Linux packages for DocumentDB: start simple, keep control

Docker remains the fastest way to evaluate DocumentDB on Linux, macOS, or Windows. When you cannot use Docker, or need control over PostgreSQL, services, and configuration on a Linux host, Linux packages give you another option: familiar package managers, guided setup, and a choice about how much of the stack you manage.

DocumentDB is an open-source document database built on PostgreSQL. The Linux packages bring the PostgreSQL extension, gateway, setup tools, and systemd services together, so you can start with a complete installation instead of assembling individual components.

Start simple. Keep control. Use the complete stack for a new instance, or choose an advanced path for PostgreSQL you already manage.

Start with the complete stack

The complete-stack path creates a new private PostgreSQL instance and a DocumentDB gateway on your Linux host. You do not need PostgreSQL installed beforehand. Package-managed services and persistent database storage give you a host installation you can inspect, stop, and restart with familiar Linux tools.

Installation and setup are separate steps:

1. Install with apt or dnf. Follow the Linux installation guide to configure the signed DocumentDB and PostgreSQL repositories, meet the distribution prerequisites, and install the complete-stack package for your selected PostgreSQL major. This changes system-wide package sources and installs dependencies.
2. Run guided setup. The guide’s documentdb-setup command explicitly creates a new private instance, configures the database and gateway, and starts the services. Installing packages alone does not create a working endpoint. Enter the administrator password at the terminal prompt, not in a connection URI or shell history.
3. Connect and query. Follow the guide’s connection instructions, then run your first insert and read.

This is a guided installation, not a one-command path from an unprepared machine to production.

Try a write, then keep it across a restart

Once you are connected, insert a document and read it back:

use quickstart
db.notes.insertOne({ message: "Start simple. Keep control." })
db.notes.findOne({ message: "Start simple. Keep control." })

The query should return the inserted document, including its _id. On a systemd host, follow Services and paths to restart the complete-stack target for your selected PostgreSQL major. Reconnect, select quickstart, and repeat the query to check that the same data remains. A service restart is not a data reset.

The operations guide keeps service commands, storage paths, troubleshooting, and removal guidance in one place.

Keep control of PostgreSQL

The complete stack is the starting point, not the only option.

Use an existing local PostgreSQL instance. Keep ownership of its service and data while configuring DocumentDB and the gateway alongside it. This requires explicit configuration changes and can require an operator-controlled PostgreSQL restart. Back up first and follow the existing-instance guide. The gateway and PostgreSQL must be on the same host; a remote PostgreSQL backend is not supported.

Install only the PostgreSQL extension. Choose this when you want the DocumentDB extension in PostgreSQL without the gateway or package-managed private instance. Extension-only installation does not install the gateway, so apps and drivers cannot connect; you use it through SQL. See the extension-only steps in the full Linux guide rather than treating this as a substitute for the complete-stack quickstart.

Supported platforms and release boundaries

These details describe v0.117-0, the current release as of September 10, 2026.

The shipped package matrix covers Ubuntu 24.04 with APT and RHEL/Rocky Linux 9 with RPM/dnf, on PostgreSQL 17 or 18 and amd64 or arm64. RPM names those architectures x86_64 and aarch64. RHEL requires registration and the documented repository prerequisites. PostgreSQL 18 is the default: documentdb selects it, while documentdb-17 and documentdb-18 select a specific major.

These pre-GA packages are for fresh installations. In-place upgrades from earlier releases are not supported. Use a clean host or a new, empty PostgreSQL instance. Uninstalling packages preserves database files and in-database content; reinstalling does not make an existing database fresh.

The default auto-generated self-signed TLS certificate is a development convenience only. The gateway listens on all interfaces by default, so restrict network access before setup on anything other than a private development machine. Follow the network and TLS guidance before exposing the endpoint, and use a trusted certificate instead of treating a certificate-validation bypass as a production setting.

Choose your installation path

Install DocumentDB on Linux for the complete, current prerequisites and install/setup commands.

Prefer containers, or evaluating on macOS or Windows? Use Docker. It remains an option on Linux, macOS, and Windows.