Install with Docker
Docker provides an easy and portable way to run Ant Media Server without installing it directly on your host system. Using the official Docker images, you can quickly spin up a containerized AMS instance, test it on different environments, and manage upgrades or custom builds with minimal effort.
To use the Ant Media Server Enterprise Edition official Docker Hub image, you can execute the following command, which will pull the latest version directly from Docker Hub and run the container.
docker run --restart=always -d --name antmedia --network=host -it antmedia/enterprise:latest
OR
docker run --restart=always -d --name antmedia -p 5080:5080 -it antmedia/enterprise:latest
Once the container is running, reach out to the AMS dashboard and start streaming as explained below.
For those who prefer creating their own AMS Docker image, here’s the process to follow:
1. Download Dockerfile
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ant-media/Scripts/master/docker/Dockerfile_Process -O Dockerfile
2. Build Docker Image
You can perform the build process by entering your license key or having the zip file.
- Enter a license key as an argument as follows, and then the build process will start.
The license key is required in the case of Ant Media Server Enterprise Edition only.
By default, it will directly fetch the current latest version image.
docker build --network=host -t antmediaserver --build-arg LicenseKey=<Your_License_Key> .
- Download and save the Ant Media Server ZIP file in the same directory as the Dockerfile. Then run the docker build command from the command line.
Enterprise Edition:
The AMS Enterprise Edition Zip file can be downloaded from your Ant Media account after license purchase.
Example: ant-media-server-enterprise-2.14.0-20250513_1544.zip.
docker build --network=host -t antmediaserver --build-arg AntMediaServer=ant-media-server-enterprise-2.14.0-20250513_1544.zip .
Community Edition:
The AMS Community Edition Zip file can be downloaded from the Ant Media Server GitHub release page.
Example: ant-media-server-community-2.14.0.zip
docker build --network=host -t antmediaserver --build-arg AntMediaServer=ant-media-server-community-2.14.0.zip .
3. Run Docker Container
Now we have a Docker image with Ant Media Server. Run the Docker container with the below command:
docker run --restart=always -d --name antmedia --network=host -it antmediaserver
By default, Docker uses the host network ports. However, on macOS, the --network=host option is not supported. In such cases, you’ll need to explicitly define the ports as shown below.
docker run --restart=always -d --name antmedia -p 5080:5080 -it antmediaserver
In this example, only port 5080 is mapped for HTTP access. However, protocols like RTMP require additional ports (e.g., 1935), so they must be specified as well.
docker run --restart=always -d --name antmedia -p 5080:5080 -p 1935:1935 -it antmediaserver
You can map more ports as needed, depending on your use case.
4. Volume
Optional: If you would like to use persistent volume, you can use it as follows. In this way, volume keeps even if your container is destroyed.
docker volume create antmedia_volume
docker run -d --name antmedia --mount source=antmedia_volume,target=/usr/local/antmedia/ --network=host -it antmediaserver
AMS Dashboard
After the Docker container starts, reach out to http://localhost:5080 or http://host-IP:5080 to access the Ant Media Server dashboard.
Check out here to publish a WebRTC stream for testing.
Nice job 🚀
You have successfully set up Ant Media Server using Docker — you ran the official image (or built your own), mapped the necessary ports like 5080 (and RTMP if you needed it). You can now access the Dashboard and start streaming immediately.
Bonus points: your setup is lightweight, quick to launch, and runs anywhere — that’s the Docker charm! 🎩