---
title: Install and run InfluxDB 3 Explorer
description: Use Docker to install and run InfluxDB 3 Explorer.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/explorer/install/
estimated_tokens: 12783
product: InfluxDB 3 Explorer
version: explorer
---

# Install and run InfluxDB 3 Explorer

Use [Docker](https://docker.com) to install and run **InfluxDB 3 Explorer**.

-   [Quick start](#quick-start)
-   [Installation methods](#installation-methods)
-   [Configuration options](#configuration-options)
    -   [Persist data across restarts](#persist-data-across-restarts)
    -   [Pre-configure InfluxDB connections](#pre-configure-influxdb-connections)
    -   [Enable TLS/SSL (HTTPS)](#enable-tlsssl-https)
        -   [TLS and certificate verification options](#tls-and-certificate-verification-options)
        -   [Use self-signed certificates](#use-self-signed-certificates)
    -   [Choose operational mode](#choose-operational-mode)
-   [Advanced configuration](#advanced-configuration)
    -   [Environment variables](#environment-variables)
    -   [Volume reference](#volume-reference)
    -   [Port reference](#port-reference)
-   [Complete examples](#complete-examples)

## Quick start

Get InfluxDB 3 Explorer running in minutes:

1. **Run the Explorer container:**
    
    ```bash
    docker run --detach \
      --name influxdb3-explorer \
      --publish 8888:8080 \
      influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    ```
    
2. **Access the Explorer UI at [http://localhost:8888](http://localhost:8888)**
    
3. **[Configure your InfluxDB connection in the UI](/influxdb3/explorer/get-started)**
    

## Installation methods

### Prerequisites

Install [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/) or [Docker Desktop](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/) if you haven’t already.

### Basic setup

To get the latest updates, run the following command before starting the container:

```bash
docker pull influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
```

<!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->

**Docker run:**

```bash
docker run --detach \
  --name influxdb3-explorer \
  --publish 8888:8080 \
  influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
```

**Docker Compose:**

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'

services:
  explorer:
    image: influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    container_name: influxdb3-explorer
    ports:
      - "8888:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./config:/app-root/config:ro
    restart: unless-stopped
```

Start the container:

```bash
docker-compose up -d
```

<!-- End tabbed content -->

### Production setup

For production deployments with persistence, admin mode, and automatic image updates:

<!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->

**Docker run:**

```bash
docker run --detach \
  --name influxdb3-explorer \
  --pull always \
  --publish 8888:8080 \
  --volume $(pwd)/db:/db:rw \
  --volume $(pwd)/config:/app-root/config:ro \
  --env SESSION_SECRET_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32) \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0 \
  --mode=admin
```

**Docker Compose:**

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'

services:
  explorer:
    image: influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    container_name: influxdb3-explorer
    pull_policy: always
    command: ["--mode=admin"]
    ports:
      - "8888:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./db:/db:rw
      - ./config:/app-root/config:ro
      - ./ssl:/etc/nginx/ssl:ro
    environment:
      SESSION_SECRET_KEY: ${SESSION_SECRET_KEY:-changeme123456789012345678901234}
    restart: unless-stopped
```

Create a `.env` file that contains the following:

```bash
SESSION_SECRET_KEY=your_32_char_hex_string_here
```

Start the container:

```bash
docker-compose up -d
```

<!-- End tabbed content -->

## Configuration options

### Persist data across restarts

InfluxDB 3 Explorer stores application data in a SQLite database. To persist this data across container restarts:

1. **Create a local directory:**
    
    ```bash
    mkdir -m 700 ./db
    ```
    
2. **Mount the directory when running the container:**
    
    <!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->
    
    
    **Docker:**
    
    ```bash
    docker run --detach \
      --name influxdb3-explorer \
      --publish 8888:8080 \
      --volume $(pwd)/db:/db:rw \
      influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    ```
    
    
    
    **Docker Compose:**
    
    ```yaml
    version: '3.8'
    
    services:
      explorer:
        image: influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
        container_name: influxdb3-explorer
        ports:
          - "8888:8080"
        volumes:
          - ./db:/db:rw
        restart: unless-stopped
    ```
    
    
    
    <!-- End tabbed content -->
    

Without a mounted `./db` directory, application data is lost when the container is deleted.

