Sandfly uses Docker or Podman as everything runs inside containers for security and performance reasons. Complete the following instructions in order to prepare the Sandfly Server and all Node hosts with a compatible container tool.

Installation Process

It is best to use the latest, supported version of Docker or Podman that is provided by the OS's distribution.

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IMPORTANT: Do Not Install nor Use Alternate or Additional Versions of Docker

Some Linux distributions (such as Ubuntu via the use of snap and apt) or manual docker installations allow for multiple versions of docker to exist without any warning. This will likely cause problems when starting Sandfly containers, therefore check that only one supported version of docker is installed.

If a supported Docker compatible package is already installed and up-to-date, skip this process and proceed to the Server Install - Docker Image documentation. The Docker version can be checked with the following command:

docker -v

Podman Installations

RHEL 8 Compatible and Newer

For Podman-based deployments, which comes standard with RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8 compatible and newer versions of that operating system base, first complete the steps found in the Run Sandfly with Podman documentation. Then proceed directly to the Server Install - Docker Image documentation to continue the server installation.

Docker Installations

For Docker-based deployments, install the latest supported version that is provided by the OS's distribution.

For Ubuntu, install Docker only via apt. If Docker is installed manually or via snap, ensure that those versions are completely removed before attempting to install Sandfly, otherwise it will likely cause a conflict when using Sandfly.

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IMPORTANT: CentOS Repositories Are Too Old for Docker

Some Linux distributions (such as CentOS) contain old versions of Docker that are not compatible with Sandfly. Perform the installation via one of the provided scripts to ensure that a supported version of Docker is used.

Start Docker

Make sure the Docker daemon starts automatically or start it manually with the following command:

service docker start

The hosts are now ready to begin the installation of Sandfly itself.