Install and start with Docker Compose
Use this page to install the Docker Compose distribution locally, start Camunda 8, and stop the environment cleanly.
Prerequisites
The following prerequisites are required to run Camunda 8 Self-Managed with Docker Compose:
| Prerequisite | Description |
|---|---|
| Docker Compose | Version 1.27.0 or later, which supports the latest Compose specification. |
| Docker | Version 20.10.16 or later. |
If Docker Compose reports errors such as unsupported attributes when loading the Camunda Compose files, confirm that you are using the Docker Compose v2 plugin:
docker compose version
Run the commands in this guide with docker compose, not docker-compose. If needed, upgrade Docker Desktop or the Docker Engine Compose plugin, then retry.
Install and start Camunda 8 with Docker Compose
To start a complete Camunda 8 Self-Managed environment locally:
-
Download the latest Camunda 8 Docker Compose distribution, then extract it.
-
In the extracted directory, run:
docker compose up -d -
Wait for the environment to initialize. This can take several minutes. If you use the full configuration, monitor the logs, especially the Keycloak container log, to ensure all components start.
For available Compose files, component URLs, and authentication defaults, see configure Docker Compose environments.
Stop Camunda 8 with Docker Compose
To stop all containers and remove associated data, run:
docker compose down -v
# or for the full configuration:
docker compose -f docker-compose-full.yaml down -v
The -v flag deletes all volumes, including process data, users, and other persisted state. Omit -v if you want to keep your data.