Quick Start Guide

The easiest way to quickly setup and install dotCMS starter site is by using the standard dotCMS Docker images.

Installation Steps#

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1. Download and install Docker (or Docker Desktop).
2. Ensure that you have Docker Compose installed.
   • If you installed Docker Desktop in Step 1, this is already installed.
   • To test: Open a terminal and type docker compose.
   • If Docker Compose is not present, or if you would like more information on the messages you receive, please see the Docker Compose documentation.
3. Visit Current Releases. Select a recent version from the dropdown, optionally with Demo Site included, to generate a Docker Compose file. Download the file.
4. In your terminal, navigate to the folder containing the file and use docker compose up.

Important Notes#

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• Make sure that docker has enough memory to run the containers required by dotCMS. We recommend dedicating at least 2 CPUs and 4GB RAM assigned to your docker environment. 4GB is considered a good "medium" level of memory for current versions; however, depending on your needs and implementation, you may be able to run comfortably on less memory; likewise, more intense usage may call for more. On Windows and macOS, you can adjust these settings in the Docker Desktop preferences.
• If the DOT_INITIAL_ADMIN_PASSWORD configuration property is not specified in your docker-compose.yml file, the password used to access the dotCMS admin@dotcms.com account will be randomly generated on first startup. It can be found in the server logs on startup, similar in appearance to the following:

#######################################################################
##      NOTICE: admin@dotcms.com password set to Bzqk#s4=TCwe3@      ##
##        WARNING: Once logged in. Please change this password.      ##
#######################################################################

* By default, example projects downloaded from [Current Releases](current-releases#download-docker-compose-yaml) have this property preconfigured with an initial admin password of `admin`.

• If you are loading the full starter site, dotCMS may take 5 minutes or more to startup the first time.
  • You will know that the server has started up when you see message like this in the log files: 20-May-20XX 17:41:24.463 INFO [main] org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.start Server startup in 157516 ms
• These Docker Compose examples use an externalized Opensearch server and a Postgres database.
• Any errors will be reported in the dotcms.log file.
  • If you are unable to start dotCMS and need assistance, please include this log file with your request.
• To stop the Docker image, hit ctrl+C in the console where you started the image.
  • This will stop the Docker image, but if you wish to restart the image, you will also need to run docker compose down before the restart.
• To run the Docker image in the background (and tail the logs), run: docker compose down && docker compose up -d && docker compose logs -f

Accessing your dotCMS#

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To view the front end of the dotCMS site, enter the following address in your browser:

Please note: To access the dotCMS Admin tools you should always use a HTTPS/SSL port as many of the cookies used to manage session are marked https-only. Be sure the appropriate ports are open.

https://local.dotcms.site:8443

If this address does not work due to port closures, DNS issues, or other reasons, you can achieve the same result through either of the following:

• https://localhost:8443
• http://localhost:8082

To log in to the Admin console on the starter site:

1. In your browser, go to https://local.dotcms.site:8443/dotAdmin (or the comparable localhost address)
2. Login using the admin credentials from the dotCMS log files: