For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.

On-premise installation

Set up and run a private, on-premise instance of the Heisenware platform (see Installation modes).

Prerequisites: Docker installation

The Heisenware platform runs inside Docker containers. Before installing Heisenware, you must set up a working Docker environment on your server or local computer.

If you run a Linux distribution (such as Ubuntu, Debian, or CentOS), install Docker Engine, which includes the Docker Compose plugin.

  1. Follow the official Docker guides to install Docker Engine for your specific distribution:

  2. Run all subsequent commands inside your standard terminal window.

Modern Windows systems use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to run Docker. This provides a stable Linux environment directly inside Windows.

Step 1: Install WSL and Ubuntu

  1. Open PowerShell as an administrator (search for PowerShell in the Start menu, right-click, and select Run as administrator).

  2. Run the following command:

    wsl --install
  3. This command enables the required Windows features, downloads the Linux kernel, and installs Ubuntu as your default distribution.

  4. Restart your computer when prompted to complete the installation.

Step 2: Install Docker Desktop for Windows

  1. Download Docker Desktop from the official website: Docker Desktop for Windows.

  2. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions. Ensure you check the Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V (recommended) option during setup.

  3. Open Docker Desktop. It automatically detects and integrates with your WSL Ubuntu environment.

Step 3: Work inside the WSL terminal

Run all subsequent installation commands inside your WSL Ubuntu environment.

  1. Open the Start menu, search for Ubuntu, and launch the terminal.

  2. Use this terminal to copy your installation files and execute the installation script.

  1. Download Docker Desktop from the official website: Docker Desktop for Mac.

  2. Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag the Docker icon to your Applications folder.

  3. Launch Docker Desktop from your applications and grant any requested system permissions.

Run all subsequent commands in the native Terminal app located in /Applications/Utilities.

Installing Heisenware

We will provide two files for your installation:

  • heisenware-onprem-vXX-Y.tar.gz – The primary application package.

  • install.sh – The installation script.

Place both files in an empty directory on your machine. If you are on Windows, ensure you place these files inside your WSL Ubuntu environment (for example, /home/<username>/heisenware/).

Optional: Direct download using the terminal

Your server requires outbound internet access to downloads.heisenware.cloud (Germany, static IP: 128.140.88.150) to retrieve the application bundles and installation scripts. Ensure your network firewall permits this traffic.

You can download the files directly to your server terminal using a time-bound bundle link. Download the package using wget:

wget -O heisenware.tar.gz "<provided_download_link>"

You can download the latest install.sh script at any time:

wget "https://downloads.heisenware.cloud/public/install.sh"
1

Open the terminal

Navigate to the directory containing your installation files.

  • Windows: Open the Ubuntu application from your Start menu.

  • macOS and Linux: Open your standard system terminal.

Change to your installation directory:

2

Make the script executable

Grant execute permissions to the installation script:

3

Run the installer

Run the installer script and pass the application package as an argument:

The script guides you through the process with a series of prompts. It unpacks the necessary files, imports the Docker images, and configures your environment.

4

Start the platform

Start the platform services in the background:

It may take a few minutes for all system services to initialize during the first startup.

Platform access and initial setup

  • Access: The platform is available at http://localhost (or http://localhost/manager). Because the system uses self-signed certificates, your browser will display a security warning. You can safely proceed past this warning.

  • Certificates: If you have custom domain certificates, place them in the certs folder. Maintain the default filenames, and restart the proxy service to apply them: docker restart heisenware-ingress-1.

  • Account creation: You must register a new local administrator account on your fresh installation. Click the registration link on the login page to set up your email and password. External providers like Google do not function on local offline servers.

Updating your installation

The update process is safe and preserves your existing data. When a new version is released, download the latest application package and run the installer again.

  1. Place the new package file in your active installation directory, overwriting the old package.

  2. Execute the installer script:

The script automatically detects your existing installation and runs in update mode.

Automatic backup

Before applying any changes, the script creates a full archive of your platform data and stores it as a timestamped .tar.gz file inside the backup/ directory.

Rollback and restoring a backup

If an update fails or causes unexpected issues, you can roll back your system to a previous backup state.

  1. Locate your desired backup archive inside the backup/ directory.

  2. Run the installation script and pass the path to your backup archive:

  3. The script enters restore mode. Confirm the prompt to stop the platform and overwrite the current data with the backup contents.

  4. Restart the platform services:

Basic application management

Data persistence

Your databases, configurations, and assets persist inside dedicated Docker volumes. Power-cycling your host machine or restarting individual containers will not cause data loss. If the platform becomes unresponsive, restarting the containers is the recommended troubleshooting step.

Dynamic container isolation

Execute these commands from your installation directory to manage your on-premise instance:

  • Stop the platform: Run the following command to force-stop and remove all active containers:

    Caution: This stops and removes all containers running on your host machine. Do not run this if you host other Docker-based applications alongside Heisenware.

  • Start the platform:

  • View live logs for all services:

  • View live logs for a specific service:

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