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Deploy Appsmith as a Non-Root User on Kubernetes

This page shows you how to deploy Appsmith as a non-root user on a Kubernetes cluster. Running containers as non-root enhances security and is often required by organizational or platform policies. This setup works on clusters like KIND, Minikube, EKS, or GKE. It does not cover Docker-based deployments.

Prerequisites​

  • A running Kubernetes cluster (KIND, Minikube, or any cloud-based Kubernetes provider)
  • kubectl and helm installed and configured
  • Access to Docker Hub or a compatible container registry
  • (Optional) External PostgreSQL and Redis instances, if you prefer not to use Helm-managed services

Configure Pull Secret and Helm Values​

Set up the image pull secret and define Helm chart values to deploy Appsmith securely as a non-root user.

  1. Create a DockerHub image pull secret to access the Appsmith image:
kubectl create secret docker-registry dockerhub \
  --docker-username=<your-username> \
  --docker-password=<your-password> \
  --docker-email=<your-email>
  1. Prepare a values.yaml file with the following configuration to run Appsmith as a non-root user:
_image:
  repository: appsmith/appsmith-ee
  tag: latest
  pullPolicy: Always

image:
  pullSecrets: dockerhub

mongodb:
  enabled: true

redis:
  enabled: true

postgresql:
  enabled: true

podSecurityContext:
  fsGroup: 1001
  sysctls:
    - name: net.ipv4.ip_unprivileged_port_start
      value: "80"

securityContext:
  runAsNonRoot: true
  runAsUser: 1001
  runAsGroup: 1001
  fsGroup: 1001
  seccompProfile:
    type: RuntimeDefault

applicationConfig:
  LD_PRELOAD: /usr/local/lib/libnss_wrapper.so

Install Appsmith with Helm​

Install Appsmith using Helm and verify that the application is running successfully in your Kubernetes cluster.

  1. Add the Appsmith Helm repository and install the chart using your customized values.yaml file:
helm repo add appsmith https://helm.appsmith.com
helm repo update

helm install appsmith appsmith/appsmith \
  -f values.yaml
  1. To test the deployment, wait for all pods to reach the Running state:
kubectl get pods

Then, check if the Appsmith service is accessible:

kubectl port-forward service/appsmith 8080:80

Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser. You should see the Appsmith setup screen.

  1. For best security practices, make sure Appsmith is running with the following container settings:
  • Runs as a non-root user (runAsNonRoot: true)
  • Uses a fixed runAsUser, runAsGroup, and fsGroup (all set to 1001)
  • Enables seccompProfile: RuntimeDefault for syscall filtering
  • Applies net.ipv4.ip_unprivileged_port_start sysctl so Appsmith can bind to ports <1024 without root access
note

  • MongoDB, Redis, and PostgreSQL are enabled and managed via Helm

  • Ensure the image pull secret is created beforehand and correctly referenced in values.yaml