LocalAI/docs/content/installation/docker.md

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Docker Installation	Install LocalAI using Docker containers - the recommended installation method	1	/installation/docker/

{{% notice tip %}} Recommended Installation Method

Docker is the recommended way to install LocalAI and provides the easiest setup experience. {{% /notice %}}

LocalAI provides Docker images that work with Docker, Podman, and other container engines. These images are available on Docker Hub and Quay.io.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have Docker or Podman installed:

• Install Docker Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux)
• Install Podman (Linux alternative)
• Install Docker Engine (Linux servers)

Quick Start

The fastest way to get started is with the CPU image:

docker run -p 8080:8080 --name local-ai -ti localai/localai:latest

This will:

• Start LocalAI (you'll need to install models separately)
• Make the API available at http://localhost:8080

{{% notice tip %}} Docker Run vs Docker Start

• docker run creates and starts a new container. If a container with the same name already exists, this command will fail.
• docker start starts an existing container that was previously created with docker run.

If you've already run LocalAI before and want to start it again, use: docker start -i local-ai {{% /notice %}}

Image Types

LocalAI provides several image types to suit different needs:

Standard Images

Standard images don't include pre-configured models. Use these if you want to configure models manually.

CPU Image

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 localai/localai:latest

GPU Images

NVIDIA CUDA 13:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --gpus all localai/localai:latest-gpu-nvidia-cuda-13

NVIDIA CUDA 12:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --gpus all localai/localai:latest-gpu-nvidia-cuda-12

NVIDIA CUDA 11:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --gpus all localai/localai:latest-gpu-nvidia-cuda-11

AMD GPU (ROCm):

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --device=/dev/kfd --device=/dev/dri --group-add=video localai/localai:latest-gpu-hipblas

Intel GPU:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 localai/localai:latest-gpu-intel

Vulkan:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 localai/localai:latest-gpu-vulkan

NVIDIA Jetson (L4T ARM64):

CUDA 12 (for Nvidia AGX Orin and similar platforms):

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --runtime nvidia --gpus all localai/localai:latest-nvidia-l4t-arm64

CUDA 13 (for Nvidia DGX Spark):

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --runtime nvidia --gpus all localai/localai:latest-nvidia-l4t-arm64-cuda-13

All-in-One (AIO) Images

Recommended for beginners - These images come pre-configured with models and backends, ready to use immediately.

CPU Image

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 localai/localai:latest-aio-cpu

GPU Images

NVIDIA CUDA 13:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --gpus all localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-nvidia-cuda-13

NVIDIA CUDA 12:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --gpus all localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-nvidia-cuda-12

NVIDIA CUDA 11:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --gpus all localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-nvidia-cuda-11

AMD GPU (ROCm):

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 --device=/dev/kfd --device=/dev/dri --group-add=video localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-hipblas

Intel GPU:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-intel

Using Docker Compose

For a more manageable setup, especially with persistent volumes, use Docker Compose:

version: "3.9"
services:
  api:
    image: localai/localai:latest-aio-cpu
    # For GPU support, use one of:
    # image: localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-nvidia-cuda-13
    # image: localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-nvidia-cuda-12
    # image: localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-nvidia-cuda-11
    # image: localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-hipblas
    # image: localai/localai:latest-aio-gpu-intel
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8080/readyz"]
      interval: 1m
      timeout: 20m
      retries: 5
    ports:
      - 8080:8080
    environment:
      - DEBUG=true
    volumes:
      - ./models:/models:cached
    # For NVIDIA GPUs, uncomment:
    # deploy:
    #   resources:
    #     reservations:
    #       devices:
    #         - driver: nvidia
    #           count: 1
    #           capabilities: [gpu]

Save this as docker-compose.yml and run:

docker compose up -d

Persistent Storage

To persist models and configurations, mount a volume:

docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 \
  -v $PWD/models:/models \
  localai/localai:latest-aio-cpu

Or use a named volume:

docker volume create localai-models
docker run -ti --name local-ai -p 8080:8080 \
  -v localai-models:/models \
  localai/localai:latest-aio-cpu

What's Included in AIO Images

All-in-One images come pre-configured with:

• Text Generation: LLM models for chat and completion
• Image Generation: Stable Diffusion models
• Text to Speech: TTS models
• Speech to Text: Whisper models
• Embeddings: Vector embedding models
• Function Calling: Support for OpenAI-compatible function calling

The AIO images use OpenAI-compatible model names (like gpt-4, gpt-4-vision-preview) but are backed by open-source models. See the container images documentation for the complete mapping.

Next Steps

After installation:

1. Access the WebUI at http://localhost:8080
2. Check available models: curl http://localhost:8080/v1/models
3. Install additional models
4. Try out examples

Advanced Configuration

For detailed information about:

• All available image tags and versions
• Advanced Docker configuration options
• Custom image builds
• Backend management

See the Container Images documentation.

Troubleshooting

Container won't start

• Check Docker is running: docker ps
• Check port 8080 is available: netstat -an | grep 8080 (Linux/Mac)
• View logs: docker logs local-ai

GPU not detected

• Ensure Docker has GPU access: docker run --rm --gpus all nvidia/cuda:12.0.0-base-ubuntu22.04 nvidia-smi
• For NVIDIA: Install NVIDIA Container Toolkit
• For AMD: Ensure devices are accessible: ls -la /dev/kfd /dev/dri

Models not downloading

• Check internet connection
• Verify disk space: df -h
• Check Docker logs for errors: docker logs local-ai

See Also

• Container Images Reference - Complete image reference
• Install Models - Install and configure models
• GPU Acceleration - GPU setup and optimization
• Kubernetes Installation - Deploy on Kubernetes