Octopus Deploy Documentation

Permissions for the Octopus Windows Service

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When you install the Octopus Server, you'll be asked whether Octopus should run as the Local System account, or as a custom user. It's a good practice to set up a dedicated user account for the Octopus Server.

Keep in mind that the user principal that the Octopus service runs as needs to be able to do many things:

  1. Run as a service ("Log on as a service" rights), so that the service can start.
  2. Read and write the Octopus SQL Server Database. If the SQL database is on another server, this is a good reason to use a custom user account.
  3. Read and write from the registry and file system (details below).
  4. Read any NuGet feeds that use local folders or file shares.

The following table acts as a guide for the minimal permission set that Octopus must have for successful operation:

Permission Object Reason Applied with
Full control The Octopus "Home" folder, e.g. C:\Octopus Octopus stores logs, temporary data, and dynamic configuration in this folder. Windows Explorer
Read The directory Octopus was installed to (typically C:\Program Files\Octopus Deploy) Octopus needs these files in order to run. Windows Explorer
Read The HLKM\Software\Octopus registry key Octopus determines the location of its configuration files from this key. Regedit
Full control The OctopusDeploy Windows Service Octopus must be able to upgrade and restart itself for remote administration. SC.EXE
Listen Port 10943 Octopus accepts commands from polling Tentacles on this port. NETSH.EXE
Listen Port 80 The Octopus Server responds to browser requests on this port. NETSH.EXE
Listen Port 443 If using SSL, the Octopus Server responds to browser requests on this port. NETSH.EXE
db_owner For the SQL database. Learn more. Octopus needs to be able to manage its database, including making schema changes. SQL Server Management Studio

If you rely on Octopus to run certain tasks on the Octopus Server, you'll also need to grant appropriate permissions for these. Examples include:

  • Using the Windows Azure deployment tasks in Octopus (these run on the Octopus Server).
  • Deploying to an offline package drop deployment target.
  • Running a custom script on the Octopus Server.

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