Setup Guide
Getting started, accessing the tool, and optional configuration.
🚀 Getting Started
RespectASO runs as a Docker container on your machine. Three commands to get started:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/respectlytics/respectaso.git
cd respectaso
# Start the container
docker compose up -d
That's it. Open your browser and go to:
Why no port number?
We map to port 80 — the default HTTP port — so you never need to type a port number.
The container internally uses 8080, but Docker maps it to 80 on your machine.
If you see 0.0.0.0:8080
in the container logs, that's the internal address — just use localhost in your browser.
🔌 Changing the Port
If port 80 is already in use on your machine (e.g., by Apache, Nginx, or another web server), edit
docker-compose.yml and change the port mapping:
# Change the left side (host port) to whatever you want:
ports:
- "9090:8080"
Then restart the container and access the tool at
http://localhost:9090.
docker compose down && docker compose up -d
🌐 Custom Domain Name
Instead of http://localhost, you can access
RespectASO with a clean custom domain like http://respectaso.private.
This just requires adding one line to your hosts file.
macOS / Linux
# Open your hosts file
sudo nano /etc/hosts
# Add this line at the end
127.0.0.1 respectaso.private
# Save and exit (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X)
Windows
# Open Notepad as Administrator, then open this file:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
# Add this line at the end
127.0.0.1 respectaso.private
# Save the file
After saving, open your browser and go to
http://respectaso.private.
No restart needed — it works immediately.
Why .private?
We recommend the .private TLD because it's reserved for
private use and won't conflict with real domains or macOS mDNS resolution (.local
can cause slowdowns on macOS because it triggers Bonjour lookups). You can use any name you want —
aso.test,
respectaso.dev, etc. — but .private
is the safest choice.
Changed the port?
If you changed the port in docker-compose.yml (e.g., to 9090),
use that port with your custom domain:
http://respectaso.private:9090.
The hosts file handles name resolution, the port mapping is separate.
⚡ Automatic Startup
RespectASO starts automatically when your computer boots — no need to run
docker compose up again after the initial setup.
How it works
The docker-compose.yml includes
restart: unless-stopped,
which tells Docker to automatically restart the container whenever Docker itself starts.
Docker Desktop starts on login by default on macOS and Windows, so RespectASO is always available.
Verify Docker starts on login
macOS / Windows: Open Docker Desktop → Settings → General → ensure "Start Docker Desktop when you sign in" is checked (it's on by default).
Linux: Docker Engine auto-starts via systemd by default. If not:
sudo systemctl enable docker
Want to stop auto-start?
If you don't want RespectASO running all the time, stop it with
docker compose stop.
It won't restart until you manually run
docker compose up -d again.
That's the "unless-stopped" part — Docker respects your manual stop.
💾 Data & Persistence
Your data (apps, keywords, search history) is stored in an SQLite database inside a Docker volume
(aso_data). This means:
- Container restarts — your data survives
- Image rebuilds — your data survives
docker compose down -v— this deletes the volume and all your data
A secret key is auto-generated on first run and persisted in the same volume. No manual configuration needed.
🔄 Updating to a New Version
cd respectaso
git pull
docker compose down
docker compose build --no-cache
docker compose up -d
Database migrations run automatically on container start. Your existing data is preserved.