Quick Start Installer

The guided installer is an optional way to deploy Standard Deployment — the setup most people use. It walks you through configuration interactively, writes your env files, and includes a management menu for updates and backups.

For manual Standard Deployment setup with Docker Compose, see Standard Deployment.

One-line install

curl -sSL https://get.adventurelog.app | bash

What the installer does

1. Checks dependencies (Docker, Compose v2, RAM, CPU architecture)
2. Detects ARM hosts and configures a compatible PostGIS image automatically
3. Creates the ./adventurelog project directory (configurable via INSTALL_DIR)
4. Downloads compose files, env files, and management scripts
5. Walks you through site URL, admin credentials, and optional features (S3, email, integrations)
6. Starts containers and waits for the /health endpoint
7. Saves credentials to credentials.txt when generated

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Docker + Compose v2	Required
RAM	2 GB recommended on first boot; ~1 GB afterward
OS	Linux server, VPS, or macOS with Docker Desktop
Domain	Optional — set SITE_URL for HTTPS behind a reverse proxy

ARM / Apple Silicon

The installer automatically uses imresamu/postgis:16-3.5-alpine on ARM hosts. AdventureLog images are multi-arch.

Setup modes

During installation you can choose:

Mode	Compose file	Env file	When to use
Standard Deployment (default)	docker-compose.yml	.env	Simplest — one port, auto-derived URLs
Advanced Deployment	docker/docker-compose.advanced.yml	.env.advanced	Full env control, separate frontend/backend ports

Management menu

Re-run the installer when an install already exists:

curl -sSL https://get.adventurelog.app | bash
# or from the install directory:
bash install_adventurelog.sh --manage

Options include status, update, reconfigure, backup, restore, logs, restart, and uninstall. See Operations & Maintenance.

Dry run

Preview what the installer would do without making changes:

curl -sSL https://get.adventurelog.app | bash -s -- --dry-run --force-install
# or from a repo checkout:
ADVENTURELOG_SKIP_GUM=1 bash install_adventurelog.sh --dry-run --force-install

Uninstall

From the management menu, choose Uninstall, or manually:

cd adventurelog
docker compose --env-file .env down -v
rm -rf adventurelog

Next steps

• Standard Deployment — how the single-container setup works
• Advanced Deployment — multi-container configuration
• Environment Variables — full reference
• Other install options