i2p.i2p/Docker.md

I2P in Docker

I2P is an anonymous overlay network — a network within a network. It is intended to protect communication from surveillance and monitoring by third parties such as ISPs.

Available Images

Registry	Image	Pull Command
Docker Hub	geti2p/i2p	docker pull geti2p/i2p
GitHub Container Registry	ghcr.io/i2p/i2p.i2p	docker pull ghcr.io/i2p/i2p.i2p

Both images are identical and support the following architectures:

Architecture	Base Image	Java Version
amd64	Alpine Linux	OpenJDK 21
arm64 (v8)	Alpine Linux	OpenJDK 21
arm (v7)	Debian Bookworm	OpenJDK 17

---

Quick Start

The fastest way to get I2P running:

docker run -d \
    --name i2p \
    -e JVM_XMX=512m \
    -v i2pconfig:/i2p/.i2p \
    -p 127.0.0.1:7657:7657 \
    -p 127.0.0.1:4444:4444 \
    geti2p/i2p:latest

Then open your browser to http://127.0.0.1:7657 to access the I2P Router Console and complete the setup wizard.

Note: Without setting EXT_PORT, the router will report a "Firewalled" status. This means it cannot receive incoming connections. See the Environment Variables section for details.

---

Docker Compose Examples

Minimal

Runs the router console and HTTP proxy only. Good for trying I2P out.

services:
  i2p:
    image: geti2p/i2p:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - ./i2pconfig:/i2p/.i2p
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:7657:7657"   # Router Console
      - "127.0.0.1:4444:4444"   # HTTP Proxy

Recommended

Includes persistent volumes, memory limits, and an external port for non-firewalled operation. Replace 12345 with a random port number greater than 1024.

services:
  i2p:
    image: geti2p/i2p:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - JVM_XMX=512m
      - EXT_PORT=12345
    volumes:
      - ./i2pconfig:/i2p/.i2p
      - ./i2ptorrents:/i2psnark
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:7657:7657"   # Router Console
      - "127.0.0.1:4444:4444"   # HTTP Proxy
      - "127.0.0.1:6668:6668"   # IRC Proxy
      - "12345:12345"           # I2NP TCP
      - "12345:12345/udp"       # I2NP UDP

Full (all services)

Exposes every available service. Only use this if you need all of them.

services:
  i2p:
    image: geti2p/i2p:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - JVM_XMX=512m
      - EXT_PORT=12345
    volumes:
      - ./i2pconfig:/i2p/.i2p
      - ./i2ptorrents:/i2psnark
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:4444:4444"   # HTTP Proxy
      - "127.0.0.1:4445:4445"   # HTTPS Proxy
      - "127.0.0.1:6668:6668"   # IRC Proxy
      - "127.0.0.1:7654:7654"   # I2CP Protocol
      - "127.0.0.1:7656:7656"   # SAM Bridge
      - "127.0.0.1:7657:7657"   # Router Console
      - "127.0.0.1:7658:7658"   # I2P Site (eepsite)
      - "127.0.0.1:7659:7659"   # SMTP Proxy
      - "127.0.0.1:7660:7660"   # POP3 Proxy
      - "12345:12345"           # I2NP TCP
      - "12345:12345/udp"       # I2NP UDP

---

Docker Run Examples

Minimal

docker run -d \
    --name i2p \
    -v i2pconfig:/i2p/.i2p \
    -p 127.0.0.1:7657:7657 \
    -p 127.0.0.1:4444:4444 \
    geti2p/i2p:latest

Recommended (with external port)

Replace 54321 with a random port number greater than 1024.

docker run -d \
    --name i2p \
    -e JVM_XMX=512m \
    -e EXT_PORT=54321 \
    -v i2pconfig:/i2p/.i2p \
    -v i2ptorrents:/i2psnark \
    -p 127.0.0.1:4444:4444 \
    -p 127.0.0.1:6668:6668 \
    -p 127.0.0.1:7657:7657 \
    -p 54321:12345 \
    -p 54321:12345/udp \
    geti2p/i2p:latest

Low memory (256MB heap)

docker run -d \
    --name i2p \
    -e JVM_XMX=256m \
    -v i2pconfig:/i2p/.i2p \
    -p 127.0.0.1:7657:7657 \
    -p 127.0.0.1:4444:4444 \
    geti2p/i2p:latest

---

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Required	Description
JVM_XMX	512m	No	Maximum Java heap size. Increase for better performance on systems with more RAM (e.g., 1024m). Decrease on constrained devices (e.g., 256m).
EXT_PORT	unset	Recommended	The external port for incoming I2NP connections. Without this, the router operates in "Firewalled" mode and cannot accept incoming connections, which reduces performance. Choose a random port above 1024 (e.g., 54321).
IP_ADDR	auto-detected	No	IP address the router services bind to. Auto-detected from the container's hostname inside Docker. Set to 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces, or a specific IP for custom networking setups.

