Running Nova Tracker with Docker (Command Line)

These instructions are for users comfortable with the command line (Terminal). The application includes default settings and will generate necessary files on first run if they are not provided.

Prerequisites

You must have Docker installed and running on your computer:

See the Docker Engine installation overview.

Steps

1. Create a Persistent Data Directory

First, create a folder on your computer where Nova Tracker will permanently store all of its data (configs, journals, rigs, cache, and backups).

Open your Terminal and run:

mkdir ~/nova-data

You only need to do this once.

2. Pull and Run the Docker Container

Now, run the application with a single command. This command connects your nova-data folder to the container’s internal data storage.

docker run -d \
  --name nova-tracker \
  -p 5001:5001 \
  -v ~/nova-data:/app/instance \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  mrantonsg/nova-dso-tracker:latest

Explanation of the command:

  • -d: Run the container in the background.
  • --name nova-tracker: A simpler name for the container.
  • -p 5001:5001: Maps your computer’s port 5001 to the container’s port 5001.
  • -v ~/nova-data:/app/instance: (The most important part) Mounts the nova-data folder on your computer to the /app/instance folder inside the container. All app data is now safe on your machine.
  • --restart unless-stopped: A helpful flag that automatically starts the container when you boot your computer or restart Docker.

3. Access Nova Tracker

Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:5001

On the first run, the application will automatically create all the necessary default files inside your ~/nova-data folder.

Managing Your Configuration (Optional)

If you want to manually edit your configuration, you can now find all the files inside the ~/nova-data/configs folder on your computer. Simply edit them with a text editor and restart the container for changes to take effect:

docker restart nova-tracker

Updating the Application

Because your data is stored outside the container, you can replace the application without losing anything.

1. Pull the Latest Image

docker pull mrantonsg/nova-dso-tracker:latest

2. Stop and Remove the Old Container

docker stop nova-tracker
docker rm nova-tracker

3. Run the New Image

Run the exact same docker run command you used to start it the first time. The new container will connect to your existing data in ~/nova-data.

docker run -d \
  --name nova-tracker \
  -p 5001:5001 \
  -v ~/nova-data:/app/instance \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  mrantonsg/nova-dso-tracker:latest

Your updated Nova Tracker is now running with all your previous data intact!

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