---
title: "Troubleshooting"
description: "Fix the common problems of installing and running AppSec Portal, and find its logs."
url: https://whitespots.io/docs/appsec-portal/get-started/troubleshooting
slug: appsec-portal/get-started/troubleshooting
publish_date: 2026-10-30T19:42:15.000Z
last_modified: 2026-10-30T19:42:15.000Z
---

# Troubleshooting

## Read the logs

Most problems show up in the logs of the `back` service first.

With Docker Compose, open `sh launcher.sh` in the install folder. The menu shows how many
services are running, and **Logs** shows the logs of all services. **Healer logs** lists the
services that were restarted because they stopped responding.

To run Compose commands yourself, load the install's configuration first. The install folder has
no single `docker-compose.yml`, so a plain `docker compose` doesn't find the services:

```bash
. ./.compose-config.sh
compose ps
compose logs --tail 200 back
```

`compose ps` shows which services aren't running or are unhealthy. Imports run in
`importer` and `importer_worker`, integrations and background jobs in the `db_helper_*` services.

With Helm:

```bash
kubectl get pods -n portal
kubectl logs -n portal -l app.kubernetes.io/name=portal-portal --tail 200
```

## Login fails right after the install

- **Login fails over plain HTTP.** The domain starts with `https`, so `COOKIES_SECURE` is `True`
  and the browser doesn't keep the session over HTTP. Set up HTTPS, or set `COOKIES_SECURE=False`
  in `.env` and choose **Restart** in `sh launcher.sh` (with Helm, set `cookies_secure: false`
  and run `helm upgrade`).
- **No user can log in.** Check that you created the administrator. If you didn't start
  Portal at the end of the install, the installer skipped it: open
  `sh launcher.sh`, then **Settings** → **Create superuser**.

## The license doesn't activate

To activate a license, the server sends the key to the license server over HTTPS. If outgoing
connections go through a proxy or a firewall, allow HTTPS from the server.

With a paid license, Tech Radar also needs the license server after activation, so keep HTTPS
to it open.

## The techradar service keeps restarting

The `techradar` service runs only with an activated paid license, and only while it can reach the
license server. Without one, it stops right after it starts, and Docker starts it again. The rest
of Portal works. Activate a paid license, or check the network as described
above.

## Everyone is logged out and integrations stopped working

The signing keys changed: someone chose **Regenerate keys** in the launcher, reinstalled over the
existing configuration, or copied a different `.env`. Sessions signed with the old keys end, and
the credentials saved in integrations can't be read any more.

Put the old `JWT_PRIVATE_KEY`, `JWT_PUBLIC_KEY` and `SECRET_KEY` back into `.env` if you have
them, and restart. If you don't, log in again and enter the credentials of each integration
again.

## Requests fail with "Bad Request" and imports hang

Check the free disk space on the server first:

```bash
df -h
docker system df
```

When the disk is full, the message queue stops, and every request that waits for a background
job fails. Free space, for example with `docker image prune`, then restart
Portal.

If the disk isn't full, the server may be short of memory or CPU. See the resource advice in
[Install](https://whitespots.io/docs/appsec-portal/get-started/install).

## Data is gone after a restart

- **Helm with the bundled PostgreSQL**: older charts ran PostgreSQL without a
  volume. Current charts keep the data, and stop an upgrade of such an installation with an error
  that explains how to move the data to a volume.
- **Docker Compose**: the database is in `data/db` in the install folder. Don't delete that
  folder, and run the update commands from the same folder. **Hard reset** in the launcher's
  **Danger zone** deletes it, together with the uploaded files, the backups and the settings.

## The web interface doesn't open

- **Docker Compose**: `nginx` listens on ports 80 and 443. If another web server uses them,
  `nginx` fails to start: `compose ps` shows it as not running. Stop the other server or
  put it in front of Portal as a proxy.
- **Helm**: check that the ingress controller is running and that `ingress.host` matches the
  address users open.

---

## Navigation

- Location: [Docs](https://whitespots.io/docs) > [Application Security Portal](https://whitespots.io/docs/appsec-portal) > [Get started](https://whitespots.io/docs/appsec-portal/get-started)
- Previous: [Migrate from DefectDojo](https://whitespots.io/docs/appsec-portal/get-started/migrate-from-defectdojo)
- Next: [Products and assets](https://whitespots.io/docs/appsec-portal/products-and-assets)