Installing GoCD server on Windows

You must be logged in as a user with Administrator privileges to install the GoCD server on Windows.

  • Download a version of go-server from the downloads page.
  • Double-click the go-server-${version}-setup.exe installer file and follow the prompts to install Go.
  • During installation you will be asked to select a directory that will serve as the root path for your GoCD server installation. GoCD server will store all of its associated data in this directory by default
  • You will next be prompted to choose the bundled JRE or specify the location of JRE (or JDK) installed on your system.
  • At the end of the installation, GoCD server will register itself as a windows service owned by ‘Local System’ and start running automatically
  • Shortcuts to GoCD will be placed on your Desktop and in your Start Menu for convenience - double-click the shortcut to GoCD to the GoCD dashboard

Silent (Headless) Installation

You may use this method if you would like to script the installation of the GoCD server.

  1. go-server-${version}-setup.exe /S /D=<PATH_TO_SERVER_DIRECTORY>
ArgumentRequiredDescription
/DNoThe path where the server should be installed. Defaults to C:\Program Files(x86)\Go Server. Must be the last parameter on the command line and must not contain quotes even if the path contains blank spaces.

For example:

  1. C:\> go-server-16.1.0-1234-setup.exe /S /D=C:\go\server

If User Access Control feature is enabled on your Windows system, it needs to be turned off for silent installation to work.

If you are using the silent installation to upgrade GoCD, you should not specify the Installation-Directory option.

Managing the GoCD server process

You can manage the GoCD server process from the windows service manager

Location of GoCD server files

All the files for the GoCD server are under the root installation path on Windows. The default location is C:\Program Files\Go Server.

The GoCD server installs its files in the following locations on your filesystem:

LocationDescription
${INSTALL_DIR}/dbthe GoCD server database
${INSTALL_DIR}/artifactsthe GoCD server artifacts
${INSTALL_DIR}/pluginsthe GoCD server plugins
${INSTALL_DIR}/configthe GoCD server configuration
${INSTALL_DIR}/logsthe GoCD server log files
${INSTALL_DIR}/{lib,wrapper}the GoCD server binaries and startup scripts
${INSTALL_DIR}/wrapper-config/wrapper-properties.confthe configuration file to alter GoCD server properties

Overriding default startup arguments and environment

Users can override default startup arguments in a editing the file ${INSTALL_DIR}/wrapper-config/wrapper-properties.conf.

Also see