With v1.7.0+, the Explorer container runs as a non-root user. If you’re upgrading from v1.6.x or earlier with mounted volumes, update file ownership before you start the container. The container exits with an error if mounted volumes have incorrect ownership.

### Set file permissions for upgrades

In v1.7.0+, the Explorer container runs as a non-root user (`influxui`, uid 1500) for improved security. Because earlier versions ran as root, existing mounted volumes are owned by root and the new non-root process can’t access them.

If you start the upgraded container without updating file ownership, it exits with the following error:

```txt
ERROR: Directory '/db' is owned by root and not accessible to the 'influxui' user.
```

To prevent or resolve this error, change ownership of your mounted directories to uid 1500 before you start the container. For example:

```bash
sudo chown -R 1500:1500 /path/to/your/db
sudo chown -R 1500:1500 /path/to/your/config
```

After you update ownership, restart the container. Fresh installations are unaffected.

### Pre-configure InfluxDB connections

Instead of configuring connections through the UI, you can pre-define connection settings using a `config.json` file. This is useful for:

-   Automated deployments
-   Shared team configurations
-   Quick setup for known environments

1. **Create a `config.json` file:**
    
    ```bash
    mkdir -p config
    cat > config/config.json << 'EOF'
    {
      "DEFAULT_INFLUX_SERVER": "http://host.docker.internal:8181",
      "DEFAULT_INFLUX_DATABASE": "mydb",
      "DEFAULT_API_TOKEN": "your-token-here",
      "DEFAULT_SERVER_NAME": "Local InfluxDB 3"
    }
    EOF
    ```
    
    Customize the following properties for your InfluxDB 3 instance:
    
    -   **`DEFAULT_INFLUX_SERVER`**: your [InfluxDB 3 Core](/influxdb3/core/reference/config-options/#http-bind) or [Enterprise](/influxdb3/enterprise/reference/config-options/#http-bind) server URL
    -   **`DEFAULT_INFLUX_DATABASE`**: the name of your [InfluxDB 3 Core](/influxdb3/core/admin/databases/) or [Enterprise](/influxdb3/enterprise/admin/databases/) database
    -   **`DEFAULT_API_TOKEN`**: your [InfluxDB 3 Core](/influxdb3/core/admin/tokens/) or [Enterprise](/influxdb3/enterprise/admin/tokens/) authorization token with the necessary permissions to access your server
    -   **`DEFAULT_SERVER_NAME`**: a display name (only used by Explorer) for your [InfluxDB 3 Core](/influxdb3/core/get-started/setup/#start-influxdb) or [Enterprise](/influxdb3/enterprise/get-started/setup/#start-influxdb) server
    
    #### When to use `host.docker.internal`
    
    If your InfluxDB 3 instance is running in Docker (not the same container as Explorer), use `host.docker.internal` as your server host to allow the Explorer container to connect to the InfluxDB container on the host–for example:
    
    ```txt
    "DEFAULT_INFLUX_SERVER": "http://host.docker.internal:8181"
    ```
    
    -   If both Explorer and InfluxDB are in the same Docker network, use the container name instead.
    -   If InfluxDB is running natively on your machine (not in Docker), use `localhost`.
    
    For more information, see the [Docker networking documentation](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/features/networking/#i-want-to-connect-from-a-container-to-a-service-on-the-host).
    
2. **Mount the configuration directory:**
    
    <!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->
    
    
    **Docker:**
    
    ```bash
    docker run --detach \
      --name influxdb3-explorer \
      --publish 8888:8080 \
      --volume $(pwd)/config:/app-root/config:ro \
      influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    ```
    
    
    
    **Docker Compose:**
    
    ```yaml
    version: '3.8'
    
    services:
      explorer:
        image: influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
        container_name: influxdb3-explorer
        ports:
          - "8888:8080"
        volumes:
          - ./config:/app-root/config:ro
        restart: unless-stopped
    ```
    
    
    
    <!-- End tabbed content -->
    

### Enable TLS/SSL (HTTPS)

To enable TLS/SSL for secure connections:

