---
title: One-Line Install Script
description: One-command installation of SurfSense using Docker
---

Downloads the compose files, generates a `SECRET_KEY`, starts all services with `docker compose up -d --wait`, and starts [Watchtower](https://github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower) as an external updater for automatic daily updates.

**Prerequisites:** [Docker Desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/) must be installed and running.

### For Linux/macOS users:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MODSetter/SurfSense/main/docker/scripts/install.sh | bash
```

### For Windows users (PowerShell):

```powershell
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MODSetter/SurfSense/main/docker/scripts/install.ps1 | iex
```

This creates a `./surfsense/` directory with `docker-compose.yml`, `docker-compose.gpu.yml`, and `.env`, then runs `docker compose up -d --wait`.

If an NVIDIA GPU and NVIDIA Container Toolkit are detected, the installer prompts for the backend variant. Non-interactive installs default to CPU unless you pass an explicit flag.

### GPU options

Linux/macOS:

```bash
# CUDA 12.8
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MODSetter/SurfSense/main/docker/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --variant=cuda

# CUDA 12.6 fallback for older driver stacks
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MODSetter/SurfSense/main/docker/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --variant=cuda126

# Reserve all available GPUs
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MODSetter/SurfSense/main/docker/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --gpu --gpu-count=all
```

PowerShell:

```powershell
# Save the script locally first when passing PowerShell parameters.
.\install.ps1 -Variant cuda
.\install.ps1 -Variant cuda126 -GpuCount all
```

The installer writes the same `.env` settings you would configure manually: `SURFSENSE_VARIANT` selects the backend image and `COMPOSE_FILE` enables the GPU overlay.

To skip Watchtower (e.g. in production where you manage updates yourself):

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MODSetter/SurfSense/main/docker/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-watchtower
```

To customise the check interval (default 24h), use `--watchtower-interval=SECONDS`.

Manual updates use the same compose state stored in `.env`, so GPU overlays and variants are preserved:

```bash
cd surfsense
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d --wait
```

If Watchtower is enabled, it preserves the running image variant tag automatically. Because SurfSense images are large, use `--no-watchtower` when you prefer to manage update timing yourself.

---

## Access SurfSense

After starting, access SurfSense at:

- **Frontend**: [http://localhost:3929](http://localhost:3929)
- **Backend API**: [http://localhost:8929](http://localhost:8929)
- **API Docs**: [http://localhost:8929/docs](http://localhost:8929/docs)
- **Zero-cache**: [http://localhost:5929](http://localhost:5929)
