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How to Change the Hermes Agent Web Port (CLI and Docker)

Use Hermes' --port flag for one-off launches, or set HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT and a matching Docker port mapping. Learn why --insecure no longer disables authentication.

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Run hermes dashboard --port 8080 to start the Hermes Agent web dashboard on port 8080 for that launch. The command-line option is --port; Hermes uses port 9119 by default. In Docker, set HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT and publish the same port from the host to the container, such as 8080:8080.

Choose the right way to change the port

Hermes has two documented startup paths:

Deployment Setting to change Scope Documented default
Command line --port <number> That dashboard process only 9119
Docker HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT plus Docker port publishing The container and its published endpoint 9119

A port change is separate from network exposure. Selecting another number does not by itself make the dashboard public. Binding the service to an address other than 127.0.0.1 is a separate decision and, under the current documentation, requires an authentication provider.

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Change the port from the Hermes CLI

Use a one-off port

  1. Stop any currently running Hermes dashboard process if it is using the port you need.
  2. Start the dashboard with the desired number, for example:
    hermes dashboard --port 8080
  3. Open the dashboard at the address you normally use, replacing 9119 with 8080 in the URL if the dashboard is local.

The value after --port must be a numeric TCP port that is available on the machine. The option applies to that invocation; the command must include it again whenever you start a new process unless your own service manager supplies the argument automatically.

Keep the default

Omit the option to use Hermes’ documented default:

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hermes dashboard

This starts the web server on port 9119.

If 9119 is already occupied

A third-party guide uses 9120 as an example alternative:

hermes dashboard --port 9120

That number is not a Hermes requirement or an official fallback. Any unused port that fits your network and operating-system rules can work. If the command reports that a port is unavailable, choose another unused value and make sure clients, reverse proxies, firewalls and bookmarks use the same value.

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Change the port in Docker

Docker requires two settings to agree: the port on which Hermes listens inside the container and the port Docker publishes for connections from the host. Set HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT for the first, then publish that number.

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Docker Compose service settings

Add or edit these keys in the existing Hermes service. Keep the rest of your service definition unchanged:

environment:
  HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT: "8080"
ports:
  - "8080:8080"

The left side of the mapping is the host port; the right side is the container port. The documented Hermes pattern is to use the same number on both sides when changing the dashboard port. After changing the service definition, recreate the container so the new environment variable and port publication take effect.

Docker run equivalents

For a direct docker run setup, pass the environment variable and publish the matching port in the command that starts your existing Hermes image:

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-e HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT=8080 -p 8080:8080

These options are additions to your current image and startup command; the image name and any other required options depend on how you installed Hermes.

Return a Docker deployment to 9119

Set HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT to 9119 and publish 9119:9119. Remove stale containers or recreate the service if Docker is still using the previous port definition.

Host port versus container port

It is useful to distinguish the two endpoints:

  • Container port: where the Hermes process listens, controlled by HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT.
  • Host port: where users connect on the Docker host, controlled by the left side of -p host:container.

For example, with HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT=8080 and -p 8080:8080, Hermes listens on 8080 inside the container and Docker exposes 8080 on the host. A browser on the host therefore uses the host’s address with port 8080. If another application already occupies that host port, Docker will fail to publish it; select another available number and change both Hermes’ setting and the published mapping together.

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Authentication and public access

Changing the port does not disable authentication

Current official documentation describes --insecure as a no-op. It does not turn authentication off. Do not add that flag merely because the dashboard uses a non-default port or because it is not bound to localhost.

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When authentication is required

A dashboard bound to anything other than 127.0.0.1 is a public or network-reachable bind. The current Docker guidance requires an authentication provider for that situation, using a password or OAuth. Choose and configure the provider before making the dashboard reachable beyond the local machine.

The port number itself is not an access-control mechanism. A nonstandard port can reduce accidental collisions, but it does not protect the dashboard from a network that can reach the bind address.

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Review older guides carefully

Some older third-party instructions say that --insecure is mandatory whenever the dashboard is not bound to 127.0.0.1. That advice conflicts with the current official behavior: the option is a no-op, and authentication is still required for a public bind. Follow the current Hermes and Docker documentation for the release you run rather than copying that older step.

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Verify that the new port is active

  1. Confirm the startup command or container environment contains the intended number.
  2. Check the process or container logs for a bind error. A failure normally means the selected port is already in use, unavailable, or not published by Docker.
  3. Connect to the new host and port from the same machine first. For a local CLI launch on 8080, that means using the local dashboard URL with :8080.
  4. For Docker, inspect the container’s published-port listing and confirm that the host and container values match the settings you intended.
  5. If a reverse proxy, firewall rule, bookmark, health check or automation still points to 9119, update that dependent configuration as well.

A browser error can come from either side of the connection: Hermes may not be listening inside the container, or Docker may not be forwarding the host port. Checking both values prevents treating a publication problem as an application problem.

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Common failure modes and fixes

Symptom Likely cause Fix
The command rejects the option The option was typed incorrectly or the installed release differs from the documented CLI. Use the exact spelling --port and check the installed Hermes help output and current documentation.
“Address already in use” or an equivalent bind error Another process owns the selected port. Stop the conflicting process or choose another available number, then update clients to match.
Docker starts, but the browser cannot connect The environment variable and published mapping use different numbers, or the container was not recreated. Set HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT and the container side of the mapping to the same value, publish that value on the host, and recreate the container.
Local access works, remote access fails The service is still bound to localhost, or an intervening firewall/reverse proxy blocks the port. Review the bind address and network rules separately from the port setting. If you use a non-local bind, configure an authentication provider.
An old guide tells you to add --insecure The guide reflects older behavior. Do not rely on the flag; current documentation says it is a no-op and does not disable authentication.
Links or integrations still open 9119 Only the server setting was changed. Update every consumer, health check and proxy that embeds the old endpoint.

Per-run changes and persistence

A CLI flag entered at the shell is a per-run setting. If Hermes is launched by a service manager, container orchestrator or script, that launcher must provide the flag or environment variable each time it starts the dashboard. The available documentation does not establish a universal Hermes configuration-file key or a standard systemd unit override for persisting this value, so do not assume that editing an undocumented file will survive upgrades.

For Docker, persistence normally comes from the service definition: keep HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT and the matching ports entry in the Compose file or equivalent deployment definition, then recreate the container when you change them.

Port-change checklist

  • Pick an unused port permitted by your host and network policy.
  • For a direct launch, use hermes dashboard --port <number>.
  • For Docker, set HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT and publish the same container port.
  • Update the URL, reverse proxy, firewall, health checks and integrations that reference the old port.
  • Keep the dashboard on a local bind when remote access is unnecessary.
  • If you use a non-local bind, configure password or OAuth authentication.
  • Do not add --insecure expecting it to bypass authentication.

Which method should you use?

Your setup Recommended change What to remember
Testing or an occasional local launch hermes dashboard --port 8080 (replace 8080 with your available port) The choice lasts for that process only.
Docker Compose or another managed container deployment Set HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT and publish a matching port Recreate the container after changing the definition.
Remote or network access Change the port only after deciding on the bind address and authentication A different port does not replace access control.

Bottom line

Use --port for a direct Hermes launch, with 9119 as the default. In Docker, change HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORT and publish the same number, such as 8080:8080. Treat public binding and authentication as separate security settings, and ignore older instructions that use --insecure to disable login: current documentation says that option does nothing.

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