Install the Program

Install the program (no Docker)

GeoTracker is a single static binary with the web UI built in. Download it, run it, done. Binaries are published with every release for:

Platform	File
Linux x86-64	geotracker-linux-amd64
Linux ARM64 (Raspberry Pi 4/5 on a 64-bit OS, many ARM servers)	geotracker-linux-arm64
Linux ARMv7 (Raspberry Pi 3 / 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS)	geotracker-linux-armv7
macOS Apple Silicon	geotracker-darwin-arm64
macOS Intel	geotracker-darwin-amd64
Windows 64-bit	geotracker-windows-amd64.exe

Every release also has a SHA256SUMS file to verify downloads.

Linux and Raspberry Pi: one-line install

Installs the binary, creates a geotracker system user and a systemd service that starts on boot and restarts if it stops. It verifies the download against SHA256SUMS first.

curl -fsSL https://github.com/anand34577/geo-tracker/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sudo sh

Set options with environment variables:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/anand34577/geo-tracker/releases/latest/download/install.sh \
  | sudo GT_BASE_URL=https://track.example.com GT_VERSION=v0.1.0 sh

Variable	Default	Meaning
GT_VERSION	latest	Release tag to install
GT_BASE_URL	empty	Your public URL (set it for production)
GT_LISTEN	127.0.0.1:8080	Listen address. Local-only by default, because you put a reverse proxy with HTTPS in front. Use 0.0.0.0:8080 for LAN access without a proxy.
GT_DATA_DIR	/var/lib/geotracker	Where the database and backups live

Afterwards:

• Settings are in /etc/geotracker.env. Edit it and run sudo systemctl restart geotracker.
• Logs: journalctl -u geotracker -f
• Status: systemctl status geotracker
• Upgrade: run the same install command again. Your data and settings are kept, and a database backup is made automatically.
• Uninstall: sudo systemctl disable --now geotracker && sudo rm /usr/local/bin/geotracker /etc/systemd/system/geotracker.service (your data in /var/lib/geotracker stays until you delete it).

Next, put Caddy or nginx in front for HTTPS: see HTTPS.

Linux: manual install

If you'd rather not run a script:

# pick the file for your CPU from the table above
curl -LO https://github.com/anand34577/geo-tracker/releases/latest/download/geotracker-linux-amd64
curl -LO https://github.com/anand34577/geo-tracker/releases/latest/download/SHA256SUMS
sha256sum -c --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS

sudo useradd --system --home /var/lib/geotracker --create-home --shell /usr/sbin/nologin geotracker
sudo install -m 755 geotracker-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/geotracker
sudo curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anand34577/geo-tracker/main/deploy/geotracker.service \
  -o /etc/systemd/system/geotracker.service
sudoedit /etc/systemd/system/geotracker.service      # set GT_BASE_URL
sudo systemctl enable --now geotracker

To try it without a service, run ./geotracker-linux-amd64 and open http://localhost:8080. Data goes to ./data.

Keep it supervised. Restoring a backup from the UI exits the process on purpose so the database can be swapped safely. systemd's Restart=always starts it again immediately. Without a supervisor, start it again by hand.

macOS

curl -LO https://github.com/anand34577/geo-tracker/releases/latest/download/geotracker-darwin-arm64   # or -amd64 on Intel
chmod +x geotracker-darwin-arm64
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine geotracker-darwin-arm64     # the binary isn't notarised
sudo mv geotracker-darwin-arm64 /usr/local/bin/geotracker
GT_DATA_DIR=~/geotracker-data geotracker

Open http://localhost:8080. To start it at login, save this as ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.geotracker.plist, replacing YOU with your user name:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0"><dict>
  <key>Label</key><string>com.geotracker</string>
  <key>ProgramArguments</key><array><string>/usr/local/bin/geotracker</string><string>serve</string></array>
  <key>EnvironmentVariables</key><dict>
    <key>GT_DATA_DIR</key><string>/Users/YOU/geotracker-data</string>
    <key>GT_LISTEN</key><string>127.0.0.1:8080</string>
  </dict>
  <key>RunAtLoad</key><true/>
  <key>KeepAlive</key><true/>
  <key>StandardErrorPath</key><string>/Users/YOU/geotracker-data/geotracker.log</string>
</dict></plist>

launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.geotracker.plist

Windows

1. Download geotracker-windows-amd64.exe from the releases page, put it in a folder such as C:\GeoTracker\ and rename it geotracker.exe.
2. If Windows SmartScreen warns about an unrecognised app, choose More info → Run anyway (the binary isn't code-signed). You can compare Get-FileHash .\geotracker.exe with SHA256SUMS first.
3. Try it in PowerShell:

   cd C:\GeoTracker
   $env:GT_DATA_DIR = "C:\GeoTracker\data"
   .\geotracker.exe

   Open http://localhost:8080.

Run it as a Windows service (starts at boot, restarts on failure)

Use NSSM (the Non-Sucking Service Manager). In an administrator PowerShell:

nssm install GeoTracker C:\GeoTracker\geotracker.exe serve
nssm set GeoTracker AppEnvironmentExtra GT_DATA_DIR=C:\GeoTracker\data GT_LISTEN=127.0.0.1:8080 GT_BASE_URL=https://track.example.com
nssm set GeoTracker AppExit Default Restart
nssm set GeoTracker AppStdout C:\GeoTracker\geotracker.log
nssm set GeoTracker AppStderr C:\GeoTracker\geotracker.log
nssm start GeoTracker

Open the firewall only if you serve your LAN directly: New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName GeoTracker -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 8080 -Action Allow (and set GT_LISTEN=0.0.0.0:8080).

For HTTPS on Windows, run Caddy for Windows in front, or use a Cloudflare Tunnel.

Build from source

Needs Go 1.26+ and Node.js 22+.

git clone https://github.com/anand34577/geo-tracker && cd geo-tracker
make build          # builds the UI, then ./geotracker with the UI embedded

Cross-compile with GOOS/GOARCH after make web:

make web && CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm64 go build -trimpath -ldflags "-s -w" -o geotracker-arm64 ./cmd/geotracker

Verify it works

geotracker version
curl http://127.0.0.1:8080/healthz       # prints: ok

Where things are

	Linux install script	Manual / Windows / macOS
Binary	/usr/local/bin/geotracker	wherever you put it
Data (database, backups, uploads)	/var/lib/geotracker	GT_DATA_DIR (default ./data)
Settings	/etc/geotracker.env	environment variables

Back up the data folder: it is everything. See Administration.