versioned_docs/version-v0.16/GettingStarted/DockerComposeSetup.md

---
title: "Install via Docker Compose"
description: >
  The steps to install DevLake via Docker Compose
sidebar_position: 1
---

## Prerequisites

- [Docker v19.03.10+](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker)
- [docker-compose v2.2.3+](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/) (If you have Docker Desktop installed then you already have the Compose plugin installed)

## Launch DevLake

1. Download `docker-compose.yml` and `env.example` from the [latest release](https://github.com/apache/incubator-devlake/releases/tag/v0.16.1-beta1) into a folder.
2. Rename `env.example` to `.env`. For Mac/Linux users, please run `mv env.example .env` in the terminal. This file contains the environment variables that the Devlake server will use. Additional ones can be found in the compose file(s).
3. Run `docker-compose up -d` if the version of Docker Desktop is too low to use `docker compose up -d`.

## Collect data and view dashboards

1. Visit "config-ui" at `http://localhost:4000` in your browser to configure DevLake and collect data.
   - Please follow the [tutorial](Configuration/Tutorial.md)
   - "devlake" container takes a while to fully boot up. If "config-ui" complains about API being unreachable, please wait a few seconds and refresh the page.
2. To view dashboards, click _View Dashboards_ button in the top left corner, or visit `localhost:3002` (username: "admin", password: "admin").
   - We use [Grafana](https://grafana.com/) to visualize the DevOps [data](/Overview/SupportedDataSources.md) and build dashboards.
   - For how to customize and provision dashboards, please see our [Grafana doc](../Configuration/Dashboards/GrafanaUserGuide.md).

## Upgrade to a newer version

Please note: **Back up your Grafana dashboards** before upgrading if you have modified/customized any dashboards. You can re-import these dashboards to Grafana after the upgrade.

1. Run `docker-compose down` to stop services;
2. Open file "docker-compose.yml". Change the image tags of "grafana", "devlake" and "config-ui" to the new version, and save;
3. Run `docker-compose up -d` to start DevLake services.

Please check the [upgrade doc](Upgrade.md) for more information.

## FAQ
### Can I use an external Database service instead of running Database in Docker?

    Yes, you can simply comment out the 'mysql' part in 'docker-compose.yml' and update some configurations in '.env' before you run docker compose up -d, here are the steps:

1. Comment out mysql part:
```yaml
  mysql:
    image: mysql:8
    volumes:
      - mysql-storage:/var/lib/mysql
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:3306:3306"
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: admin
      MYSQL_DATABASE: lake
      MYSQL_USER: merico
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: merico
    command:
      --character-set-server=utf8mb4
      --collation-server=utf8mb4_bin
```

2. Comment out the 'mysql' volume:

```yaml
volumes:
   mysql-storage:
```

3. Comment out the 'depends_on mysql' part:

```yaml
    depends_on:
      - mysql
```

4. Set DB_URL to your own DB_URL in .env

```bash
DB_URL="mysql://YOUR_USER:YOUR_PASSWORD@YOUR_IP:YOUR_PORT/lake?charset=utf8mb4&parseTime=True"
# Don't forget to create db named `lake` in your own db, and set character-set-server=utf8mb4, collation-server=utf8mb4_bin as below
#      character-set-server=utf8mb4
#      collation-server=utf8mb4_bin
```


5. Final step: `docker compose up -d`

### Can I use an external Grafana instead of running Grafana in Docker?

    Yes, you can simply comment out grafana part in docker-compose.yml and update some configurations in .env before you run `docker compose up -d`, here are the steps:

1. Comment out the 'grafana' part:

```yaml
  grafana:
    image: mericodev/devlake-dashboard:latest
    build:
      context: grafana/
    ports:
      - "3002:3000"
    volumes:
      - grafana-storage:/var/lib/grafana
    environment:
      GF_SERVER_ROOT_URL: "http://localhost:4000/grafana"
      GF_USERS_DEFAULT_THEME: "light"
      MYSQL_URL: mysql:3306
      MYSQL_DATABASE: lake
      MYSQL_USER: merico
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: merico
    restart: always
    depends_on:
      - mysql
```

2. Comment out grafana volume:

```yaml
volumes:
   grafana-storage:
```

3. Set config-ui.environment.GRAFANA_ENDPOINT to your own grafana url in docker-compose.yml

4. Final step: `docker compose up -d`

## Troubleshooting

If you run into any problem, please check the [Troubleshooting](/Troubleshooting/Installation.md) or [create an issue](https://github.com/apache/incubator-devlake/issues)