Deployment Prerequisites

Before deploying BoldDocServer, prepare the container host, Docker image, license key, HTTPS certificate, SharePoint access, and Redis connection described below.

Container host

BoldDocServer runs as a Linux container based on the .NET 10 ASP.NET Core runtime.

Environment	Container host
Linux	Docker Engine with the Docker Compose plugin.
Windows Server	A Linux VM running Docker Engine and the Docker Compose plugin.

Run these commands in Windows PowerShell or a Linux/macOS terminal with Docker and Compose installed:

docker version
docker compose version

docker version should show both Client and Server information. docker compose version should show the Compose version.

Hardware and storage

The documented deployment-test configuration uses:

Resource	Testing baseline
CPU	4 vCPU
Memory	16 GiB RAM
Disk	128 GiB Premium SSD

Production sizing depends on document sizes, enabled features, and how many users edit at the same time; the testing baseline is not a capacity guarantee. Allow disk space for the image, logs, certificates, and dictionary files.

Image, license, and dictionary files

Have the following ready:

• The BoldDocServer Docker image.
• Your BoldDocServer license key.
• The spell-check dictionary package, including spellcheck.json and its accompanying files.

The Quick Start shows where to enter the Docker image, license key, and other settings.

HTTPS address and certificates

Choose an address such as https://bolddocserver.example.com. Its hostname must resolve from SharePoint and users’ browsers.

Decide how users will connect:

Option	What to prepare
Direct HTTPS	A certificate chain and private key for BoldDocServer. The Quick Start uses port 443.
Reverse proxy	NGINX or IIS with an HTTPS certificate, plus a private connection from the proxy to BoldDocServer.

The certificate must be valid for your chosen hostname and trusted by SharePoint and users’ browsers. If a proxy connects to BoldDocServer over HTTPS, it must also trust the application’s certificate.

Restrict access to the certificate’s private key.

See Deploy BoldDocServer for certificate files, ports, and proxy configuration.

Network, ports, and firewall

Allow the following connections. Use your configured ports where they differ from the examples.

From	To	Port	Purpose
User browser	SharePoint	SharePoint HTTPS port, usually 443	Open the site and document library.
User browser	BoldDocServer or its reverse proxy	HTTPS, usually 443	Load and use the document editor or viewer.
SharePoint Server	BoldDocServer or its reverse proxy	Configured HTTPS port	Read WOPI discovery information.
BoldDocServer	SharePoint Server	SharePoint HTTPS port, usually 443	Read documents and save changes.
BoldDocServer	Redis	Port in the Redis connection string	Exchange collaboration data.
Reverse proxy, if used	BoldDocServer	Configured internal port	Forward requests to the application.
Container host	Image registry	HTTPS 443	Download the image and updates.

Set up DNS so each system can resolve the hostnames it connects to. For a reverse proxy, the BoldDocServer public hostname should point to the proxy.

Check each connection from the system listed in the From column. Keep Redis and the proxy’s application connection private.

SharePoint access

Prepare:

• A SharePoint Server 2016, SharePoint Server 2019, or SharePoint Server Subscription Edition environment.
• The SharePoint site URL and a document library for the first document workflow.
• A SharePoint administrator with permission to configure WOPI bindings and the WOPI zone.
• A user account with edit permission and a simple .docx file.

For collaboration, use two accounts with edit permission on the same document. See Connect SharePoint for configuration.

Redis requirements

Redis is required for collaborative editing, which is enabled in the Quick Start.

Have the Redis hostname, port, and connection string ready, including authentication and TLS settings used by your Redis service. Provide the connection string through REDIS_CACHE_CONNECTION_STRING in the deployment configuration.

Keep the Redis connection string private.

Next step

Follow Quick Start to create the deployment files, start BoldDocServer, and open and save a document from SharePoint. For a reverse-proxy deployment, follow Deploy BoldDocServer.