1. **Create SSL directory and add certificate files:**
    
    ```bash
    mkdir -m 755 ./ssl
    # Copy your certificate files to the ssl directory
    cp /path/to/server.crt ./ssl/
    cp /path/to/server.key ./ssl/
    ```
    
    Required files:
    
    -   Certificate: `server.crt` or `fullchain.pem`
    -   Private key: `server.key`
2. **Run the container with SSL enabled:**
    
    <!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->
    
    
    **Docker:**
    
    ```bash
    docker run --detach \
      --name influxdb3-explorer \
      --publish 8888:8443 \
      --volume $(pwd)/ssl:/etc/nginx/ssl:ro \
      influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    ```
    
    
    
    **Docker Compose:**
    
    ```yaml
    version: '3.8'
    
    services:
      explorer:
        image: influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
        container_name: influxdb3-explorer
        ports:
          - "8888:8443"
        volumes:
          - ./ssl:/etc/nginx/ssl:ro
        restart: unless-stopped
    ```
    
    
    
    <!-- End tabbed content -->
    
3. **Access the Explorer UI at [https://localhost:8888](https://localhost:8888)**
    

The nginx web server automatically detects and uses certificate files in the mounted path.

#### TLS and certificate verification options

Use the following environment variables to configure TLS and certificate verification:

-   `NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS` - Path to custom CA certificate file inside container (recommended).
    
    This option adds an intermediate or custom CA certificate to the Node.js trusted certificate store and is required when InfluxDB uses certificates signed by an internal or private CA.
    
    -   **Format**: PEM format certificate file
    -   **Example**: `-e NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS=/ca-certs/ca-bundle.crt`
    
    This is the native Node.js environment variable for custom CAs.
    
-   `CA_CERT_PATH` - Alternative to `NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS` (convenience alias)
    
    -   **Example**: `-e CA_CERT_PATH=/ca-certs/ca-bundle.crt`
    
    Use either `NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS` or `CA_CERT_PATH`; not both. `CA_CERT_PATH` aliases `NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS`.
    

#### Use self-signed certificates

To configure Explorer to trust self-signed or custom CA certificates when connecting to InfluxDB:

1. **Create a directory for CA certificates:**
    
    ```bash
    mkdir -p ./ca-certs
    ```
    
2. **Copy your CA certificate to the directory:**
    
    ```bash
    cp /path/to/your-ca.pem ./ca-certs/
    ```
    
3. **Mount the CA certificate directory and set the `NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS` environment variable:**
    

[](#view-example-docker-configuration-for-self-signed-certificates)

View example Docker configuration for self-signed certificates

<!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->

**Docker:**

```bash
docker run --detach \
  --name influxdb3-explorer \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --publish 8888:8443 \
  --volume $(pwd)/db:/db:rw \
  --volume $(pwd)/config:/app-root/config:ro \
  --volume $(pwd)/ssl:/etc/nginx/ssl:ro \
  --volume $(pwd)/ca-certs:/ca-certs:ro \
  --env SESSION_SECRET_KEY=your-secure-secret-key-here \
  --env NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS=/ca-certs/your-ca.pem \
  influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0 \
  --mode=admin
```

**Docker Compose:**

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'

services:
  explorer:
    image: influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    container_name: influxdb3-explorer
    pull_policy: always
    command: ["--mode=admin"]
    ports:
      - "8888:8443"
    volumes:
      - ./db:/db:rw
      - ./config:/app-root/config:ro
      - ./ssl:/etc/nginx/ssl:ro
      - ./ca-certs:/ca-certs:ro
    environment:
      SESSION_SECRET_KEY: ${SESSION_SECRET_KEY:-your-secure-secret-key-here}
      NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS: /ca-certs/your-ca.pem
    restart: unless-stopped
```

<!-- End tabbed content -->

### Choose operational mode

InfluxDB 3 Explorer supports two operational modes:

-   **Query mode** (default): Read-only UI for querying data
-   **Admin mode**: Full UI with administrative capabilities

Set the mode using the `--mode` parameter:

<!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->

**Docker:**

