUBLIC_URL=https://s3.yourdomain.com

# Security (generate with: openssl rand -hex 32)
NEXTAUTH_SECRET=your-generated-secret-here
DATABASE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-generated-key-here
MEDIA_SERVER_WEBHOOK_SECRET=your-generated-secret-here

# Database
MYSQL_PASSWORD=your-secure-mysql-password
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=your-secure-root-password

# Storage
MINIO_ROOT_USER=capadmin
MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD=your-secure-minio-password

# Email (optional but recommended)
RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxxxx
RESEND_FROM_DOMAIN=yourdomain.com

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Restart with New Configuration

docker compose down
docker compose up -d

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Next Steps

Email Setup

Configure Resend to send login emails

SSL/HTTPS

Set up a reverse proxy with SSL certificates

S3 Storage

Use AWS S3 or other S3 providers

Environment Variables

Complete configuration reference

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Common Commands

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

# View logs for specific service
docker compose logs cap-web -f

# Restart services
docker compose restart

# Stop Cap
docker compose down

# Stop and remove all data
docker compose down -v

# Update to latest version
git pull
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d
The command docker compose down -v will delete all data including videos, users, and database content. Only use this if you want to start completely fresh.

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