Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing API Security Local Edition, verify the following requirements.

Common prerequisites

  • Bash 4 or later on the host where the installation script will run

  • Sufficient CPU, RAM, and storage for the planned deployment scale (contact your F5 Sales representative or Solutions Engineer for sizing guidance)

  • An existing API Virtual Server configured on a BIG-IP that will export traffic metadata

  • Network connectivity from BIG-IP to the API Security host on TCP 6514

  • Network connectivity from administrative workstations to the API Security host on TCP 8000

Docker Compose prerequisites

  • Linux host

  • Docker

  • Docker Compose

Kubernetes prerequisites

  • A reachable Kubernetes cluster (managed or self-hosted)

  • kubectl

  • helm

For a list of supported versions of Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, Helm, and BIG-IP TMOS, see the Release Notes.

Sizing guidance

Sizing recommendations depend on the specific deployment scenario, traffic volume, and data retention requirements. To obtain sizing guidance for your environment, contact your F5 Sales representative or Solutions Engineer.

Installation package structure

After downloading the API Security Local Edition release package (Docker Compose or Kubernetes), extract it:

tar -xvzf <release-package>.tar.gz
cd <release-package>

The extracted folder contains:

  • install_local.sh — main installation and lifecycle management script

  • Docker Compose configuration or Helm configuration, depending on the package

  • Documentation, README, and example files

  • A demo folder with sample tooling to generate traffic and validate the user interface

Install on Docker Compose

Use the Docker Compose package for single-host deployments, laboratory environments, and proof-of-concept usage.

View available options

To view all options of the installation script:

./install_local.sh --help

Option

Description

-d, --default

Use default mode (auto configuration)

-s, --stop

Stop the running environment

-p, --purge

Remove containers, images, and volumes

--upgrade

Upgrade an existing installation

--dry-run

Preview the upgrade process (used only with --upgrade)

-h, --help

Show the help message and exit

Perform a default installation

To perform a default installation:

./install_local.sh --default

After installation completes, the script prints the usable IP addresses of the host machine. Proceed to Validate the installation to access the UI.

Install on Kubernetes (Helm)

Use the Kubernetes package for production deployments, high-availability configurations, and multi-node setups.

To deploy on Kubernetes:

  1. Deploy the Helm chart or manifests included in the package.

  2. Configure persistent storage for the data store.

  3. Configure resource requests and limits according to the sizing guidance obtained from F5.

  4. Expose the user interface service through the appropriate ingress, load balancer, or NodePort.

  5. Validate pod and service health using kubectl get pods and the steps in Validate the installation.

For deployment-specific Helm values and ingress examples, refer to the README included in the Kubernetes installation package.

Validate the installation

After installation completes, validate the deployment:

  1. Open a browser and go to https://<host-ip>:8000, where <host-ip> is one of the addresses printed by the installation script.

  2. Confirm that the user interface loads.

  3. Sign in with the default credentials:

    • Username: admin

    • Password: admin

  4. Change the default password when prompted. See Manage users for details.

  5. Confirm that all services report a healthy state.

After completing the BIG-IP integration steps in BIG-IP integration </admin_guide/big_ip_integration>, return to the dashboard and confirm that ingestion counters increase and that endpoints begin to appear.

Upgrade

The installation script supports upgrade and dry-run upgrade modes. Upgrades preserve existing data and configuration.

Note

In the current release, the --upgrade and --upgrade --dry-run modes are supported only for Docker Compose deployments. For Kubernetes deployments, follow the upgrade procedure provided with the Helm package.

The recommended upgrade workflow on Docker Compose is:

./install_local.sh --upgrade --dry-run
./install_local.sh --upgrade

The dry-run validates the environment and previews each step before any changes are applied. Review the dry-run output before proceeding with the actual upgrade.

Uninstall

To stop the running environment without removing data:

./install_local.sh --stop

To remove containers, images, and volumes:

./install_local.sh --purge

Warning

The --purge option permanently deletes all locally stored data, including discovered endpoints, statistics, audit records, and configuration. Use with care.