```bash
# Query mode (default)
docker run --detach \
  --name influxdb3-explorer \
  --publish 8888:8080 \
  influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0 \
  --mode=query

# Admin mode
docker run --detach \
  --name influxdb3-explorer \
  --publish 8888:8080 \
  influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0 \
  --mode=admin
```

**Docker Compose:**

```yaml
version: '3.8'

services:
  explorer:
    image: influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    container_name: influxdb3-explorer
    # For query mode (default), omit the command
    # For admin mode, add:
    command: ["--mode=admin"]
    ports:
      - "8888:8080"
    restart: unless-stopped
```

<!-- End tabbed content -->

## Advanced configuration

### Environment variables

| Variable | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SESSION_SECRET_KEY | (random) | Secret key for session management. Set this in production to persist sessions across restarts. |
| DATABASE_URL | /db/sqlite.db | Path to SQLite database inside container |
| SSL_CERT_PATH | /etc/nginx/ssl/cert.pem | Path to SSL certificate file |
| SSL_KEY_PATH | /etc/nginx/ssl/key.pem | Path to SSL private key file |
| NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS | (none) | Path to custom CA certificate file (PEM format) for trusting self-signed or internal CA certificates |
| CA_CERT_PATH | (none) | Alias for NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS |

Always set `SESSION_SECRET_KEY` in production to persist user sessions across container restarts. Enter the following command to generate a secure key:

```bash
openssl rand -hex 32
```

### Volume reference

| Container Path | Purpose | Permissions | Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| /db | SQLite database storage | 700 | No (but recommended) |
| /app-root/config | Connection configuration | 755 | No |
| /etc/nginx/ssl | TLS/SSL certificates | 755 | Only for HTTPS |
| /ca-certs | Custom CA certificates | 755 | Only for self-signed certificates |

### Port reference

| Container Port | Protocol | Purpose | Common Host Mapping |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 8080 | HTTP | Web UI (unencrypted) | 8888 |
| 8443 | HTTPS | Web UI (encrypted) | 8888 |

## Complete examples

### Production setup with all features

<!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->

**Docker:**

```bash
# Create required directories
mkdir -m 700 ./db
mkdir -m 755 ./config ./ssl

# Generate session secret
export SESSION_SECRET=$(openssl rand -hex 32)

# Create configuration
cat > config/config.json << 'EOF'
{
  "DEFAULT_INFLUX_SERVER": "http://host.docker.internal:8181",
  "DEFAULT_INFLUX_DATABASE": "production",
  "DEFAULT_API_TOKEN": "your-production-token",
  "DEFAULT_SERVER_NAME": "Production InfluxDB 3"
}
EOF

# Run Explorer with all features
docker run --detach \
  --name influxdb3-explorer \
  --pull always \
  --publish 8888:8443 \
  --volume $(pwd)/db:/db:rw \
  --volume $(pwd)/config:/app-root/config:ro \
  --volume $(pwd)/ssl:/etc/nginx/ssl:ro \
  --env SESSION_SECRET_KEY=$SESSION_SECRET \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0 \
  --mode=admin
```

**Docker Compose:**

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'

services:
  explorer:
    image: influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    container_name: influxdb3-explorer
    pull_policy: always
    command: ["--mode=admin"]
    ports:
      - "8888:8443"
    volumes:
      - ./db:/db:rw
      - ./config:/app-root/config:ro
      - ./ssl:/etc/nginx/ssl:ro
    environment:
      SESSION_SECRET_KEY: ${SESSION_SECRET_KEY}
    restart: unless-stopped
```

Create a `.env` file that contains the following:

```bash
SESSION_SECRET_KEY=your_32_char_hex_string_here
```

Start the container:

```bash
docker-compose up -d
```

<!-- End tabbed content -->

### Development setup (minimal)

<!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->

**Docker:**

```bash
docker run --rm \
  --name influxdb3-explorer \
  --publish 8888:8080 \
  influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
```

**Docker Compose:**

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'

services:
  explorer:
    image: influxdata/influxdb3-ui:1.8.0
    container_name: influxdb3-explorer
    ports:
      - "8888:8080"
```

<!-- End tabbed content -->