Specify 7 Installation Instructions

[Grant]

This guide provides a concise, up-to-date overview for installing and running Specify 7 using the compose recipes in this repository (Docker and Podman).

These instructions should be followed by an IT administrator.

Overview

This repository contains container compose recipes for deploying Specify 7 in a few common scenarios. Content is grouped under docker/ and podman/ and includes:

• An “all-in-one” composition (app, DB, asset server, web) for small or evaluation installs.

• A multiple-database / virtual-hosting example for hosting multiple Specify instances on one host.

• Templates and helper scripts for cloud and SSL setups in docker/specifycloud and podman/specifycloud.

Use these compositions as starting points. You can customize environment variables, SSL, storage paths, and enabled services to match your infrastructure and policies.

Requirements

• Host OS: modern Linux distribution is recommended for production; macOS can be used for local evaluation. If using a Windows server, you must use Windows Subsystem for Linux.

• Container runtime: Docker Engine (with docker compose) or Podman (with podman-compose where provided).

• Minimum resources for small to medium installs: 4 CPU cores, 8-16 GB RAM, and sufficient disk for database and assets. See the official recommended server specs:
  Specify 7 Recommended Server Specifications

• Network: ports 80/443 (HTTP/HTTPS) for web access, internal network access between services (app ↔ DB ↔ worker).

Production Quickstart

For members of the Specify Collections Consortium, if you are looking to deploy a production instance of Specify, we recommend following these steps:

1. Pull a local copy of the docker-compositions repository. If you do not yet have access, click here to send an email, including your GitHub username and member collection, to our team.

   

   Note that you will see a 404 page if your account has not been given access. Once you have been granted access and have authenticated with GitHub via CLI locally, you can run the following:

   git clone https://github.com/specify/docker-compositions.git
   

2. Choose a scenario directory under docker/ or podman/:

• docker/all-in-one/ — single-host evaluation.
• podman/all-in-one/ — Podman equivalents.

3. Copy and edit the environment file or templates as needed (specify.env, docker-compose.yml, nginx.conf).

4. Adjust persistent volumes and database initialization scripts if you plan to keep data across restarts.

5. Start the composition (Docker example):

   cd docker/all-in-one
   docker compose up -d
   

   If your system uses the legacy docker-compose binary, replace the command with docker-compose up -d.

   Podman example (if using podman-compose):

   cd podman/all-in-one
   podman-compose up -d
   

6. Tail logs to verify services come up:

   docker compose logs -f
   

7. Once the web service is healthy, open the configured hostname in your browser.

Maintenance

Now that Specify 7 is installed, thoroughly review and bookmark the following:

Self-Hosting Specify 7

This guide describes how to self-host an environment of Specify 7. This guide is intended for technical or IT users only. [!info] Before you begin, consider that the Specify Collections Consortium (SCC) offers the Specify Cloud hosting service to members of the consortium. By choosing SCC’s Specify Cloud hosting, you get a fully managed Specify 7 environment with automatic updates, priority support, and low-latency servers in cloud regions around the world…

How to Update Specify 7

[!note] Before You Begin Consider that the Specify Collections Consortium (SCC) offers the Specify Cloud hosting service to members of the consortium. By choosing SCC’s Specify Cloud hosting, you get a fully managed Specify 7 environment with automatic updates, priority support, and low-latency servers in cloud regions around the world. Daily backups of your database and attachments ensure your data is always protected. If you’d like pricing details, please see our services prices or get in t…

Notes

• These compose files are intended as reference / convenience recipes. For production deployments consider:
  • Running services under an orchestrator (Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, or systemd-managed containers).
  • Using external managed databases for reliability and backups.
  • Proper TLS termination (load balancer or reverse proxy), monitoring, backups, and log rotation.
  • Review the specifycloud/ templates for automated cloud and SSL helper scripts.

Troubleshooting

• If you see HTTP 500 errors after an upgrade, consult the Specify 7 upgrade/troubleshooting threads on Discourse.
• Check container logs (docker compose logs), nginx logs, and DB logs for errors.
• If you are still having trouble, you can reach out to support@specifysoftware.org with a message that includes:
  • Your docker-compose.yml file and any associated configuration files
  • Your container logs for all services defined in your YML file
  • Any additional information

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Development Deployment

If you are a developer, you can create a deployment that enables code hot-reload and interactive debugging. This is useful for development and troubleshooting but is NOT recommended for production due to relaxed security and possible memory/debugging overhead.

Guide to contributing code to Specify

Guide to contributing to Specify Software Thank you for the interest in contributing to Specify’s codebase! We welcome contributions of all kinds, including bug fixes, improvements, documentation, etc. We value contributions from all members of the community, regardless of experience level. Whether you are a seasoned open source contributor or a newcomer to the world of software development, your help is greatly appreciated. To get started with contributing to Specify 7, this guide will provid…

Contributing

Contributions to these compose recipes are welcome from members. Please follow the repository’s contribution guidelines and open a pull request against the production branch.

When proposing changes, include:

• A clear description of the scenario and why the change is needed.
• Migration steps for data when relevant.
• Any breaking changes to configuration or environment variables.

Make sure to read the entire guide to contributing code linked above before opening a pull request! Thank you for your interest in contributing!