How to Install Discourse on Windows 10

To install Discourse, you will need to follow the below steps:

Step 1: Install Docker

Discourse runs on Docker, and therefore, if you do not have Docker installed on your PC, you need to install it.

1. Go to the Docker website: https://www.docker.com/
2. Download the latest Docker Desktop version for Windows.
3. Install Docker by double-clicking on the downloaded file.

Step 2: Download Discourse

To download and install Discourse:

1. Go to https://www.discourse.org/
2. Click on the "Get Started" button.
3. Choose the "self-hosted" option.
4. Download the latest version of Discourse.

Step 3: Build the Discourse Docker image

The downloaded Discourse file is a compressed file. Therefore, you need to extract it first.

1. Extract the downloaded Discourse file to any directory of your choice.
2. Open a terminal window and navigate to the extracted directory.
3. Run the following command to build the Docker image:

docker build . -t discourse:local

4. Wait for the Docker image to build.

Step 4: Start Discourse

To start Discourse, you need to run the following command:

docker run --rm --name discourse --hostname discourse -e DISCOURSE_DEVELOPER_EMAILS=<your-email-address@example.com> -e DISCOURSE_HOSTNAME=<your-hostname> -p 80:80 -p 443:443 -p 3000:3000 -e DISCOURSE_DEVELOPER_EMAIL=<your-email-address@example.com> discourse:local

Note:

• Replace <your-email-address@example.com> with your email address.
• Replace <your-hostname> with your hostname or IP address.

Conclusion

After following the above steps, you should now have Discourse up and running on your Windows 10 machine. You can now access the Discourse forum by opening your web browser and entering http://localhost:3000.

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!