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Container installation

This section describes how to install Canvus server using containers (Podman or Docker). This is the recommended method for new deployments in Canvus 26.4.0 and later.

Note

For existing bare-metal installations (using .deb or .exe installers), see Linux package install or Windows installer.

Why containers?

  • Simplified deployment --- all dependencies are bundled in the images
  • Consistent environment --- the same image set works on any host that runs Podman or Docker
  • Easy upgrades --- pull new images and restart
  • Isolated --- no system-level package installations or service configuration

Why Podman?

Podman is recommended over Docker for enterprise deployments:

  • Free for enterprise --- no licensing restrictions (Docker Desktop requires paid subscriptions for organizations with more than 250 employees or more than \$10M annual revenue)
  • Drop-in replacement --- same commands and compose files
  • Rootless by default --- better security without a background daemon

The compose files work with Docker; Podman is recommended to avoid Docker Desktop licensing exposure.

Architecture (26.4.0)

The production deployment is three containers on an internal bridge network (canvus-network):

  • canvus-combined --- Ubuntu 24.04 image bundling the C++ server (mt-canvus-server) and the Node.js web-proxy gateway. The web-proxy listens internally on port 5805 and serves the unified React web-client (SPA) directly. The container publishes 80 (HTTP redirect → 443) and 443 (HTTPS) to the host.
  • canvus-postgres --- PostgreSQL 17 (managed by the canvus-postgres container) with the Canvus schema applied on first start.
  • canvus-media --- mediasoup SFU for WebRTC video routing and FFmpeg for HLS transcoding. Required when CANVUS_WEBRTC_ENABLED=true (the default in 26.4.0). Exposes UDP port range 40000-40100 for WebRTC media and an internal WebSocket on port 4443 for signaling relay from canvus-combined.

Image paths (registry docker.multitaction.com):

  • docker.multitaction.com/swrd/conan/canvus/canvus-server/combined:26.4.0 (also :latest)
  • docker.multitaction.com/swrd/conan/canvus/canvus-server/postgres:26.4.0
  • docker.multitaction.com/swrd/conan/canvus/canvus-server/media:26.4.0

Note

The server image itself is Linux. Canvus 26.4.0 is Linux-only on the server side --- there is no native Windows or macOS server binary. On Windows and macOS you run the same Linux images inside a Podman Machine or Docker Desktop VM. See the Windows and macOS pages below.

Quick start (Linux host)

# 1. Install Podman
sudo apt install -y podman podman-compose

# 2. Login to the registry
sudo podman login docker.multitaction.com -u canvus-deploy -p gldt-synTX_NnF8LcmnktR1xK

# 3. Download the compose file
wget https://canvus-downloads.multitaction.com/server/podman-compose.yml

# 4. Start services
sudo podman-compose up -d

# 5. Open https://localhost and login (default admin@local.local / Taction123!)

Platform guides

  • Linux --- production deployment
  • Windows --- development/test via Podman Desktop + WSL2
  • macOS --- development/test via Podman Machine