Windows Deployment

To deploy Clarity Connect on Windows, you will use native Windows container features. Note: Docker Desktop is not supported for Windows Server environments; instead, we use the Docker Engine (Community Edition).

Prerequisites
Operating System: Windows Server 2025.
Hardware: Ensure virtualization is enabled in the BIOS.
For cloud instances (like AWS), an instance type that supports Hyper-V (e.g., M8i, R8i, or C8i) is required.
Permissions: All commands must be run in PowerShell as an Administrator.

Step 1: Enable Windows Container Feature

Before installing Docker, you must enable the Containers feature on the host operating system. Run the following command and restart the server if prompted:  PowerShellInstall-WindowsFeature Containers

Step 2: Install Docker Engine

We recommend using the official Microsoft helper script to ensure a stable installation of Docker CE on Windows Server 2025.  Download and run the installation script:

Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/Windows-Containers/Main/helpful_tools/Install-DockerCE/install-docker-ce.ps1" -o install-docker-ce.ps1
.\install-docker-ce.ps1

Restart your system to finalize the installation.

Step 3: Install Docker Compose

To manage the Clarity Connect stack, you must install the standalone Docker Compose executable.  

Start-BitsTransfer -Source "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v5.1.2/docker-compose-windows-x86_64.exe" -Destination $Env:ProgramFiles\Docker\docker-compose.exe

NOTE
Ensure you use version v5.1.2 for full compatibility with Windows Server 2025.

Step 4: Verify Installation

Verify that both Docker and Compose are correctly installed by checking their versions:

docker version
docker-compose --version

Step 5: Configure Isolation Mode

Windows Server 2025 images may experience issues when running in "Process Isolation". For maximum stability, we recommend using Hyper-V isolation.

Step 6: Deploying Clarity Connect

Place your downloaded docker-compose.yml file into a permanent directory (e.g., C:\ClarityConnect\).

Open PowerShell in that directory and start the appliance:

docker-compose up -d

The final output should look similar to the following image if completed successfully.