Docker Installation

AeroSim is distributed as a Docker container for Linux systems. It requires an Nvidia GPU for the CFD solver.

Requirements

  • OS: Linux (Ubuntu 22.04 or later recommended)

  • GPU: Nvidia GPU with CUDA 12.x support

  • RAM: 16 GB minimum

  • Disk: 20 GB free

Prerequisites

1. Nvidia driver (>= 525)

Follow the official Nvidia driver installation guide for your distribution and GPU.

nvidia-smi  # verify

2. Nvidia Container Toolkit

Follow the official Container Toolkit installation guide.

docker run --rm --gpus all nvidia/cuda:12.2.2-base-ubuntu22.04 nvidia-smi  # verify

3. Docker Engine (>= 20.10 with Compose plugin)

Follow the official Docker Engine installation guide.

docker compose version  # verify

Installing AeroSim

curl -fsSL https://download.aerosim.io/aerosim-solver/install.sh -o install.sh
bash install.sh

The installer prompts for:

  • Administrator password - required to write to /opt and /usr/local/bin

  • License key - provided by AeroSim team (XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX)

  • Data directory - where simulation files are stored (default: ~/AeroSim/data)

  • Web UI port (default: 5544)

  • Solver manager port (default: 5533)

Starting AeroSim

aerosim_solver

To run in the background:

cd /opt/AeroSim/<version>
UID=$(id -u) GID=$(id -g) docker compose up -d

Accessing the Web Interface

Open http://localhost:5544 in your browser.

Warning

The default login credentials are admin / admin. Change the password after the first login.

Updating

Re-run the installer to upgrade to a newer version. Your data directory is not affected.

curl -fsSL https://download.aerosim.io/aerosim-solver/install.sh -o install.sh
bash install.sh

Uninstalling

cd /opt/AeroSim/<version>
docker compose down
sudo rm -rf /opt/AeroSim/<version>
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/aerosim_solver

Note

Uninstalling does not remove your simulation data. The data directory you chose during installation is preserved.

Troubleshooting

GPU / CUDA

Error

Fix

cudaErrorInsufficientDriver

Upgrade Nvidia driver to >= 525

could not select device driver "nvidia"

Install the Nvidia Container Toolkit (step 2)

nvidia-smi: command not found

Install the Nvidia driver (step 1)

unknown flag: --gpus

Upgrade Docker Engine to >= 20.10

Docker

Error

Fix

docker compose: command not found

Install Docker with the Compose plugin

permission denied on Docker socket

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER, then log out and back in

Port already in use

Re-run the installer and choose a different port

License

Error

Fix

Validation failed (HTTP 4xx)

Check the key for typos and ensure internet access

License already in use

Contact support to reset the activation

Web UI not loading

cd /opt/AeroSim/<version>
docker compose ps    # check all containers are running
docker compose logs  # check for errors

Getting help

Contact support@aerosim.io and include the output of:

docker compose logs
docker compose ps
nvidia-smi