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Docker is the recommended way to run Memos. It provides a consistent environment and makes installation simple.

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Quick Start

Run Memos with a single command: 
docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  -p 5230:5230 \
  -v ~/.memos:/var/opt/memos \
  neosmemo/memos:stable
Open http://localhost:5230 in your browser and start using Memos!

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Image Tags

Memos provides multiple Docker image tags:
  • stable - Latest stable release (recommended for production)
  • 0.28 - Latest patch version of 0.28.x
  • 0.28.1 - Specific version
  • latest - Development build from main branch (not recommended for production)

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Data Persistence

Memos stores all data in /var/opt/memos inside the container. Mount this directory to persist your data: 
-v ~/.memos:/var/opt/memos
You can use any host path: 
-v /path/to/your/data:/var/opt/memos

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Environment Variables

1

Configure basic settings

Control Memos behavior using environment variables from cmd/memos/main.go:23-137:
docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  -p 5230:5230 \
  -v ~/.memos:/var/opt/memos \
  -e MEMOS_PORT=5230 \
  -e MEMOS_DRIVER=sqlite \
  neosmemo/memos:stable
2

Available variables

VariableDefaultDescription
MEMOS_PORT8081HTTP server port (container default: 5230)
MEMOS_ADDR“Bind address (empty = all interfaces)
MEMOS_DATA~/.memosData directory path
MEMOS_DRIVERsqliteDatabase driver: sqlite, mysql, postgres
MEMOS_DSN“Database connection string
MEMOS_INSTANCE_URL“Public instance URL
MEMOS_DEMOfalseEnable demo mode

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Using External Database

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MySQL

docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  -p 5230:5230 \
  -v ~/.memos:/var/opt/memos \
  -e MEMOS_DRIVER=mysql \
  -e MEMOS_DSN="user:password@tcp(mysql-host:3306)/memos" \
  neosmemo/memos:stable

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PostgreSQL

docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  -p 5230:5230 \
  -v ~/.memos:/var/opt/memos \
  -e MEMOS_DRIVER=postgres \
  -e MEMOS_DSN="postgres://user:password@postgres-host:5432/memos?sslmode=disable" \
  neosmemo/memos:stable
When using external databases, you may not need the data volume for database files, but it’s still used for attachments and other assets.

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Security: Using Docker Secrets

For sensitive credentials, use Docker secrets instead of environment variables: 
echo "postgres://user:password@host:5432/memos" | docker secret create memos_dsn -

docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  -p 5230:5230 \
  -v ~/.memos:/var/opt/memos \
  -e MEMOS_DRIVER=postgres \
  -e MEMOS_DSN_FILE=/run/secrets/memos_dsn \
  --secret memos_dsn \
  neosmemo/memos:stable
The entrypoint script (scripts/entrypoint.sh:17-41) supports *_FILE suffix for any environment variable.

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Container User

Memos runs as a non-root user for security:
  • UID: 10001
  • GID: 10001
  • Username: nonroot
  • Home: /var/opt/memos
The entrypoint script automatically fixes ownership of mounted volumes (scripts/entrypoint.sh:3-15).

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Custom UID/GID

Override the default user IDs: 
docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  -p 5230:5230 \
  -v ~/.memos:/var/opt/memos \
  -e MEMOS_UID=1000 \
  -e MEMOS_GID=1000 \
  neosmemo/memos:stable

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Container Management

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View Logs

docker logs memos

# Follow logs
docker logs -f memos

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Stop Container

docker stop memos

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Start Container

docker start memos

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Restart Container

docker restart memos

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Remove Container

docker stop memos
docker rm memos
Removing the container does not delete your data if you mounted a volume. Your data remains in the host directory.

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Updating Memos

1

Pull the latest image

docker pull neosmemo/memos:stable
2

Stop and remove the old container

docker stop memos
docker rm memos
3

Start a new container

docker run -d \
  --name memos \
  -p 5230:5230 \
  -v ~/.memos:/var/opt/memos \
  neosmemo/memos:stable
Your data is preserved because it’s stored in the mounted volume.

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Platform Support

The Docker image supports multiple architectures (scripts/Dockerfile:1):
  • linux/amd64 - x86_64 processors
  • linux/arm64 - ARM 64-bit (Apple Silicon, Raspberry Pi 4+)
  • linux/arm/v7 - ARM 32-bit (Raspberry Pi 2/3)
Docker automatically selects the correct image for your platform.

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Next Steps

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