Install

Parallax runs as a single Docker container. If you already use Docker Compose, you are about two minutes from your first look at it.

What you needCopy Anchor Link

• A computer or server that runs Docker with Docker Compose.
• Your media on that machine, in folders you can share with the container.

On Windows, install Docker Desktop first and leave it running. The default WSL 2 setup is the one you want.

Set it upCopy Anchor Link

Make a folder for Parallax, and inside it create a file called docker-compose.yml:

services:
  parallax:
    image: ghcr.io/raslan/parallax:latest
    container_name: parallax
    ports:
      - "7899:7899"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
      - /mnt/media:/media
    environment:
      - DATA_DIR=/app/data
    user: "1000:1000"
    restart: unless-stopped

Change a few things to fit your setup:

• /mnt/media is the folder on your machine that holds your media. Put your own path on the left side of the colon and leave /media on the right. You can add more lines like it for other folders.
• ./data is where Parallax keeps its own things, like your settings and thumbnails. Docker creates it for you.
• user: "1000:1000" should match your own user on the host, so the files Parallax creates belong to you. Run id in a terminal to see your numbers.

Then start it:

docker compose up -d

Open http://your-machine:7899 in a browser (or http://localhost:7899 if you are on the same machine). The first time, Parallax asks you to create your account: pick a username and a password. See Account and sign-in. Then you see the Parallax home page.

Using a different portCopy Anchor Link

To open Parallax on another port, change the left number in the ports line. For example, "8080:7899" makes it available on port 8080. Leave the right number alone.

Signing inCopy Anchor Link

Parallax has one account, which you create the first time you open it. Open the page yourself before you share the address with anyone, because whoever gets there first makes the account. After that, everything needs a sign-in, including thumbnails and playback. See Account and sign-in for changing the password and for what to do if you forget it.

The sign-in protects you on a home network and behind a VPN. If you want to reach Parallax from the internet, put it behind HTTPS (a reverse proxy such as Nginx Proxy Manager or Caddy does this) so your password is not sent in the clear. Parallax works behind a reverse proxy with its default settings, so a plain proxy_pass is enough and there is nothing extra to configure.

Using a graphics cardCopy Anchor Link

If your machine has a graphics card, you can give it to Docker and Parallax will use it to make compression faster. It works without one, just more slowly. See Hardware acceleration for the details when you are ready.

Which version to runCopy Anchor Link

Building it yourselfCopy Anchor Link

If you want to build the image from the source code instead, the repository on GitHub has a Dockerfile and instructions.