Installing on Windows (Docker Build)

This article covers installing the Docker build of Precision Bridge on Windows. The Docker build is the full application — including the scheduling stack and support for unattended / multi-user operation — and is the recommended choice for production use on Windows.

For evaluation only, the Windows Native Build Quick Start installs in under five minutes without Docker. The native build does not support scheduled procedures; use the Docker build below if you need scheduling, multi-user access, or production deployment.

Prerequisites

Before installing, you need a container runtime installed and running. See Choosing a Container Runtime for a comparison, or jump straight to one of:

• Docker Desktop Setup — most common choice
• Rancher Desktop Setup — free/open-source alternative
• Podman Setup — daemonless, rootless option

Whichever runtime you choose, confirm it is running before continuing.

Download

The Windows Docker installer is provided by Precision Bridge as part of your sign-up or trial activation. The file is named Precision-Bridge-Setup-{version}.exe (for example, Precision-Bridge-Setup-10.1.5.exe) and ships with a matching .sha256 checksum for integrity verification.

If you do not yet have the installer, contact [e-mail] to request access.

Make sure you have the right file. The native installer is named Precision-Bridge-Native-Setup-{version}.exe (with "Native" in the name) — that is a different build. The two installers can be installed side-by-side but use different ports (7500 for native, 7502 for Docker).

Install

1. Run Precision-Bridge-Setup-{version}.exe and follow the on-screen prompts.
2. Make sure your container runtime (Docker Desktop, Rancher Desktop, or Podman) is running before launching the application.
3. Launch PB Manager from the Start menu when the installer finishes.

For Rancher Desktop, ensure dockerd (moby) is selected as the container runtime. See Rancher Desktop Setup.

For Podman, ensure your Podman machine is running and podman-compose is installed. See Podman Setup.

First Run

PB Manager is a small desktop wrapper that controls the local Precision Bridge service:

1. Click Start to bring the containers up.
2. After a few seconds the application opens in your default web browser at http://localhost:7502.
3. The license request form appears on first launch — proceed to Licensing and Setup.

PB Manager remains in the system tray and can be used to stop, restart, or view logs for the service at any time.

Next Steps

• Licensing and Setup — request and apply your license key
• Running in a Virtual Machine — extra notes if you are running inside a VM