DX Monitor — Raspberry Pi Installation

This guide explains how to install DX Monitor on a Raspberry Pi using Docker. There is no need to copy source code — the image is published on Docker Hub and the system will be up and running with just a few commands.

Prerequisites

Raspberry Pi 3B+, 4 or 5 running Raspberry Pi OS (32 or 64-bit) or Ubuntu Server for Pi
Internet connection
Open terminal — from the desktop: Menu → Accessories → Terminal, or connected via SSH from another computer

⚠ For 24/7 use it is recommended to use Raspberry Pi OS Lite (without desktop) — it uses less memory and CPU. The installation is identical.

1 Update the system

Open the terminal and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2 Install Docker

Raspberry Pi OS does not include Docker by default. Use the official script:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh

Add your user to the docker group so you don't need sudo on every command:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Close the terminal and reopen it for the change to take effect. Verify the installation:

docker --version

3 Verify Docker Compose

docker compose version

If the command is not found:

sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin -y

4 Get the docker-compose.yml

Open a browser and go to the Docker Hub repository:

🐳 hub.docker.com/r/ea3tb/dx-monitor

In the description you will find the docker-compose.yml block. Copy it.

Go back to the terminal, create the project folder and open the editor:

mkdir -p ~/dx-monitor
cd ~/dx-monitor
nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the content with Ctrl+Shift+V, save with Ctrl+O → Enter, and exit with Ctrl+X.

5 Start the container

Docker will automatically download the image from Docker Hub and start the container. The first time may take a few minutes:

docker compose up -d

Verify it is running:

docker compose ps

6 Access the dashboard

From any browser on your local network:

http://<PI_IP_ADDRESS>:8765

To find your Raspberry Pi's IP address:

hostname -I

On the first visit all fields will be empty. Fill in the configuration from the dashboard: callsign, locator, XML directory, cluster and Telegram.

Common commands

# View logs in real time
docker logs -f dx_monitor_docker

# Stop the container
docker compose down

# Start the container
docker compose up -d

# Update to the latest version
docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Optional — Portainer (visual management)

Portainer is a web interface for managing Docker from the browser: view logs, restart containers, monitor CPU and memory, without needing to use the terminal.

docker volume create portainer_data

docker run -d \
  -p 9000:9000 \
  --name portainer \
  --restart=always \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v portainer_data:/data \
  portainer/portainer-ce:latest

Open a browser and go to:

http://<PI_IP_ADDRESS>:9000

Create an administrator user on the first visit. From there you can manage all your Docker containers including DX Monitor.