---
title: Docker Standalone
description: "Deploy GitLab MCP Server as a standalone Docker container with HTTP transport. Quick setup for development, testing, and team deployments without database persistence requirements."
head:
- - meta
- name: keywords
content: gitlab mcp docker, standalone container, SSE transport, streamable http, docker run, mcp server container
---
# Docker Standalone Deployment Guide
Run GitLab MCP as a standalone Docker container with HTTP transport. No external database, no persistent state.
## When to Use
- Development and testing
- Quick team deployments
- Single GitLab instance with PAT authentication
- When you don't need OAuth session persistence
## Quick Start
```bash
docker run -d --name gitlab-mcp \
-e PORT=3002 \
-e GITLAB_TOKEN=glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx \
-e GITLAB_API_URL=https://gitlab.com \
-p 3333:3002 \
ghcr.io/structured-world/gitlab-mcp:latest
```
## Setup via Wizard
```bash
npx @structured-world/gitlab-mcp docker init
```
Select "standalone" when prompted for deployment type.
## Client Configuration
### StreamableHTTP (Recommended)
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"gitlab": {
"type": "streamable-http",
"url": "http://localhost:3333/mcp"
}
}
}
```
### SSE (Legacy)
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"gitlab": {
"type": "sse",
"url": "http://localhost:3333/sse"
}
}
}
```
## Environment Variables
| Variable | Required | Description | Default |
|----------|----------|-------------|---------|
| `PORT` | Yes | Internal HTTP port | — |
| `HOST` | No | Bind address | `0.0.0.0` |
| `GITLAB_TOKEN` | Yes | [GitLab Personal Access Token](/guide/authentication#pat) | — |
| `GITLAB_API_URL` | No | GitLab instance URL | `https://gitlab.com` |
| `GITLAB_READ_ONLY_MODE` | No | Restrict to read-only tools | `false` |
Feature flags (`USE_*`) are also supported. See [Configuration](/guide/configuration).
## Management
```bash
# Status
gitlab-mcp docker status
# Logs
gitlab-mcp docker logs
gitlab-mcp docker logs -f
# Lifecycle
gitlab-mcp docker stop
gitlab-mcp docker start
gitlab-mcp docker restart
# Update
gitlab-mcp docker upgrade
```
## Architecture
```
┌─────────────────┐ HTTP ┌──────────────────┐
│ MCP Client │ ◄────────────► │ Docker Container │
│ (any client) │ /mcp or /sse │ gitlab-mcp │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘
│
│ HTTPS
▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ GitLab API │
└─────────────────┘
```
## Limitations
- No persistent state — all sessions lost on container restart
- No OAuth — token-based authentication only
- Single token — all clients share the same GitLab identity
- No session storage — can't persist OAuth grants
## HTTPS
For HTTPS support, see [TLS Configuration](/advanced/tls).
## See Also
- [Docker + PostgreSQL](/deployment/docker-postgres) — add persistence for OAuth
- [Docker Compose](/deployment/docker-compose) — bundled production setup
- [Docker CLI commands](/cli/docker)
