Pixodock DocumentationFrom your server to your first app.
Follow the complete 18-step Pixodock workflow below, or choose a focused guide in the sidebar.
Public account registration is restricted to a configured test mailbox. If you do not have an invitation, contact us to request access. Keep an off-server backup and test restoring it yourself; Pixodock does not provide backups or restores.
Start with a clean server.
Your apps and their data live on infrastructure you own or rent—not on Pixodock's servers.
Have the right host ready
Use a dedicated server with a public IPv4 address, Ubuntu 24.04, private administrator terminal access, and inbound TCP ports 80 and 443 available. Do not run the bootstrap on a server already hosting unrelated production workloads.
Plan your domain and recovery
Control a domain and its DNS. For a domain install, you will point the app's DNS record to your server before installing. Plan your own off-server backups and a tested restore path. A retained Docker volume is not a backup.
Sign in to your workspace.
Request or use an invitation
At the dashboard, select Request invitation if your mailbox is eligible. Open the one-time link sent to your email, choose a password, and sign in. Invitation requests are currently limited to a configured test mailbox; if yours is not eligible, contact us.
Choose the right workspace
Use the workspace picker on Servers to view or create a workspace. Apps, servers, jobs, and their telemetry are workspace-scoped. The Free server allowance applies across all workspaces on your account.
Run the verified bootstrap yourself.
Open Servers → Add server
Review the Before you begin checklist and tick each requirement only if it is true. The checklist is self-reported; it does not probe your host or DNS. Then select Generate one-use token.
Verify and run the command
Copy the dashboard's bootstrap command and expected SHA-256 digest. In your private server terminal, download and review the script, check that its digest matches the dashboard, then run it. Enter the one-use token only when the script prompts. Never place the token in a URL, pasted command, shell history, or support message. Pixodock does not ask you for your root password.
Wait for a recent heartbeat
Use Check status now, then open Servers and verify that the agent reports ready. Installation remains unavailable until a connected agent reports readiness. Server CPU, memory, and disk values are sampled measurements; missing or expired samples display as unavailable.
Check that the script finished on the intended host, the token did not expire, and the agent can reach the Pixodock API outbound. A checked requirements box alone does not prove connectivity.
Choose only an available recipe.
Read the catalogue status
Open App catalogue. Curated install and Private test entries have install recipes; Preview only and Assessed only entries cannot be installed. A documented assessment or localhost startup trial does not establish a qualified end-to-end application workflow.
Select a server and access mode
Choose a connected destination server. For a domain install, enter a fully qualified hostname you control, such as app.example.com, whose DNS points to that server. The install checks container readiness before requesting a certificate and configuring an HTTPS route. For eligible Private test recipes you may instead check Local-only startup test (no DNS): it binds to loopback and has no public URL, certificate, or dashboard browser access.
Review the data warning and deploy
The review shows app, server, access and HTTPS expectations. Read and acknowledge that Pixodock cannot recover your app data; then submit and watch the install, certificate, and route stages. A failure remains visible in activity and app details for inspection. Container health and HTTP readiness do not verify app login, media import, or every feature.
Removing a local-only trial deletes that trial's verified named volumes and generated secrets. Back up anything you want to keep first.
Finish setup behind the gate.
Open My apps → App details
For a domain install in Private setup, generate a temporary Pixodock gate password and follow the private login link. A direct app URL returns HTTP 401 until this gate is passed. The gate password is separate from the app administrator account.
Save app credentials and complete its wizard
If Pixodock generated credentials for that recipe, select Reveal app password once and save the result immediately in your password manager: it cannot be claimed again. Otherwise follow the app-specific first-owner guidance in details. Complete the upstream application's own account setup privately; do not assume Pixodock's gate signs you into the app.
Verify your real workflow
Sign in to the application and try the activity you actually need. Pixodock's deployment status confirms its recorded install and checks, not that every application feature works. For a local-only trial, use your own private SSH tunnel to inspect it; there is no public app URL.
Monitor, report, remove.
Read measurements and activity
Overview and Servers show enrolled-server presence and recent host samples. My apps → App details shows container memory and a past-hour history when samples exist. Activity records jobs; Domains & SSL shows recorded route and certificate status. An agent heartbeat is not continuous uptime monitoring.
Report a problem
From an installed app's details, choose App not working? and describe the failure. This sends a support report with the app, server and domain context when delivery is configured; it does not automatically repair the app.
Remove with the correct data policy
Use Remove app from app details, read the confirmation, and wait for the agent to report completed cleanup. A domain installation's named volumes and on-server secret files are preserved, while a local-only trial's newly created data is deleted. A failed removal remains listed; do not erase customer volumes with broad Docker pruning.
Check what your account can use.
Open Settings → Billing
Free includes one enrolled server across your account's workspaces. The $6/month Paid plan is intended for more servers. Checkout and billing management require Stripe to be configured on the serving control plane; check the dashboard for their current availability. A successful checkout redirect alone does not change your allowance; a verified subscription event must update the account.
Know what happens after cancellation
When a paid subscription expires or is canceled, the account returns to the Free server limit. Pixodock does not delete existing servers or app data; it blocks additional enrollment until the allowance permits it again. Public account registration remains restricted independently of billing.
What Pixodock does not do yet.
Are backups automatic?
No. Pixodock does not create, store, verify or restore backups. Registering a storage destination does not change this.
Can I update or roll back an app?
Not through Pixodock today. Arrange your own recovery plan before making changes.
Can I import any Compose repository?
No. Installs require an available Pixodock recipe; assessed-only apps remain noninstallable.
Is a green health check a full qualification?
No. Startup, HTTP readiness, DNS/TLS routing and successful application workflows are separate checks.