Install CookDex

CookDex runs on your server next to Mealie, from GitHub Container Registry (ghcr.io/thekannen/cookdex). This page ends with the container running; Getting started picks up at first login.

Install

Download the compose file:

mkdir -p cookdex && cd cookdex
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thekannen/cookdex/main/compose.ghcr.yml -o compose.yaml

No .env file is required. To override defaults (port, base path, etc.), optionally download and edit .env.example:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thekannen/cookdex/main/.env.example -o .env

Start the service:

docker compose pull cookdex
docker compose up -d cookdex

Check that it’s running:

curl -k https://localhost:4820/cookdex/api/v1/health

Next: open https://localhost:4820/cookdex and follow Getting started.

Required volumes

Host path	Container path	Purpose
`./cache`	`/app/cache`	SQLite state database, encryption key, and TLS certificate
`./logs`	`/app/logs`	Task run log files
`./reports`	`/app/reports`	Audit and maintenance reports

The ./cache volume stores the state database (taxonomy, settings, run history, schedules), the auto-generated encryption key, and the TLS certificate. Keep this volume persistent.

Updating

Update in place; your settings, run history and schedules stay in ./cache.

docker compose pull cookdex
docker compose up -d --remove-orphans cookdex

After updating, verify login and check /cookdex/api/v1/health.

Image tags

Tag	Tracks
`latest`	The most recent release (default)
`v2026.x.y`	A specific release, never moved
`edge`	The newest build from `main`, which may include unreleased changes
`sha-<commit>`	A specific `main` build; only the 20 most recent are kept

To use a different tag, set COOKDEX_TAG in .env.

Notes

All runtime settings are managed from the Settings page after login.
Secrets are encrypted at rest using an auto-generated key (stored in ./cache).
An optional .env file can pre-seed settings or override defaults for headless deployments.