Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12, AlmaLinux 9 and Rocky Linux 9 (CouchDB 3.5)
Ubuntu 16.04 is end of life. Apache CouchDB (current version 3.5) is a document database: each record is a JSON document, and you work with it over HTTP. These steps are for Ubuntu 24.04 / Debian 12 (and AlmaLinux 9 / Rocky Linux 9).
Install from the Apache CouchDB repository
# Ubuntu 24.04 / Debian 12
apt install curl gnupg
curl https://couchdb.apache.org/repo/keys.asc | gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/couchdb-archive-keyring.gpg
. /etc/os-release
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/couchdb-archive-keyring.gpg] https://apache.jfrog.io/artifactory/couchdb-deb/ ${VERSION_CODENAME} main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/couchdb.list
apt update && apt install couchdb
# AlmaLinux / Rocky 9
dnf install dnf-plugins-core
dnf config-manager --add-repo https://couchdb.apache.org/repo/couchdb.repo
dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb && dnf install epel-release # for the SpiderMonkey dependency
dnf install mozjs78 && dnf install couchdb
On Ubuntu/Debian the installer asks questions: choose standalone, enter any random text as the Erlang cookie, keep the bind address 127.0.0.1, and set an admin password. On AlmaLinux/Rocky, set the admin in /opt/couchdb/etc/local.ini under [admins] (admin = YourPassword), then systemctl enable --now couchdb.
Use it
curl http://127.0.0.1:5984/ # welcome message with the version curl -u admin:YourPassword -X PUT http://127.0.0.1:5984/mydb # create a database
The web interface, Fauxton, is at http://127.0.0.1:5984/_utils. From your computer, reach it with an SSH tunnel: ssh -L 5984:127.0.0.1:5984 root@SERVER-IP.
Note: Keep CouchDB on 127.0.0.1 or behind an HTTPS reverse proxy. An open CouchDB with a weak admin password is a common target.
