> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.postqueen.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Try her locally

> Run PostQueen on your own machine in about five minutes

This is the fastest way to see PostQueen working. Everything runs on your own machine, nothing
is exposed to the internet, and one command removes all of it when you are finished.

<Warning>
  **This is not a production install.** It runs over plain HTTP with the placeholder signing key
  that ships in the file. It is perfect for looking around, and it is not something to put on a
  public address. When you are ready for that, follow
  [Deploy to a server](/installation/production).
</Warning>

<Info>
  **Before you start.** You need Docker, and about 4 GB of free memory. Docker Desktop covers
  macOS and Windows, and on Linux you want Docker Engine with the Compose plugin.
</Info>

## Install and run

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install Docker">
    Download [Docker Desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/) for macOS or
    Windows and start it. On Linux, follow
    [Docker Engine's install page](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/) for your
    distribution.

    Check it is running:

    ```bash theme={"system"}
    docker --version
    docker compose version
    ```

    Both commands should print a version number. If `docker compose version` fails but
    `docker --version` works, you have Docker without the Compose plugin, and the install page
    above has the extra step for it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get the Compose file">
    ```bash theme={"system"}
    git clone https://github.com/GkhanKINAY/postqueen-docker-compose
    cd postqueen-docker-compose
    ```

    <Note>
      Do not skip the `cd`. Every command from here on runs inside that folder, because that is
      where `docker-compose.yaml` lives. Cloning also gives you the `dynamicconfig` folder, which
      Temporal reads on startup, so copying just the YAML out of this page would leave her
      without it.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start her">
    ```bash theme={"system"}
    docker compose up -d
    ```

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/forceplay/B3-2tTHDDqEkLyvR/images/brand/compose-up.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=B3-2tTHDDqEkLyvR&q=85&s=3d465e041da61618a2ac2f63ac223c6d" alt="docker compose up: the PostQueen stack starts and is ready on localhost 4007" width="620" height="380" data-path="images/brand/compose-up.svg" />
    </Frame>

    The first run downloads several images and takes a few minutes. You will see a lot of
    output, ending with each container reported as `Healthy` or `Started`:

    ```
     ✔ Container postqueen-postgres   Healthy
     ✔ Container postqueen-redis      Healthy
     ✔ Container temporal             Healthy
     ✔ Container temporal-ui          Started
     ✔ Container postqueen            Started
    ```

    Eight containers start in total: PostQueen, her database and Redis, and the four that make
    up Temporal plus its dashboard.

    The `-d` means she keeps running in the background after you close the terminal.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for her to be ready">
    She needs a minute or two on first boot to set up her database. Watch for it:

    ```bash theme={"system"}
    docker compose logs -f postqueen
    ```

    You are waiting for a line like:

    ```
    postqueen  | Backend started successfully on port 3000
    ```

    Press `Ctrl+C` to stop following the logs. That does not stop her, it only stops printing.

    You can also just ask whether everything is healthy:

    ```bash theme={"system"}
    docker compose ps
    ```

    <Check>
      Every container reads `Up`, and the log line above has appeared. She is running.
    </Check>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open her">
    Go to **[http://localhost:4007](http://localhost:4007)** in your browser.

    Create the first account. It becomes the owner of this install, so use an address you will
    remember. There is no email server configured here, so no confirmation mail is sent and the
    account is active straight away.

    <Check>
      **You are in.** The calendar loads, empty, with no channels in the sidebar. That is a healthy
      fresh install, not a broken one.
    </Check>

    <Tip>
      To watch the scheduler do its work, the Temporal dashboard is at **[http://localhost:8080](http://localhost:8080)**.
      It is optional and you can happily ignore it.
    </Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common first-run problems

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The page will not load at localhost:4007">
    Give her another minute. On a first boot she creates the database schema before the web
    interface answers. `docker compose logs -f postqueen` tells you where she is. If the log
    keeps repeating and restarting, jump to [Troubleshooting](/troubleshooting/overview).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A port is already in use">
    Something else on your machine is using 4007, 8080 or 7233. Either stop that program, or
    change the left-hand number in the `ports:` line of the service in `docker-compose.yaml`.
    For example `"4017:5000"` would put her on [http://localhost:4017](http://localhost:4017) instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Containers keep restarting or get killed">
    That is almost always memory. The full stack, including Temporal and its Elasticsearch,
    wants roughly 4 GB. In Docker Desktop, raise the memory limit under
    **Settings → Resources**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Uploading an image works but nothing appears on the social network">
    Some networks fetch your media from a public URL rather than accepting the file from her.
    On a laptop install there is no public URL, so those posts will fail. This is expected
    here and it goes away on a real domain. [Uploads and Storage](/configuration/uploads)
    explains which networks behave this way.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Stopping, starting and removing

| Command                  | What it does                               |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------ |
| `docker compose stop`    | Pauses her, keeps everything               |
| `docker compose start`   | Brings her back                            |
| `docker compose down`    | Removes the containers, keeps your data    |
| `docker compose down -v` | Removes the containers **and** the volumes |

Your posts, accounts and uploads live in Docker volumes, so `down` followed by `up -d` picks up
exactly where you left off.

When you are finished experimenting:

```bash theme={"system"}
docker compose down -v
```

<Warning>
  The `-v` deletes the volumes, which means the database and every uploaded file. There is no
  undo. Leave `-v` off if you might want your test data back.
</Warning>

## Next steps

You have a working PostQueen, connected to nothing.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Put her on a server" icon="server" href="/installation/production">
    Your own domain, HTTPS, and an install other people can use
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect a channel" icon="plug" href="/providers/overview">
    Bring your own app keys and try a real post
  </Card>

  <Card title="Write your first post" icon="pen-to-square" href="/using/writing-a-post">
    The editor, per-channel settings, and what happens when you schedule
  </Card>

  <Card title="Self-host troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/troubleshooting/self-host">
    The failures that come up most often, and what fixes them
  </Card>
</CardGroup>