---

Ports Reference

Port	Protocol	Default Interface	Service	Enabled by Default	Description
4444	TCP	127.0.0.1	HTTP Proxy	Yes	Browse I2P websites (eepsites) by configuring your browser to use this as an HTTP proxy.
4445	TCP	127.0.0.1	HTTPS Proxy	Yes	HTTPS / CONNECT proxy for SSL connections over I2P.
6668	TCP	127.0.0.1	IRC Proxy	Yes	Connect an IRC client here to access I2P IRC networks (Irc2P).
7654	TCP	127.0.0.1	I2CP	Yes	I2P Client Protocol — used by external applications to communicate with the router.
7656	TCP	127.0.0.1	SAM Bridge	No	Simple Anonymous Messaging bridge — API for applications to use I2P (e.g., I2P-enabled BitTorrent clients). Must be enabled via the Router Console.
7657	TCP	127.0.0.1	Router Console	Yes	Web-based administration interface. This is the main UI for managing your I2P router.
7658	TCP	127.0.0.1	I2P Site	No	Host your own website (eepsite) on I2P. Must be enabled via the Router Console.
7659	TCP	127.0.0.1	SMTP Proxy	Yes	Send email through the I2P Postman mail system. Connect your mail client here.
7660	TCP	127.0.0.1	POP3 Proxy	Yes	Receive email from the I2P Postman mail system. Connect your mail client here.
12345	TCP+UDP	0.0.0.0	I2NP	Yes	I2P Network Protocol — the router's main communication port with other I2P routers. This is the only port that should be exposed to the internet.

Which ports should I publish?

• Always: 7657 (Router Console) and 4444 (HTTP Proxy) — these are the minimum to use I2P.
• Recommended: 12345 / EXT_PORT (I2NP) — allows incoming connections, improving network integration and performance.
• Optional: 6668 (IRC), 7656 (SAM), and others as needed.

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Volumes

Container Path	Required	Description
/i2p/.i2p	Yes	Router configuration, keys, and runtime data. You must persist this volume — if lost, your router identity is regenerated and you lose all settings.
/i2psnark	No	Download directory for I2PSnark (the built-in BitTorrent client). Mount this to access downloaded files from the host.

Bind mount example:

mkdir -p ./i2pconfig ./i2ptorrents
docker run -v ./i2pconfig:/i2p/.i2p -v ./i2ptorrents:/i2psnark ...

Named volume example:

docker run -v i2pconfig:/i2p/.i2p -v i2ptorrents:/i2psnark ...

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Building from Source

Build the image locally:

docker build -t i2p .

Multi-architecture build (requires Docker Buildx):

docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64,linux/arm/v7 -t i2p .

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Networking and Security

External Port Selection

The default I2NP port is 12345. You should change this to a random port greater than 1024 when deploying. Using the default port makes it easy for others to identify that you are running I2P in Docker.

# Pick a random port
EXT_PORT=$(shuf -i 1025-65535 -n 1)
echo "Using port: $EXT_PORT"

Firewalled vs Non-Firewalled

• Firewalled (no EXT_PORT set): The router can only make outgoing connections. This works but reduces performance and your ability to contribute to the network.
• Non-Firewalled (EXT_PORT set and port published): The router accepts incoming connections. This improves performance and helps the I2P network.

To achieve non-firewalled status, you must:

1. Set the EXT_PORT environment variable
2. Publish that port for both TCP and UDP
3. Ensure your firewall/router allows traffic on that port

Binding and Remote Access

All services except I2NP are bound to 127.0.0.1 by default. This means they are only accessible from the Docker host machine (via published ports) and not from the network.

To access the Router Console from a remote machine, use an SSH tunnel:

ssh -L 7657:127.0.0.1:7657 user@your-server
# Then open http://127.0.0.1:7657 in your local browser

Alternatively, set IP_ADDR=0.0.0.0 to bind services to all interfaces — but only do this on a trusted network, as it exposes the console and proxies to anyone who can reach the container.

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Advanced Configuration

Custom router.config

You can mount a custom configuration file to override defaults:

docker run -v ./my-router.config:/i2p/router.config ...

The default settings disable automatic updates (router.updateDisabled=true) since the Docker image should be updated by pulling a new image.

Enabling the SAM Bridge

The SAM (Simple Anonymous Messaging) bridge allows external applications to use the I2P network. It is disabled by default. To enable it:

1. Open the Router Console at http://127.0.0.1:7657
2. Navigate to I2CP settings or Clients configuration
3. Enable the SAM Bridge client

Then publish port 7656 to use it from the host:

docker run -p 127.0.0.1:7656:7656 ...

Hosting an I2P Site (Eepsite)

The built-in web server (eepsite) is disabled by default. To enable it:

1. Open the Router Console at http://127.0.0.1:7657
2. Navigate to Hidden Services Manager
3. Start the "I2P Webserver" tunnel

Place your website files in the eepsite directory within the config volume.

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Troubleshooting

Router shows "Firewalled" status

Set the EXT_PORT environment variable and publish the port:

docker run -e EXT_PORT=54321 -p 54321:12345 -p 54321:12345/udp ...

Ensure the port is open in your host firewall and any upstream router/NAT.

Cannot access the Router Console

• Verify port 7657 is published: docker port i2p
• Ensure you're binding to 127.0.0.1:7657 on the host
• Check that the container is running: docker ps
• Check container logs: docker logs i2p

High memory usage

Lower the JVM heap limit:

docker run -e JVM_XMX=256m ...

The default is 512m. For systems with limited RAM (e.g., Raspberry Pi), 256m works but may reduce performance.

Container won't start

Check the logs for errors:

docker logs i2p

Common causes:

• Volume permission issues — ensure the mounted directories are writable
• Port conflicts — check if another process is using the same ports

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Updating

Since automatic updates are disabled in the Docker image, update by pulling the latest image:

docker pull geti2p/i2p:latest
docker stop i2p
docker rm i2p
# Re-run your docker run command

Or with Docker Compose:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Your configuration and router identity are preserved in the /i2p/.i2p volume.