What you need

  • Python 3.10 or newer
  • pip
  • Windows, macOS, or Linux

Windows users can also download a standalone .exe from GitHub Releases instead of installing Python — see below.

Installing from source

  1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/MSteier/Vodou-Web-Browser.git
  2. (Recommended) create a virtual environment and activate it.
  3. Install dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt. This pulls in PyQt6 and PyQt6-WebEngine, which bring their own bundled Qt6/Chromium build automatically.

Linux only: saving cookies for specific sites (see Cookie exceptions: staying signed in) needs a desktop keyring (GNOME Keyring or KWallet) to encrypt what it stores. Most desktops ship one already; on a minimal window manager, install gnome-keyring. Without one, Vodou still runs fine — that one feature simply switches itself off rather than storing anything unencrypted.

Standalone Windows download

If you'd rather not install Python, download the packaged .exe from the project's GitHub Releases page. This build is Vodou only — it doesn't include the optional private-search or local-AI backends (see Starting Vodou for the first time).

Docker (any OS, viewed in a browser)

Vodou also publishes an official container image, msteier/vodou, for running it on a NAS, a server, or any machine where you'd rather not install Python at all — including macOS and Linux, where there's no standalone download. It runs Vodou inside the container and streams it to a browser tab over VNC; there's nothing to install on the host beyond Docker itself.

docker run -p 8080:8080 -v vodou-data:/home/vodou/.vodou msteier/vodou

Then open http://localhost:8080/ in any browser. The volume persists your profile (bookmarks, vault, plugins) across container restarts — drop it for a fully disposable session. Full details, including keeping the Chromium sandbox on, live on the Docker Hub page.

Inside the browser tab, Vodou's window has a thin border rather than a title bar (the image uses the minimal evilwm window manager). To move a window, hold Alt and drag it.