Quick Start

The fastest way to try CompassDocs is the one-command Docker installer. It starts the app and a PostgreSQL database together, generates strong random passwords, and prints your admin login.

Prerequisites

• Docker with Docker Compose v2 (the docker compose command). Docker Desktop includes both.

Install

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattny20/CompassDocs/main/install.sh | bash

This creates a ./compassdocs folder with a docker-compose.yml and a .env, pulls the latest image, and starts everything.

Open http://localhost:3000 to finish setup. (On a remote server, use http://<server-ip>:3000 and allow the port through your firewall, e.g. sudo ufw allow 3000/tcp — see Ports & firewall.)

Want your own domain with HTTPS from the start? Add COMPASSDOCS_TLS=1:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mattny20/CompassDocs/main/install.sh | COMPASSDOCS_TLS=1 bash

This bundles a Caddy reverse proxy on ports 80/443; you enter your domain and pick an HTTPS mode (automatic Let’s Encrypt, or self-signed for internal DNS) right in the setup wizard. See Custom domain & HTTPS.

Note

On first launch CompassDocs creates its own schema and seeds a few example spaces and documents — there are no manual migrations to run.

First-run setup

The first time you open a fresh install, CompassDocs shows a setup wizard where you create your admin account right in the browser — no generated password to look up. The wizard also optionally takes your company name, an Anthropic API key (enables AI answers), your domain + HTTPS mode (on COMPASSDOCS_TLS=1 installs), and — on Enterprise builds — your license key. Everything can also be set later from Settings. Once that’s done you’re signed in, and from Settings → Users & roles you add everyone else.

Provisioning headlessly (CI/automation)? Set COMPASSDOCS_ADMIN_USER and COMPASSDOCS_ADMIN_PASSWORD and the admin is created on first launch instead, skipping the wizard — see Environment variables.

Your dashboard

Signing in lands you on a personal dashboard: a search/Ask bar, a “Needs your attention” card listing anything actually waiting on you (change requests to review, read confirmations, content reviews coming due, reader suggestions), “Pick up where you left off” with your drafts and recently opened documents, and an author-attributed feed of the latest publishes and updates across your spaces. Sections only appear when they have something to show — a brand-new install starts pleasantly empty.

Next steps

• Create users and assign roles
• Choose an approval workflow
• Brand your workspace (name, logo, timezone, theme)
• Enable AI-powered answers
• Serve it on your own domain with HTTPS
• Set up scheduled backups

Prefer not to use Docker?

You can run CompassDocs directly with Node.js and a PostgreSQL database — see Manual install.