Appsmith

intermediate

Low-code platform for building internal tools.

Overview

Appsmith is an open-source low-code platform designed for rapidly building internal tools, dashboards, and business applications. Created to bridge the gap between complex enterprise software development and the need for quick internal tooling, Appsmith provides a visual drag-and-drop interface that connects to any database or API. The platform has gained popularity among development teams and businesses looking to create custom applications without extensive coding requirements, enabling faster deployment of internal workflows and data visualization tools. This deployment uses the official Appsmith Community Edition in an all-in-one container that includes the complete platform stack with built-in database, application server, and web interface. The single appsmith service provides the entire low-code development environment, accessible through standard web ports with persistent storage for your applications and configurations. The container includes embedded PostgreSQL for metadata storage and Redis for session management, eliminating the need for separate database services. This setup is ideal for development teams, startups, and organizations wanting to quickly deploy a self-hosted low-code platform for internal tool development. The configuration provides immediate access to a full-featured application builder that can connect to external databases and APIs while maintaining complete control over your deployment environment and sensitive business data.

Key Features

Visual drag-and-drop application builder with pre-built UI widgets and components
Native connectors for popular databases including MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Elasticsearch
REST API and GraphQL integration with authentication and request transformation capabilities
Git-based version control integration for application deployment workflows
Role-based access control with granular permissions for users and applications
Custom JavaScript execution environment for complex business logic implementation
Multi-environment support for development, staging, and production application deployment
Built-in audit logs and application analytics for monitoring usage and performance

Common Use Cases

1Building internal admin panels and dashboards for customer support and operations teams
2Creating data visualization tools and reporting interfaces for business intelligence
3Developing CRUD applications for inventory management and order processing systems
4Building approval workflow tools for HR processes and document management
5Creating customer-facing portals for account management and service requests
6Developing monitoring dashboards for DevOps teams to track system metrics
7Building custom CRM interfaces tailored to specific business requirements

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed with at least 4GB available RAM for optimal performance
Ports 80 and 443 available on the host system for web access and SSL termination
Basic understanding of database connections and API integration concepts
Familiarity with JavaScript for implementing custom business logic and data transformations
Access credentials for external databases and APIs you plan to integrate
At least 10GB of available disk space for application data and user-generated content

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  appsmith: 
3    image: appsmith/appsmith-ce:latest
4    container_name: appsmith
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    volumes: 
7      - appsmith_data:/appsmith-stacks
8    ports: 
9      - "80:80"
10      - "443:443"
11
12volumes: 
13  appsmith_data:

.env Template

.env

1# Configure in admin settings

Usage Notes

1Access at http://localhost
2Drag-and-drop UI builder
3Connect to any API/database

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  appsmith:
5    image: appsmith/appsmith-ce:latest
6    container_name: appsmith
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    volumes:
9      - appsmith_data:/appsmith-stacks
10    ports:
11      - "80:80"
12      - "443:443"
13
14volumes:
15  appsmith_data:
16EOF
17
18# 2. Create the .env file
19cat > .env << 'EOF'
20# Configure in admin settings
21EOF
22
23# 3. Start the services
24docker compose up -d
25
26# 4. View logs
27docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/appsmith/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Container fails to start with memory errors: Increase Docker memory limit to at least 4GB and ensure sufficient system resources
Applications load slowly or timeout: Check available system memory and consider upgrading host resources or reducing concurrent user load
Database connections fail repeatedly: Verify network connectivity to external databases and check firewall rules for outbound connections
Custom JavaScript code not executing: Review browser console for syntax errors and ensure proper async/await handling in custom functions
Git integration authentication failures: Regenerate SSH keys or personal access tokens and verify repository permissions
SSL certificate errors on port 443: Configure proper SSL certificates or use HTTP-only mode during development and testing

Community Notes

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Includes docker-compose.yml, .env template, README, and license

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