pleroma/installation/release-to-docker

Run OTP releases on older glibc using Docker

Pleroma OTP releases are built on specific distros and may require a newer glibc than your host has. A typical failure looks like:

... /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.38' not found ...

If you don't want to upgrade your host OS, you can run the existing OTP release from /opt/pleroma inside an Ubuntu 24.04 container while keeping your existing host paths (/etc/pleroma, /var/lib/pleroma, etc.).

This folder provides a "shim" container + systemd unit. It is not the Pleroma Docker image.

What this does

• Builds a small Ubuntu 24.04 image with runtime libs (including newer glibc).
• Mounts your existing host release at /opt/pleroma into the container.
• Runs as the same UID/GID that owns /opt/pleroma on the host (via gosu).
• Optionally runs migrations automatically on container start.
• Uses network_mode: host so your existing config that talks to localhost keeps working.

Setup (Debian/Ubuntu host)

1. Install Docker Engine + the Docker Compose plugin.

2. Copy these files to a stable location (example: /etc/pleroma/container):

   mkdir -p /etc/pleroma/container
   cp -a /opt/pleroma/installation/release-to-docker/* /etc/pleroma/container/
   

3. Build the shim image:

   cd /etc/pleroma/container
   docker compose build
   

4. Replace your systemd unit:

   cp /etc/pleroma/container/pleroma.service /etc/systemd/system/pleroma.service
   systemctl daemon-reload
   systemctl enable --now pleroma
   journalctl -u pleroma -f
   

Running pleroma_ctl

Since the host binary may not run on older glibc, run admin commands inside the container:

cd /etc/pleroma/container
docker compose exec pleroma /opt/pleroma/bin/pleroma_ctl status
docker compose run --rm --no-deps pleroma /opt/pleroma/bin/pleroma_ctl migrate

Configuration notes

• Migrations run automatically by default.
  • Set PLEROMA_RUN_MIGRATIONS=0 in docker-compose.yml to disable.