Practical, tested install guides for TAK Server 5.5, 5.6, and 5.7 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS — including federation, LDAP, Docker, and an end-to-end smoke test using OmniTAK.
Latest TAK Server upstream tags (TAK-Product-Center/Server, April 2026):
- 5.7-RELEASE-14 — newest, includes WebTAK 4.10.5 and major messaging perf wins
- 5.6-RELEASE-35 — current stable
- 5.5-RELEASE-82 — long-term stable; 5.5-RELEASE-58 (the original target of these guides) is superseded
Pick the version that matches the .deb you downloaded from tak.gov.
| You want to... | Read this |
|---|---|
| Install the newest TAK Server | TAK_SERVER_5.7_COMPLETE_TUTORIAL.md |
| Install current stable | TAK_SERVER_5.6_COMPLETE_TUTORIAL.md |
| Install 5.5 (legacy) | TAK_SERVER_5.5_COMPLETE_TUTORIAL.md |
| Run TAK Server in Docker | TAK_SERVER_DOCKER_GUIDE.md |
5.7-on-Docker deltas vs the 5.5 guide (Colima, .zip package, martiuser, etc.) |
TAK_5.7_DOCKER_DELTAS.md |
Build a one-tap .zip data package for sim / emulator / phone |
TAK_5.7_DATA_PACKAGE_GUIDE.md |
| Federate to OpenTAKServer / another TAK Server | FEDERATION_SETUP.md |
| Wire up OpenLDAP / Active Directory auth | LDAP_SETUP_GUIDE.md |
| Smoke-test the install with a real client | OMNITAK_TEST_GUIDE.md |
These bite on every fresh Ubuntu 24.04 install. None of them have been fixed upstream because they're really Ubuntu/packaging quirks, not TAK Server bugs:
- TAK Server 5.5/5.6/5.7 all pin to PostgreSQL 15 (verified in source —
requires('postgresql-15'),requires('postgresql-15-postgis-3')) - Ubuntu 24.04's default
apt install postgresqlinstalls 16, which breaks TAK Server with cryptic DB errors - Install 15 explicitly from the PGDG APT repo (every guide above shows the steps)
- The TAK Server
.debdeclaresrequires('openjdk-17-jdk')— don't remove it - Run Temurin 17 as the runtime AND keep OpenJDK 17 to satisfy the package dependency
- Removing OpenJDK 17 will fail your
dpkg -i
takserver-fed-hub_<version>_all.deb— separate download from tak.gov- The fed-hub scripts need PATH fixes for Ubuntu 24.04 (full paths to
/usr/bin/awkand/usr/bin/java) - See FEDERATION_SETUP.md
dpkgoverwrites/opt/tak/setenv.sh,takserver-messaging.sh, etc.- Each tutorial's "Fix Startup Scripts" section is the same fix — re-run it on upgrade
- WebTAK 4.10.5 — performance overhaul, scales to ~2800 clients on c5.2xlarge
- takproto over UDP inputs (previously TCP/TLS only) — useful for Meshtastic/LoRa gateways
- Optional broadcast filter to prevent specific users from broadcasting map items
- Websocket compression off by default for performance — re-enable in
CoreConfig.xmlif you need it for low-bandwidth clients
- Spring Security bumped to 6.5.9 — re-test custom OAuth/SSO config
- Apache Commons Codec 1.15 → 1.17.1
- Spring LDAP 3.1.6 → 3.2.0 — re-test custom LDAP/AD bind
commons-beanutilsno longer pulled in by core- OS deps unchanged (Java 17, PostgreSQL 15)
- OS: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS (Noble Numbat)
- Java: Eclipse Temurin 17.0.16 + OpenJDK 17 (both required)
- PostgreSQL: 15.x with PostGIS 3
- TAK Server: 5.5-RELEASE-82, 5.6-RELEASE-35, 5.7-RELEASE-14
- Federation Hub: matching
<version>-RELEASE-<n>to the server - Clients: OmniTAK-Android (Kotlin/Compose), OmniTAK-iOS (Swift/SwiftUI), ATAK 5.5+, WinTAK
| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 5432 | TCP | PostgreSQL 15 |
| 8089 | TCP/TLS | Client connections (ATAK / WinTAK / OmniTAK) |
| 8443 | TCP/HTTPS | Web admin / WebTAK (client cert required) |
| 8444 | TCP/HTTPS | Federation HTTPS |
| 8446 | TCP/HTTPS | Certificate enrollment |
| 6969 | UDP | Multicast SA discovery |
| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 9000 | TCP/TLS | Federation V1 (legacy) |
| 9001 | TCP/TLS | Federation V2 server |
| 9100 | HTTPS | Federation Hub web UI |
| 9101 | TCP/TLS | Fed Hub V1 broker |
| 9102 | TCP/TLS | Fed Hub V2 broker |
- Download the TAK Server
.debfrom tak.gov (registration required) - Read the gotchas above
- Follow the matching
TAK_SERVER_5.X_COMPLETE_TUTORIAL.mdtop-to-bottom - Verify with OMNITAK_TEST_GUIDE.md
- Optionally add federation, LDAP, or Docker
Time budget: 1–2 hours for a clean install on a fresh VM, plus 15 minutes for the OmniTAK smoke test.
- Default cert password is
atakatak— changecert-metadata.sh(CAPASS=andPASS=) before runningmakeRootCa.sh - Database password
takserver123in the tutorials is a placeholder — replace it before exposing the server - Never commit certificates or private keys
- Review firewall rules before exposing the server to the internet
- For production, consider running behind a reverse proxy and fronting it with proper CA-issued certs (the self-signed CA is fine for internal use)
All TAK Server packages must be downloaded from tak.gov (free registration). This repo cannot redistribute them.
You'll typically need:
| Filename pattern | Purpose |
|---|---|
takserver_5.X-RELEASE<n>_all.deb |
Main server |
takserver-fed-hub_5.X-RELEASE<n>_all.deb |
Federation Hub (optional) |
takserver-docker-5.X-RELEASE-<n>.tar.gz |
Docker bundle (optional) |
Issues, corrections, and improvements welcome. Please ensure:
- No sensitive data (certificates, keys, passwords)
- Commands tested on Ubuntu 24.04 (or the OS you're documenting)
- Steps are concrete and reproducible
This is an unofficial community guide. For official TAK Server documentation and support:
TAK Server is government software. All packages must be obtained from official sources.
- v2.0 — Added 5.6 + 5.7 install guides, OmniTAK end-to-end smoke test, refreshed README
- v1.2 — Added Docker installation guide
- v1.1 — Added Federation Hub setup with detailed gotchas
- v1.0 — Initial 5.5 install guide for Ubuntu 24.04