Install on Linux with Docker
Overview
This section covers new installations of CAST Imaging on Linux using Docker. Choose a scenario (the components you want to install) from the table below to open a dedicated, step-by-step installation guide with no conditional branching.
For updates to existing installations, see In-place component update.
CAST does not support cross-platform installations, i.e. some CAST Imaging components on Linux/Docker and other components on Microsoft Windows, except where a PostgreSQL instance installed on Linux/Docker is being used with CAST Imaging installed on Microsoft Windows.
Containerization via Docker installed on WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) on a Microsoft Windows machine is not supported for production installations, however, it can be used for testing, evaluation, POCs etc. See Configuring WSL2 for CAST Imaging v3.
Choose your deployment
A scenario defines which CAST Imaging components you install. All scenarios include imaging-services and require access to a database instance (a PostgreSQL instance is bundled and deployed automatically; an external instance can optionally be used). A topology defines how those components are distributed: single machine (all components on one host - suitable for POC, testing, demo, or small production) or multi-machine (components distributed across dedicated hosts - recommended for production).
Select a scenario to go to its guide, where you can then choose a single-machine or multi-machine topology (S2 and S4 are single-machine only):
| Scenario | Analysis | Viewer | Dashboards | Use when… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 - All Components | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Full CAST Imaging: analysis, Viewer and Dashboards |
| S2 - Viewer Only | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | Read-only Viewer access - analysis runs on a separate installation |
| S3 - Viewer + Analysis | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Run analysis and view results; no Dashboards component |
| S4 - Dashboards Only | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | Read-only Dashboards access - analysis runs on a separate installation |
| S5 - Dashboards + Analysis | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | Run analysis and view aggregated Dashboard results; no Viewer component |
Advanced topology - Neo4j on a dedicated machine
For scenarios that include the Viewer (S1, S2, S3), you can run Neo4j on its own dedicated machine, separate from the Viewer services - useful for performance isolation and to update CAST Imaging independently of Neo4j. This deployment uses a tailored non-standard installation process, described in Neo4j on a dedicated machine.
Reference
The following pages apply across all Docker deployment scenarios:
- Installation variables - full reference for all
configuration.confvariables - Configuration examples - worked examples for distributed deployments
- Managing configuration files
- Managing environment variables
- Managing Docker Compose YAML files
- Reverse proxy configuration
- Setting up a shared folder (NFS)
- SSO service memory management
- Configuring WSL2 for CAST Imaging