---
title: "Fresh Install Polarity Server v5 with Podman"
slug: "polarity-server-v5-fresh-install-podman"
description: "Step-by-step guide to deploy Polarity Server v5 using Podman as a Docker alternative. Learn container setup, initial configuration, and deployment best practices for a fresh installation."
updated: 2026-03-26T21:46:13Z
published: 2026-03-26T21:46:13Z
stale: true
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.threatconnect.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Fresh Install (Podman)

## Given:

- A Linux Server
- Access to install standard software from repositories
- A valid Polarity License
- The Polarity Server install script

## Procedure:

**Enterprise Linux variants**

1. **Install prerequisite software:**
  1. ***Includes the following software:***
    1. `epel-release`
    2. `podman`
    3. `podman-compose`
    4. `jq`
    5. `postgresql`
    6. `wget`
    7. `container-selinux`
    8. `policycoreutils-python-utils`
    9. `python3-dotenv`
  2. **Commands:**
    1. ```bash
# Install and update the EPEL repository
sudo dnf install epel-release -y
sudo dnf update -y

# Ensure PostgreSQL module version is up to date
sudo dnf module enable postgresql:16 -y

# Install the prerequisite software
sudo dnf install -y \
 podman \
 podman-compose \
 jq \
 postgresql \
 wget \
 container-selinux \
 policycoreutils-python-utils \
 python3-dotenv
```
2. **Add the desired user to own the Polarity Server container processes:**
  1. We use the `polarityd` user with UID:GID `31337:31337` by default.
  2. ```bash
# Add the user to the system
sudo useradd -u 31337 -U -m -d /app -s /bin/bash polarityd

# Set the new user's password
sudo passwd polarityd

# Set user's ownership over home directory
sudo chown -R polarityd: /app
```
3. **Allow Polarity Server process owner to maintain ownership without an active session:**
  1. `sudo loginctl enable-linger 31337`
4. **Add the Polarity Server process owner to the**`wheel`**group:**
  1. ```bash
# Verify polarityd's current group membership
sudo groups polarityd
## example output - "polarityd: polarityd"

# IF polarityd is NOT in the wheel group, add them
sudo groupmod -a -U polarityd wheel

# Re-verify polarityd's group membership
sudo groups polarityd
## example output - "polarityd: polarityd wheel"
```
5. **Download the Polarity Server installation script and execute it (as the process owner):**
  1. **Switch user to the Polarity Server process owner:**
    1. `sudo su - polarityd`
  2. Script may have a filename in the format `install-<web.version>-<server.version>-offline-selfextract.sh`.
    1. `wget https://<download.url>/install-5.5.0-5.5.1-offline-selfextract.sh`
    2. ***You can get the URL from your Customer Success team.***
  3. **Make the script executable:**
    1. `chmod u+x ./install-5.5.0-5.5.1-offline-selfextract.sh`
  4. ***Add your Polarity License file to the same directory as the install script.***
  5. **Execute the script with**`sudo`**.**
    1. `sudo ./install-5.5.0-5.5.1-offline-selfextract.sh`
  6. ***If Docker is installed, the script will automatically choose Docker as the container engine. To force the script to use Podman instead, prepend execution with***`CONTAINER_ENGINE=podman`***:***
    1. `sudo CONTAINER_ENGINE=podman ./install-5.5.0-5.5.1-offline-selfextract.sh`

> [!WARNING]
> **Installation will fail if your Polarity License file is not in the same directory as the installation script.**

**Debian Linux variants**

1. **Install prerequisite software:**
  1. ***Includes the following software:***
    1. `podman`
    2. `podman-compose`
    3. `jq`
    4. `postgresql-client`
    5. `wget`
    6. `uidmap`
    7. `rootlesskit`
    8. `slirp4netns`
  2. **Commands:**
    1. ```bash
# Ensure repositories are up to date
sudo apt-get update

# Install the prerequisite software
sudo apt-get install -y \
 podman \
 podman-compose \
 jq \
 postgresql-client \
 wget \
 uidmap \
 rootlesskit \
 slirp4netns
```
2. **Add the desired user to own the Polarity Server container processes:**
  1. We use the `polarityd` user, with UID:GID `31337:31337` by default.
    1. ```bash
# Add the user to the system
sudo useradd -u 31337 -U -m -d /app -s /bin/bash polarityd

# Set the new user's password
sudo passwd polarityd

# Set user's ownership over home directory
sudo chown -R polarityd: /app
```
3. **Prepare the Polarity Server process owner to execute the installation script:**
  1. **Allow Polarity Server process owner to maintain ownership without an active session:**
    1. `sudo loginctl enable-linger 31337`
  2. **Add the Polarity Server process owner to the**`adm`**and**`sudo`**groups:**
    1. ```bash
# Verify polarityd's current group membership
sudo groups polarityd
## example output - "polarityd: polarityd"

# IF polarityd is NOT in the adm and sudo groups, add them
sudo groupmod -a -U polarityd adm
sudo groupmod -a -U polarityd sudo

# Re-verify polarityd's group membership
sudo groups polarityd
## example output - "polarityd: polarityd adm sudo"
```
4. **Download the Polarity Server installation script and execute it (as the process owner):**
  1. **Switch user to the Polarity Server process owner:**
    1. `sudo su - polarityd`
  2. Script may have a filename in the format `install-<web.version>-<server.version>-offline-selfextract.sh` (or similar).
    1. `wget https://<download.url>/install-5.5.0-5.5.1-offline-selfextract.sh`
    2. ***You can get the URL from your Customer Success team.***
  3. **Make the script executable:**
    1. `chmod u+x ./install-5.5.0-5.5.1-offline-selfextract.sh`
  4. ***Add your Polarity license file to the same directory as the install script.***
  5. **Execute the script as the process owner (ie. do not use**`sudo`**):**
    1. `./install-5.5.0-5.5.1-offline-selfextract.sh`
    2. ***You may be prompted a few times for the process owner’s password (to make system changes, etc.).***
  6. ***If Docker is installed, the script will automatically choose Docker as the container engine.****To force the script to use Podman instead, prepend execution with*`CONTAINER_ENGINE=podman`*:*
    1. `CONTAINER_ENGINE=podman ./install-5.5.0-5.5.1-offline-selfextract.sh`

> [!WARNING]
> **Installation will fail if your Polarity License file is not in the same directory as the installation script.**