Prerequisites

Prepare the machine that will run Airlock before choosing the guided or manual installation path. The prerequisite is the same everywhere: run docker info successfully as the user who will install Airlock.

System requirements

Resource	Minimum	Why
CPU	2 vCPUs	Airlock runs its own services and builds app containers.
Memory	4 GB RAM	The Airlock runtime, Postgres, object storage, and container builds run on the host.
Disk	40 GB	Docker stores Airlock images, per-app images, BuildKit cache volumes, Postgres data, and object storage data.

These are minimums for a small installation. Plan more capacity for multiple apps, large uploads, or frequent builds.

Linux

Use a supported Linux distribution with a user that can run sudo. The Airlock installer can install Docker when it is absent, but installing and verifying it first makes the host setup explicit.

Run the Docker convenience installer, which is also the installer Airlock uses for a fresh Linux host:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sudo sh

Allow your user to access Docker without sudo:

sudo usermod -aG docker "$USER"

The group change only applies to newly started sessions. Disconnect and reconnect to the VPS, or sign out and back in locally, then verify Docker without sudo:

docker info

The output must include both Client: and Server: sections. A Docker socket permission error means the user is not in the docker group or has not started a new login session.

Windows

Run Airlock from an Ubuntu WSL 2 distribution. Docker Desktop supplies the Docker daemon, and the Airlock installer runs inside Ubuntu.

1. Install Ubuntu WSL 2

Open PowerShell as Administrator, then install Ubuntu:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu

Restart Windows when prompted. Open Ubuntu from the Start menu and create its Linux username and password.

Set Ubuntu as the default WSL distribution:

wsl --set-default Ubuntu

2. Install Docker Desktop

Install Docker Desktop for Windows, then open its settings.

In General, set Choose how to run Docker containers to Use WSL 2 based engine.
In Resources > WSL Integration, enable Enable integration with my default WSL distro.
Enable Ubuntu explicitly too if it appears in the distribution list.
Select Apply & restart.

3. Verify Docker from Ubuntu

Open PowerShell and enter Ubuntu:

wsl -d Ubuntu

Inside Ubuntu, verify that Docker Desktop is available:

docker info

The output must include both Client: and Server: sections. If the command cannot connect to the Docker daemon, return to Docker Desktop and check the WSL Integration settings.

Keep the Airlock checkout and its .env file in the Linux filesystem, such as ~/airlock, rather than under /mnt/c. Docker bind mounts and file watching are more reliable there.

macOS

Install Docker Desktop for Mac, open it, and wait until Docker Desktop reports that the engine is running.

Open Terminal and verify Docker:

docker info

The output must include both Client: and Server: sections. If it does not, start Docker Desktop and wait for the engine to finish starting.

macOS is suitable for local evaluation and tunnel-based access. Use a Linux host for a publicly reachable server deployment.

Next step

Once docker info succeeds, choose the guided Cloudflare installation for a public VPS or the manual/proxy installation when you manage ingress yourself.