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Quick Start

The fastest way to self-host Orca Memory is with Docker Compose.

1. Clone the Repository

2. Configure Environment

Copy the example environment file:
Edit .env with your configuration. See Environment Variables for all options.

3. Start Services

This starts:
  • Dashboard (port 3000)
  • Embeddings service (port 8000)

4. Initialize Convex

In a separate terminal, deploy the Convex backend:
Follow the prompts to connect to your Convex project.

Docker Compose Configuration

The default docker-compose.yml:

Production Deployment

For production, consider:

Reverse Proxy

Use nginx or Traefik as a reverse proxy:

Health Checks

The embeddings service exposes a health endpoint:

Scaling

For high availability:
  • Run multiple dashboard instances behind a load balancer
  • The embeddings service can be scaled horizontally
  • Convex handles scaling automatically

Updating

To update to the latest version:
Then update Convex:

Troubleshooting

Check logs with docker-compose logs -f. Common issues:
  • Missing environment variables
  • Port conflicts
  • Insufficient memory
Ensure your CONVEX_URL is correct and the Convex project is deployed.
The first request loads the model into memory. Subsequent requests are faster. Consider a GPU-enabled instance for better performance.