Deploy with Docker

Presenton can be self-hosted in two ways. Most users should run a published image from the GitHub Container Registry (GHCR). Build from source when you need to inspect, modify, or test the application code.

Run a GHCR release

The recommended path for production. It starts quickly, requires no local build, and uses a versioned image published by the Presenton team.

Build from GitHub source

The flexible path for development and customization. Clone the repository and let Docker Compose build the application on your server.

	GHCR release	Build from source
Best for	Production and most self-hosted installations	Development, customization, and testing
Application source	Prebuilt and published by Presenton	A Git branch, tag, or commit you choose
Startup time	Fast; Docker only downloads the image	Slower initially; Docker builds the image locally
Updates	Pull a newer published image	Pull source changes and rebuild

Option 1: Run a published GHCR release

This is the most stable and straightforward way to self-host Presenton. The image already contains the frontend, API, export tools, and runtime dependencies, so the host only needs Docker. The examples below use latest so they continue to follow the newest published image without needing a version-specific edit. Browse the published image versions when you need to select a fixed release or image digest instead.

Linux and macOS
Windows PowerShell

mkdir -p app_data

Then start Presenton:

docker run --detach \
  --name presenton \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --publish 5001:80 \
  --volume "$(pwd)/app_data:/app_data" \
  ghcr.io/presenton/presenton:latest

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force app_data

Then start Presenton:

docker run --detach `
  --name presenton `
  --restart unless-stopped `
  --publish 5001:80 `
  --volume "${PWD}\app_data:/app_data" `
  ghcr.io/presenton/presenton:latest

Open http://localhost:5001 after the container starts. The first port in 5001:80 is the port on your host and can be changed; container port 80 serves the web app, REST API, and /mcp.

Use an explicit version tag in production so upgrades happen when you choose. Use latest when automatically following the newest published release is more important than repeatability.

Configure the release image

Pass settings with --env-file to keep the docker run command readable:

# .env
AUTH_USERNAME=admin
AUTH_PASSWORD=replace-with-a-long-password
LLM=openai
OPENAI_API_KEY=replace-with-your-key
OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-4.1
CAN_CHANGE_KEYS=false

Then add --env-file .env before the image name:

docker run --detach \
  --name presenton \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --publish 5001:80 \
  --volume "$(pwd)/app_data:/app_data" \
  --env-file .env \
  ghcr.io/presenton/presenton:latest

See Environment variables for all supported providers and runtime settings.

Update a GHCR deployment

Pull the new image before replacing the container. Keep the same app_data directory and startup options.

docker pull ghcr.io/presenton/presenton:latest

Stop the existing container:

docker stop presenton

Remove the stopped container:

docker rm presenton

Run the container again with the same volume and environment options. When you use latest, pulling and recreating the container moves it to the newest published image. When you use a fixed version or digest, update it in both the docker pull and docker run commands.

Option 2: Build from the GitHub source

Choose this path when you want to change Presenton, review the code before deployment, test unreleased work, or build a specific branch or commit. You need Git, Docker Engine, and the Docker Compose plugin.

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/presenton/presenton.git

Open the cloned repository:

cd presenton

Choose the source revision

A fresh clone uses main, which contains the newest source. For a repeatable build, check out a Git tag or commit that exists in the repository before continuing.Optionally, list the available release tags:

git tag --list

To pin a revision, replace TAG_OR_COMMIT with the tag or commit you want:

git checkout TAG_OR_COMMIT

Add your configuration

Create .env beside docker-compose.yml. Compose reads this file and forwards the supported values to Presenton.

PRESENTON_HTTP_HOST_PORT=5001
AUTH_USERNAME=admin
AUTH_PASSWORD=replace-with-a-long-password
LLM=openai
OPENAI_API_KEY=replace-with-your-key
OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-4.1
CAN_CHANGE_KEYS=false

Build and start Presenton

docker compose up --build --detach production

Compose builds the repository’s production Dockerfile, starts the container, and mounts ./app_data at /app_data.

Open http://localhost:5001 when the build finishes.

The main branch can contain changes that have not reached a published container release. For a more predictable source build, check out a release tag or pin a commit before building.

Update a source build

If you follow main, pull the newest commits and rebuild:

git pull --ff-only

Then rebuild the deployment:

docker compose up --build --detach production

If you pin a tag or commit, fetch the available revisions, check out the one you want, and rebuild:

git fetch --tags

Check out the new tag or commit:

git checkout TAG_OR_COMMIT

Then rebuild the deployment:

docker compose up --build --detach production

The repository also provides production-gpu, development, and development-gpu services. Use production for a normal hosted instance. Use production-gpu only after installing the NVIDIA Container Toolkit and confirming that Docker can access the GPU.

Persistence

Both deployment paths store persistent state in /app_data inside the container:

The GHCR commands mount the local ./app_data directory explicitly.
The repository’s Compose service creates the same mount automatically.

Never replace or upgrade the container without preserving /app_data. It contains presentations, uploads, templates, settings, authentication state, the default database, exports, and local memory.

Back up this directory before upgrades. See Backups and recovery for a complete backup and restore workflow.

Ports and networking

Mapping	Use
`5001:80`	Browser, REST API, and MCP
`1455:1455`	ChatGPT/Codex OAuth callback only

localhost inside a container refers to the container itself. Reach another Compose service by its service name, or reach a service on the host through a supported host gateway such as host.docker.internal.

Operate and verify

For a GHCR container:

docker logs --follow presenton

Stop the container:

docker stop presenton

Start it again:

docker start presenton

Check its status:

docker ps --filter name=presenton

For a source deployment:

docker compose logs --follow production

Stop the service:

docker compose stop production

Start it again:

docker compose start production

Check its status:

docker compose ps

After deployment, generate a small presentation, restart Presenton, and confirm that the presentation remains available. Then test export and any REST API or MCP integration you plan to expose.

Getting started

Deploy

Configure

Enterprise

Production

Run a GHCR release

Build from GitHub source

Option 1: Run a published GHCR release

Configure the release image

Update a GHCR deployment

Option 2: Build from the GitHub source

Update a source build

Persistence

Ports and networking

Operate and verify

Run a GHCR release

Build from GitHub source

​Option 1: Run a published GHCR release

​Configure the release image

​Update a GHCR deployment

​Option 2: Build from the GitHub source

​Update a source build

​Persistence

​Ports and networking

​Operate and verify

Option 1: Run a published GHCR release

Configure the release image

Update a GHCR deployment

Option 2: Build from the GitHub source

Update a source build

Persistence

Ports and networking

Operate and verify