Troubleshooting¶

Start with the container state and logs. Old fixes that install Python 2 packages or run the retired native installer do not apply to the supported Compose setup.

The web interface does not open¶

Check whether the services are running:

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.dev.yml ps

Then inspect recent logs:

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.dev.yml logs --tail=200

The web interface is http://localhost:8019. Port 8009 is the backend API.

A port is already in use¶

Identify the process or container already using 8019, 8009, 8008, or PostgreSQL's mapped port. Stop the conflicting service or change the local Compose mapping before starting OWTF again.

A service keeps restarting¶

Follow the affected service logs:

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.dev.yml logs --follow SERVICE_NAME

Replace SERVICE_NAME with the name shown by docker compose ... ps. The first meaningful traceback or health-check failure is usually more useful than the final restart message.

Rebuild after dependency changes¶

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.dev.yml build --no-cache
make compose-safe

Use a no-cache build only when a normal rebuild still uses stale layers; it is slower and downloads more data.

Reset local containers without deleting data¶

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.dev.yml down
make compose-safe

Do not add --volumes unless you intentionally want to remove the local database and other persisted Compose data.

Get help¶

When opening a GitHub issue, include:

your operating system and architecture;
Docker and Compose versions;
the OWTF commit you are running;
the failing service name;
the smallest relevant log excerpt with credentials and target data removed; and
exact reproduction steps.

For discussion, join the OWASP Slack workspace and use #project-owtf.