Deploy Pluton PRO with Docker

This guide walks you through deploying Pluton PRO using Docker and Docker Compose.

Prerequisites

• A valid Pluton PRO license key
• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• Ports 5173 (web) available

---

Quick Start

1. Create Docker Compose File

Create docker-compose.yml:

services:
  pluton:
    image: plutonhq/pluton-pro:latest
    container_name: pluton-pro-backup
    restart: unless-stopped

    ports:
      - "${SERVER_PORT:-5173}:${SERVER_PORT:-5173}"

    volumes:
      # Main data volume - contains database, config, logs
      - pluton-data:/data

      # Optional: Mount host directories to backup
      # - /home/user/documents:/mnt/documents:ro
      # - C:/Users/username/Documents:/mnt/documents:ro

    environment:
      # ===== REQUIRED: License & Security =====
      LICENSE_KEY: ${LICENSE_KEY}
      ENCRYPTION_KEY: ${ENCRYPTION_KEY}
      USER_NAME: ${USER_NAME}
      USER_PASSWORD: ${USER_PASSWORD}

      # ===== Application Settings =====
      APP_TITLE: ${APP_TITLE:-Pluton PRO}
      APP_URL: ${APP_URL:-http://localhost:5173}
      SERVER_PORT: ${SERVER_PORT:-5173}
      MAX_CONCURRENT_BACKUPS: ${MAX_CONCURRENT_BACKUPS:-2}
      SESSION_DURATION: ${SESSION_DURATION:-7}

      # ===== User Interface Security Settings =====
      ALLOW_CUSTOM_RESTORE_PATH: ${ALLOW_CUSTOM_RESTORE_PATH:-true}
      ALLOW_FILE_BROWSER: ${ALLOW_FILE_BROWSER:-true}
      DISABLE_EVENT_SCRIPTS: ${DISABLE_EVENT_SCRIPTS:-false}

      # ===== Docker-specific (do not change) =====
      NODE_ENV: production
      IS_DOCKER: "true"

    healthcheck:
      test:
        [
          "CMD",
          "sh",
          "-c",
          "wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://localhost:${SERVER_PORT:-5173}/api/health",
        ]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 40s

volumes:
  pluton-data:
    driver: local

2. Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the same directory:

LICENSE_KEY=your-pluton-pro-license-key
ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-secure-encryption-key-min-12-chars
USER_NAME=admin
USER_PASSWORD=your-secure-password

# Optional - override defaults
SERVER_PORT=5173

3. Start Pluton PRO

docker compose up -d

4. Access Pluton PRO

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:5173

Log in with the username and password configured in your .env file.

---

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
LICENSE_KEY	Yes	-	Pluton PRO license key
ENCRYPTION_KEY	Yes	-	Backup encryption master key (min 12 chars)
USER_NAME	Yes	-	Admin username
USER_PASSWORD	Yes	-	Admin password (min 8 chars)
APP_URL	No	http://localhost:5173	Public URL for the application
SERVER_PORT	No	5173	Web interface agents
MAX_CONCURRENT_BACKUPS	No	2	Maximum simultaneous backup jobs
ALLOW_CUSTOM_RESTORE_PATH	No	true	Allow custom restore locations
ALLOW_FILE_BROWSER	No	true	Enable file browser for path selection
DISABLE_EVENT_SCRIPTS	No	false	Disable pre/post backup scripts

Security Notes:

• Generate unique, strong values for ENCRYPTION_KEY and USER_PASSWORD
• Keep ENCRYPTION_KEY safe—without it, encrypted backups cannot be restored
• Store credentials securely (password manager, vault)

---

Network Configuration

Pluton PRO requires 1 port:

Port	Purpose
5173	Web interface

---

Reverse Proxy Setup

For HTTPS and custom domains, use a reverse proxy (nginx, Traefik, Caddy).

Example nginx configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name backup.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:5173;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;

        # WebSocket support
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}

Update the APP_URL environment variable to match your domain:

environment:
  APP_URL: https://backup.yourdomain.com

---

Running Behind Traefik

services:
  pluton:
    image: plutonhq/pluton-pro:latest
    labels:
      - "traefik.enable=true"
      - "traefik.http.routers.pluton.rule=Host(`backup.yourdomain.com`)"
      - "traefik.http.routers.pluton.entrypoints=websecure"
      - "traefik.http.routers.pluton.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt"
      - "traefik.http.services.pluton.loadbalancer.server.port=5173"
    networks:
      - traefik-network
      - pluton-network

---

Updating

docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Your configuration and data are preserved during updates.

---

Managing the Container

# Start
docker compose up -d

# Stop
docker compose down

# Restart
docker compose restart

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

# Check status
docker compose ps

# Shell access
docker exec -it pluton-pro-backup sh

---

Upgrading from Pluton (Free)

If you have an existing Pluton Docker installation and want to upgrade to Pluton PRO, see Upgrading to Pluton PRO.