Installation

This guide covers how to install and set up LeadCMS using Docker. Follow these steps to get your LeadCMS instance running quickly.

System Requirements

Before installing LeadCMS, ensure your system meets these requirements:

Minimum Requirements

Docker: Version 20.10 or higher
Docker Compose: Version 2.10 or higher
RAM: 4GB minimum (8GB recommended for production)
Storage: 10GB free disk space (for development)
CPU: 2 cores minimum
OS: Linux, macOS, or Windows

Quick Start

Get LeadCMS running in minutes with Docker:

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/LeadCMS/leadcms.deploy.git
cd leadcms.deploy

Generate Environment

# Linux/macOS
chmod +x generate-env.sh && ./generate-env.sh

# Windows PowerShell
.\generate-env.ps1

Start it with Docker Compose

docker compose up -d

Your LeadCMS instance will be running at http://localhost:8080 with PostgreSQL included.

Environment Configuration

The generate-env.sh script creates a .env file with secure defaults. Review and customize these key settings:

Email Configuration

# Email settings for notifications
EMAIL__USERNAME=your-smtp-username
EMAIL__PASSWORD=your-smtp-password
EMAIL__SERVER=smtp.your-provider.com
EMAIL__PORT=587
EMAIL__USESSL=true

Supported Languages

# Configure supported languages
SUPPORTEDLANGUAGES__0=en
SUPPORTEDLANGUAGES__1=de
SUPPORTEDLANGUAGES__2=fr

CORS Settings

# CORS settings for frontend integration
CORS__ALLOWEDORIGINS__0=http://localhost:3000
CORS__ALLOWEDORIGINS__1=https://yourdomain.com

Default Admin User

# Default admin credentials (CHANGE THESE IMMEDIATELY!)
DEFAULTUSERS__0__USERNAME=admin
DEFAULTUSERS__0__EMAIL=admin@yourcompany.com
DEFAULTUSERS__0__PASSWORD=SecurePassword123

Security Alert

Never use the default admin username and password in production environments. While credentials are stored securely in the .env file, always set strong, unique values before deploying to production.

Services Included

The Docker Compose stack includes:

LeadCMS Core: Main .NET application with REST API (Port: 8080)
PostgreSQL: Primary database for content and user data (Port: 5432)

Verification

After startup, verify your installation:

Check Services

# Check running containers
docker compose ps

# View logs
docker compose logs leadcms

Access LeadCMS

Admin Interface: Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser
- You should see the LeadCMS Admin UI
- Login using the default admin credentials (see "Default Admin User" above)
API Documentation: Visit http://localhost:8080/swagger for Swagger UI

Test API

# Test API endpoint
curl http://localhost:8080/api/version

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Port Already in Use

# Check what's using port 8080
lsof -i :8080

# Use different ports by modifying docker-compose.yml
ports:
  - "8081:8080"  # Change external port

Database Connection Issues

# Check PostgreSQL container logs
docker compose logs postgres

# Reset database (WARNING: destroys all data)
docker compose down -v
docker compose up -d

Production Considerations

Development Only

The Docker Compose setup is designed for development, evaluation and local use. For production deployments, see our Deploying guide for:

Using managed PostgreSQL services
Implementing proper SSL/TLS certificates
Setting up automated backups and monitoring
Load balancing and high availability setup

Next Steps

Now that LeadCMS is installed:

Plugins

Understand the plugin system and how to extend LeadCMS functionality